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Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs

1. I can’t remember my login information.

Click here to get your username and/or password emailed to you.

2. How do I search for an SDS?

If you are new to our site, visit our SDS Search Tool.

As a visitor, you may search our database at any time during your visit. However, if you would like to open and view a safety data sheet you will need to sign up for one of our accounts (compare accounts).

We offer a Free Trial as a way for you to test-drive our database. This will give you access to open and view up to 5 safety data sheets.

For account subscribers, once you have logged into your account, click the Your Account Tab, and then use the VelocityEHS Search tools. A smart single Search field is provided to help you quickly locate an SDS within our database.

You can search by Product Name, Manufacturer Name, CAS#, Product Code, or Synonyms. Search suggestions will be generated based on popular successful searches. Every suggestion is accompanied by an estimate of the number of results that search will return.

Once you have entered your search term, results that match or partially match your terms will display.

Here’s an example: If you were to search for “Acetic Acid”, the search would only return products that have both “Acetic” and “Acid” associated with them in any field. Additionally, if you typed in “Ace Acid”, you would still receive results for Acetic Acid, as “Ace” is contained within the word “Acetic”.

You can use the Narrow Results tools to further refine your search to help find an SDS faster. Clicking on a selection under Narrow Results adds that selection as a filter for your search. For instance, if you were looking for an SDS from a certain date, select a Revision Date range to only see your results within that range.

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3. How do I view an SDS?

Whether you’re a first-time visitor and seasoned subscriber, viewing an SDS is easy. From the SDS Search, once you’ve entered a search term in the Search field, you will receive a list of results that match your search query.

For each chemical product within the search results, you will see a PDF icon. Click the icon to view the corresponding SDS.

Please Note: You must have an account and be logged in order to view an SDS. We offer a Free Trial as a way for you to test-drive our database. This will give you access to open and view up to 5 SDSs.

Clicking the PDF icon will launch Adobe Acrobat Reader and display a PDF image of the SDS.

Click the Close SDS link on the top of the SDS display window to close the SDS and return to the search results page.

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download the most current version FREE from Adobe.

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4. How do I print an SDS?

From an opened safety data sheet from within the SDS Search, you will notice the Adobe Acrobat Reader Tool Bar within the displayed SDS window. Click the Print icon from within the Adobe Acrobat Reader Tool Bar to print the SDS to your local printer.

Please Note: You must have an account and be logged in order to view and print an SDS. We offer a Free Trial as a way for you to test-drive our database. This will give you access to open, view, and print up to 5 SDSs.

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download the most current version FREE from Adobe.

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5. I get a blank screen when I click on the PDF icon.

If the SDS display window does not appear, when you click on the PDF icon, you most likely do not have the most current version of Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer.

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download the most current version FREE from Adobe.

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6. What if your database doesn’t contain the SDS I need?

At VelocityEHS we pride ourselves on delivering the most current and up-to-date safety data sheet content. In fact, we add more than 20,000 new or updated SDSs each week.

If, however, we don’t have an SDS you need, we will try to get it for you. Subscribers can use the Request SDS tool from within their account.

Fill out the form and based on the information you provide us, we will request the SDS from the manufacturer on your behalf. Once received, we will process the SDS and post it to your account for review and addition into your eBinder.

Please note: the number of requests included with your account varies by account type. Additional requests can be purchased by calling us toll-free at 1.888.362.2007.

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7. What is an eBinder?

Our exclusive eBinder is the place within your account where you can store and manage a site-specific inventory of SDSs. Think of it as your online chemical inventory. Here administrators and managers can build and maintain SDS/chemical information relating to their location-specific inventory or chemical products.

For account subscribers, the eBinder includes a number of tools designed to help you assign additional information to each chemical SDS for better inventory management, secondary container label creation, product tracking, and regulatory or inventory reporting.

Search tools and filters are provided within the eBinder to help you quickly locate SDSs.

Building Your eBinder

As an account subscriber, you can build your inventory by searching our database and then adding safety data sheets to your eBinder.

If, however, we don’t have an SDS you need, we will try to get it for you. Subscribers can use the Request SDS tool from within their account. Once received, we will process the SDS and post it to your account for review and addition into your eBinder.

If you already have copies of your SDSs you can scan and upload these to your account as well.

We also offer SDS Library Build services. Send us your Paper SDSs or an up-to-date inventory list and our services team will build your eBinder for you. Call us toll-free at 1.888.362.2007 to learn more. We offer timely project turn-around and competitive rates on all of our services.

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8. How do I subscribe?

Simply call us toll-free at 1.888.362.2007 to sign up for one of our chemical management accounts or to learn about our other EHS compliance solutions. You can also click on any Request Quote buttons throughout the site to have one of our representatives reach out to you for more information.

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9. Do your products meet OSHA HCS compliance requirements?

