The critical role of SDSs

SDSs, in fact, contain detailed information about chemicals purchased and used within the company, including physical and chemical properties, health and environmental hazards, preventive measures, and precautions for safe use. If not properly received and managed, the enterprise can incur serious risks.

The importance of a well-defined process

Despite its obvious importance, the process of receiving and managing SDSs is often neglected or not clearly assigned to a manager. This represents a strategic mistake . In fact, a company's governance should not afford to manage such a relevant business process in an unstructured way.

Take, for example, the management of orders received from customers: in every company this process has been refined and structured to ensure that no document is lost. A well-defined workflow has been created, normally entrusted to the sales administration, from the receipt of the order, to its digitalization, to its entry into the computer system for proper handling. This process, taken care of in every detail, is essential to ensure the business continuity of the company and to avoid possible problems such as delivery delays, billing errors and, ultimately, the loss of sales, if not even customers.

Similarly, a process for receiving and handling incoming SDSs needs to be refined and structured. Such a process should include the timely receipt of SDSs from suppliers, their digitalization to ensure easy access and search,continuous updating according to new versions or regulatory changes, and finally training workers on their proper use.

The role of the digitalization

In this context, which may seem like a usual supply chain process, a peculiarity also emerges that should be taken into account from the outset: for the SDS management process to be truly efficient, it is not enough that we simply receive and store the documents (SDSs, which contain so much detailed information, are normally made available as simple PDFs).

It is also necessary for the documents received to be digitalized, meaning that the most important information is "extracted" from the documents and transformed into "classified digital information" so that it can be used in subsequent processing, such as research, reports and analysis. In addition, digitalization of the data allows the information from SDSs to be integrated into the company's information system, thus facilitating chemical risk management, compliance with current regulations, as well as providing relevant—and, most importantly, traceable and measurable—data for sustainability reporting.

Given the type and amount of information that is important digitalize, uploading it manually into the management system is not sustainable, as it would be too onerous and not sufficiently reliable (the data to be uploaded would be dozens, when not hundreds, for each SDS received). It is therefore essential that the SDS management system be able, upon receipt, to subject the documents to an automatic digitalization process.

Conclusions

In conclusion, it is necessary for a company's senior management—if it has not already done so—to understand the importance of a well-defined and efficient process for receiving and managing SDSs, and to be a diligent part of ensuring that it is properly implemented. Ignoring this reality can pose serious risks, operationally, reputational and legally. Conversely, proactive attention to this process is a hallmark of accountability and business excellence.

Today, thanks to the evolution of Digital Transformation, there are services, methodologies, and technologies that allow this process to be simplified and made efficient as well in ways that were not available just a few years ago. Tools such as artificial intelligence, process automation, and cloud solutions offer new opportunities to improve SDS management. These innovative solutions make it possible to automate the entire process of receiving, digitalization and managing SDSs, thereby reducing the time, effort required and increasing efficiency.

They also help to ensure that all SDSs are always present and up-to-date, not only for new products to be purchased, but also for new versions of SDSs of products in use, issued by chemical manufacturers to adapt to frequent regulatory changes. This ensures that the company is always in compliance with current regulations and that workers always have access to the latest information relevant to their safety.

So there is no excuse for not addressing and resolving the inadequacy of the process of receiving, managing and digitalization SDSs. The solutions are at hand, and the benefits, whether for business needs in terms of safety, regulatory and commercial compliance, and sustainability, are too great to ignore. Implementing an effective SDS management process should be a priority for every responsible company.

Roberto Di Martino

Every Software Solutions

CEO & Solutions Manager

We are clearly in an era of "digital revolution," which is rapidly changing the way we work, interact and live our lives. This metamorphosis has generated a range of terminologies that are sometimes misunderstood and confused with one another.

I have been involved in Digital Transformation for some time, and I often find that certain terms, which have a definite meaning, are used interchangeably, almost as if they were synonyms.

Definitions such as Dematerialization, Digitization, Digitalization and Digital Transformation are frequently used as casually as possible and without us dwelling on their real meaning. The result: misunderstandings and unfulfilled expectations.

Let's see if some clarity is possible.

Dematerialization

It is aimed ateliminating the need for physical media to store, manage and transmit information. This reduces the need for physical space, production and/or transmission costs, and environmental impact.

The conversion of paper documents by "image" scanning, which produces a digital copy of them (for example: "raster" PDF or JPG format files), immediately comes to mind. But this is just one example, as Dematerialization can be applied in many other contexts, effectively extending to any process that intends to eliminate the need for tangible media.

