Safety Data Sheet Sections to Prep your PCN

You will be able to get a lot of the required information from your company’s safety data sheets (SDSs) and your supplier SDSs, however it is very unlikely that all of the information that you will need to fulfill the poison centre notification (PCN) requirements will be available in these documents. You will need to gather some additional data and may need to ask your supplier(s) for extra information.

SDS required sections and information

The following information should be available in a SDS; however, if some parts are missing or incorrect you will need source the relevant information.

• Trade name(s), other names or synonyms – Section 1
• CLP classification (hazard class and category) – Section 2
• Label elements (hazard pictogram codes, signal word, hazard statement codes, supplemental hazard information codes, precautionary statement codes) – Section 2
• Physical state – Section 9
• Toxicological information – Section 11. Note: the information must be translated into the required language(s) for submission and any references to other SDS sections must be removed

SDS non-mandatory sections and information

Information that may be on the SDS

• Colour(s) – this should be in Section 9 of the SDS but only a set of predefined colours are allowed in a PCN so this may be slightly different to the colour given on the SDS (g. Navy → Blue)
• pH – this should be given in Section 9 of the SDS for the mixture as supplied, if available, but for the PCN you will also need to know the concentration of the solution
• Use – consumer or professional or industrial
• Submitter details – these may differ from the supplier details given in Section 1 of the SDS
• Unique Formula Identifier (UFI) – this is not mandatory on a SDS but may be included in subsection 1.1
• Translated text – there are a number of free text fields within the PCN (e.g. Toxicological information) and these must be translated into the required language(s) for the submission

Information that is unlikely to be on the SDS

• Full formulation – the SDS will provide some composition information in Section 3, but this will probably be less than what is required for a PCN submission (g. non-hazardous components ≥1% may not be available on the SDS)
• Generic product identifiers (“perfumes” or “colouring agents”)
• Product categorisation code (EuPCS)
• Packaging type(s) and size(s)
• Mixture in Mixture (MIM) supplier details/UFI (if applicable)
• Rapid access contact details for limited submission (if applicable)