Yes. The OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (CFR 1910.1200) relating to SDS compliance is a performance-oriented standard. As such, OSHA has avoided mandating any one particular format for achieving compliance with the standard.

OSHA has issued general guidelines when utilizing electronic technologies for managing SDSs.

OSHA stipulates that if you are using an electronic SDS management system, you need to have a backup system. Our subscription accounts provide multiple backup options to ensure you have the means to access your SDSs in the case of lost internet connectivity or a power outage.

We also offer an SDS Rapid Access service, part of our Emergency Response Services, that enables your employees to get an SDS emailed or faxed anytime – 24-hours a day, 365-days a year – by simply calling our toll-free hotline.

The service works seamlessly with your VelocityEHS account to provide email and fax access to your company’s unique inventory of SDSs. It’s another backup alternative to ensure compliance with Right-to-Know requirements.

To order our SDS Rapid Access Service, call us toll-free at 1.888.362.2007. We offer timely project turn-around and competitive rates on all of our services.

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10. All of my SDSs are on paper. Can I still use your system?

Yes. We offer SDS Library Build services. Send us your Paper safety data sheets or an up-to-date inventory list and our services team will build your eBinder for you.

Our services team will scan and index all of your existing paper-based SDSs and then post them to your secure eBinder on the Web. Subscribers have online access to their eBinder any time, day or night, from any computer connected to the Internet.

Once the initial database is created, many of our clients send us new or updated SDSs on a periodic basis to process and add to their account.

As an account subscriber, you can also search our database to fill in gaps and support the ongoing maintenance of your inventory.

Call us toll-free at 1.888.362.2007 to learn more. We offer timely project turn-around and competitive rates on all of our services.

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11. Can your system help with GHS compliance requirements?

Yes. GHS is a worldwide standardized approach to hazard communication, which is supported by the United Nations and regulatory agencies around the globe, including OSHA. In short, GHS can be summarized into three main components:

  • Standardized hazardous chemical classifications
  • Standardized hazard warnings and symbols on container labels
  • Standardized SDS format and content

Chemical Manufacturers

If you are a chemical manufacturer, you need to make sure that your SDSs and labels meet GHS requirements.

Through our SDS Authoring offering, our team can assist you in your re-authoring process. Our trained, certified authoring professionals can create, update and even translate your product safety data sheets to ensure your safety data sheets comply with all local, national and international regulations, including GHS.

Call us toll-free at 1.888.362.2007 to learn more. We offer timely project turn-around and competitive rates on all of our services.

Employers

If ever there was a time to make the switch to electronic SDS management – the time is now! Our subscription accounts will help you manage the influx of SDSs and make it easy to organize and deploy your SDSs throughout your organization.

Our industry-leading database of safety data sheets is available 24/7 and updated with over 10,000 new SDSs weekly. Our system will automatically update your library with updated GHS-aligned documents.

GHS introduces several new label elements, i.e., pictograms and precautionary statements. Our system allows you to easily generate GHS-aligned labels as well as custom and WHMIS-compliant labels.

Call us toll-free at 1.888.362.2007 to learn more.

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12. Are your systems compatible with WHMIS?

Yes. Health Canada’s Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), much like OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard, is primarily focused on providing employees information on chemical hazards in the workplace via labels and SDSs.

Nevertheless, WHMIS is in many ways the more demanding regulation. For example, in addition to maintaining a library of SDSs and making them readily available to employees, WHMIS requires employers to update SDSs every three years. Similarly, WHMIS label requirements are more structured than their U.S. counterparts with seven categories of information required on most labels.

These added specifications make our systems even more suitable to WHMIS. The more rigorous the regulation, the more sense our systems make. Our subscription accounts make tracking and updating SDSs easy, while the subscription accounts can generate WHMIS and GHS compliant labels.

To help ensure your inventory is up-to-date and WHMIS compliant, we also offer SDS Updates / Verification services. Our team of experts will periodically review your online eBinder to verify that you have the latest versions. We’ll work with you to determine a review cycle that’s right for your business and compliance needs. As we review your library, we’ll verify the current version is the most up-to-date and stamp the document with the date verified. If we find more recent versions, we’ll index those SDSs and post them to your eBinder for you. Call us toll-free at 1.888.362.2007 to learn more. We offer timely project turn-around and competitive rates on all of our services.

WHMIS & GHS

Something else for anyone with obligations under WHMIS to be aware of is the recent adoption of GHS in Canada. GHS is a global system for classifying hazardous chemicals and communicating those hazards via labels and safety data sheets. Health Canada has aligned WHMIS with GHS, significantly impacting Canada’s hazard communication standard. Employers will see safety data sheets and labels with entirely new formatting and elements. Our systems are GHS ready, so you will be too.

To order one of our subscription accounts, or for any of our other EHS compliance solutions, call us toll-free at 1.888.362.2007.

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