For example, in the case of audio, Dematerialization may be the transfer from physical media such as magnetic tapes or vinyl to digital formats such as MP3, AAC or WAV files, which can be stored, managed and transmitted electronically. In the case of video, it may refer to the replacement of media such as VHS tapes with digital formats such as MP4, AVI or MKV files. Even in these cases, Dematerialization involves the ability to store, manage and transmit video through electronic media.

It should be noted that Dematerialization activity can occur at various stages of the information management process. It can be at the origin, whereby the creation of physical media is completely avoided, thus achieving the greatest benefit in terms of efficiency, savings and minimization of environmental impact. But it can also occur at later stages, such as when the initial producer of the information sends it on a physical medium and the recipient dematerializes it, for example by scanning a paper document with the aim of obtaining a digital copy that can be stored or transferred more easily. Conversely, one sometimes encounters "high inefficiency" processes in which a document is received digitally, printed by the recipient to write a manual note on it, and then scanned and stored digitally and finally ... destroyed. It goes without saying that such processes cause unnecessary labor, cost, environmental impact and waste--completely avoidable by simply optimizing the process through proper use of digital technologies.

Digitization

It concerns the conversion of analog information into digital information. In practice, it is not limited to the removal of material media but deals with the transformation of content into digital format. This contemplates the conversion of text, images, audio and video into digital data that can be processed, stored and transmitted electronically in a better way than described above. An example of Digitization is the scanning of a paper document apt to create a digital version of it, somewhat as described in the case of Dematerialization, but applying during the scanning also an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) or ICR (Intelligent Character Recognition) process, which extracts the text by interpreting its graphical representation and generates a PDF file "with text." The content thus becomes copyable and searchable, but it is not really processable with evolved processes because no rules are applied to classify and structure the data and information. Digitization is applied in processes where content is given in analog format on material media and it is sufficient to have a digital copy, without proceeding with processes of digitalization.

Digitalization

Whereas Digitization is limited to the conversion of data from analog to digital, the Digitalization goes further, classifying digital information (however obtained) to assign it a semantics that makes it informatically processable. For example, certain information is extracted and classified from a document, such as document type, author, title, date, body of text, as well as other specific data that may be of interest for later processing. The transformation of digital information into Metadata (achieved by classifying, organizing, and structuring it) enables improved or changed processes, business models, and interactions. The digitalization creates new business opportunities and optimizes existing resources through the integration of digital technologies and solutions, such as automation, digital signatures, artificial intelligence, big data, and IoT (Internet-of-Things).

Digital Transformation

Instead, Digital Transformation involves a radical change in an organization's approach and strategies. It is a renewal process that involves revising processes, skills, business models and technologies in order to create new ways of operating and generating value. Digital Transformation goes beyond the simple adoption of new technologies, as it also involves a cultural change within the organization.

It is important to emphasize that Digital Transformation is a transitional path. While it involves a radical change in an organization's approach and strategies, it can be applied gradually. This means that companies can progressively introduce new technologies, processes, and skills to adapt to the challenges and opportunities that emerge during the transformation journey. This scalable approach enables organizations to better manage the risks and investments associated with Digital Transformation and avoid facing too drastic or rapid changes that could create internal problems or turbulence.

In conclusion, although the terms Dematerialization, Digitization, Digitalization and Digital Transformation may sound similar, each represents a distinct aspect of everyone's journey toward an increasingly digital world. Dematerialization eliminates the need for physical media, Digitization converts analog information into a digital format, Digitalization classifies and structures digital information in a way that enables process improvement through its processing, and Digital Transformation enables the redefinition of business strategies and the creation of new business models by taking advantage of the opportunities offered by digital technologies and requires a major shift in organizational strategy and culture.

Understanding these differences is critical for companies and individuals seeking to adapt and thrive in the digital age. Each process plays an important role in shaping our future, and together these concepts form the basis for continued development and innovation in technology, business and, ultimately, the very way we live.

Roberto Di Martino

Every Software Solutions

CEO & Solutions Manager

Introduction

Over the years of operation, companies in general, and so do cosmetic companies, receive numerous Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) from their suppliers regarding the chemicals and mixtures that are purchased. In accordance with the legislation governing SDSs (Regulation (EC) No. 1906/2007 (1)), they are provided, either on paper or in electronic form, by the time the substance or mixture covered by the SDS is supplied. Thereafter, SDSs are revised (i) as soon as new information becomes available that may affect risk management measures or new information on hazards; (ii) when an authorization has been granted or denied; (iii) when a restriction has been imposed (1); and, in addition to these cases provided for in the regulation, whenever the supplier deems it appropriate to transmit updated versions, making appropriate changes.

