Health, Safety and Environmental Data Management of Chemicals in a Global Service Company

Abstract

Abstract Service companies that work in different countries in all parts of the world, have a significant challenge with respect to the preparation and quality assurance of HSE (Health, Safety and Environmental) documentation for chemicals. They have to comply with the applicable regional and country specific legislation, customers’ HSE standards and internal HSE standards. Besides these requirements an important issue is the different interpretation of the HSE data by authorities. Internal HSE processes are used to obtain and evaluate compositional and HSE-information on all chemical products. Accurate compositional information is needed to assess the chemical on its HSE properties, prepare the HSE documentation and to submit the product to the authorities. The quality and consistency of this information is maintained by following the established chemical compliance system, and by maintaining close communication between HSE Chemical Compliance, Procurement and the Product Service Line. To streamline these processes in a logical way it is crucial to have procedures and systems in place that can handle all applicable HSE information and documentation. The software must be tailor-made for the specific requirements, and easy to use and maintain, as it must be kept updated according to the continuous changes in both the product portfolio and in the different legislation. This paper describes an approach as to how the HSE data for chemicals can be managed and what processes and systems are being used. The following topics are discussed: Processes used to introduce new products Processes used to maintain chemical consistency Processes used to attain local chemical HSE compliance Handling of compositional and regulatory information HSE documentation requirements and procedures HOCNF (Harmonized Offshore Notification Format) management MSDS (Material Safety Datasheet) management HOCNFs are a North-Sea requirement. This document contains the compositional and environmental data for chemicals that are used offshore in the North Sea. MSDSs are used worldwide and have different formats and labelling requirements. Overviews of the different systems are given as well as database set-ups and how they are linked.