Globalization has made the world a small village where business in one country has an effect on the others. This is more relevant for a developing country like India, which is emerging as a place for sourcing raw materials, finished consumer product or services. MSDS and related activities will certainly play an important role in modifying and influencing the way the business is done in future.
It started in the eighties, when Multinational companies with the manufacturing base in India started demanding MSDSs from the Indian raw material suppliers. Without knowledge of the fundamentals of MSDS compliance, manufacturers provided only technical literature and information on the storage and handling of the raw material supplied. In the nineties, exports became more important as well as the need for more detailed MSDSs for employee safety in the importer’s workplace. Now, with all importers being concerned about the Environment and Safety, even more emphasis is placed on material safety data. Implementation of REACH by the EU makes MSDSs an important and useful source document for Environment, Occupational Health and Safety. (more…)