In the risk assessment required under Legislative Decree No. 81 of April 9, 2008 (Consolidated Occupational Health and Safety Act, TUSL), the employer shall preliminarily determine the possible presence of hazardous chemical agents in the workplace and shall also assess the risks to the safety and health of workers arising from the presence of such agents, taking into consideration, in particular (and among other elements): a) their hazardous properties; b) the health and safety information communicated by the supplier through the relevant SDS.

In addition, under the TUSL, employers shall ensure that workers or their representatives have access to any SDS made available by the supplier (2). Likewise, Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 requires employers to make SDSs (or information documents where an SDS is not mandatory) of substances and mixtures available to all workers who use them or may be exposed to them in the course of their work (1).

In this framework, where it is easy to glimpse a wide movement of documents in a hopefully increasingly information-rich and up-to-date version, proper and accurate archiving is surely the starting point for any organizational process the company intends to set up.

In addition, with the arrival of new versions it would be necessary to have them immediately available so as to ascertain what elements have been changed and how they affect the assessments prepared in the company. However, previous SDSs should not be deleted, as it may be necessary to prove that one was in possession of the previous version at some time. Under the current regulations (1), each actor shall assemble all the information it needs to fulfill its obligations under the regulations and ensure its availability for a period of time of at least 10 years after it last manufactured, imported, supplied or used the substance or mixture, thus also in case of discontinuation of use of a particular product.

The filing of SDSs "on their own"

Initially, a large proportion of companies organize by creating a folder on a disk in the company's computer network, accessible by authorized personnel, where documents (usually in PDF format) are stored as they are transmitted by suppliers.

As time goes on, the number of documents available increases and it can become increasingly difficult to store them in a useful and unambiguously understandable way, as well as to find them. Recognizing files using name alone becomes virtually impossible, as each vendor uses a different nomenclature standard; therefore, attempts are made to compensate by dividing SDSs into several network folders, but these soon begin to proliferate. In the most frequent cases, a folder is created for each vendor, in order to divide the mass of documents into many small, better manageable pieces.

It is not uncommon to find companies that, for production use of a few hundred products that come with an SDS, have a hundred network folders containing a couple of thousand documents.

In some cases, the company chooses to organize itself by equipping each production department or plant with only the SDSs within its competence (a concept that is in principle correct, not least to avoid the overinformation caused by anyone's indiscriminate access to information not within their competence or interest). In doing so, the matter is further complicated. Indeed, it is usual for PDF documents to be allocated in several folders, so when a new version of an SDS arrives, it should be distributed in several subfolders. Or, again, in cases where different versions relating to different languages of the same SDS are transmitted to the company (imagine the case of a distributor of raw materials who does not carry out rebranding work, who will resell the product in different markets, and who receives from its supplier different versions of the same document, marked with different names or dates), which contribute to the multiplication of archived documents and, likewise, to confusion.

In addition, the various delivery practices adopted by the various suppliers mean that any organizational procedure is further articulated: sometimes SDSs are delivered to the purchasing department, sometimes to the company'sH&S (Prevention and Protection Service Manager), and sometimes they are delivered with the goods and then received directly at the various plants. Many companies have tried to improve their ability to manage this complexity by, for example, compiling Excel sheets containing characteristic product data and, in the most virtuous cases, a link to the document stored in the appropriate folder. But even this method is complex to manage and, in most cases, you lose control of it in a short time.

In the medium term, the result is more or less always the same: the company finds itself managing many more documents than it should or could, and different people are likely to access outdated SDSs that have not been timely updated in their own reference environment (computer or physical folder).

In doing so, in a short time we end up with duplicate, outdated SDSs or different versions in the various company sites, giving rise to confusion and possible errors. Hence the need to have solutions that actually help, with centralized and unified management of the documents received and digital processing of the data they contain.

Therefore, there is a need to implement a process that allows for the complete management of incoming SDSs in the company, including receipt, content analysis, verification of the document's compliance with the requirements imposed by the regulations, highlighting of any hazard aspects that may have changed (and that could in some cases compromise the use of a given substance in the cosmetic sector), up to their use in production and the eventual archiving of SDSs that are obsolete (because they have been replaced by a new version) or discontinued because they relate to products discontinued from production.

To this end, it was deemed appropriate to conduct an experimental study, using appropriate computer aids, to highlight, by means of a snapshot, what is the common status of document management (and SDSs in particular) in a formulation company, in order to identify appropriate and adoptable strategies in work contexts.

To continue reading and discover Materials, Methods and Results of the study conducted download the full article.