Hazardous substance management software - Information, regulations, law - online at secova.de
Questions & Answers
on the subject of instruction in hazardous substance management
Hazardous substance management – what does it mean?
The organized, structured and, above all, safe management of substances and hazardous materials
Why do I need hazardous substance management software?
For fast, clear recording, management, logging and documentation of all relevant data and measures
What are the advantages of hazardous substance management software?
Easy to create, makes work much easier and saves time, central hazardous substance register at the touch of a button
Further questions and answers
as well as information from the specialists on the subject:
- Which hazardous substance management software exactly is required in this area?
- What does the law say and is hazardous substance management software a good way to accomplish this task?
The proper handling of countless hazardous substances and work equipment is a daily challenge in professional life. The statutory accident insurance companies now estimate that there are more than 50,000 hazardous substances in Germany. These are used for a wide variety of activities and in a wide variety of locations. Improper handling can lead to health hazards, environmental damage and ignition/explosion. To avoid this, companies must ensure that their substances and hazardous materials are managed in an organized, structured and safe manner.
But how can this be done clearly, in compliance with the law and always up to date?
Using only “traditional” means such as paper data sheets or countless Excel documents is far too cumbersome, time-consuming and therefore cost-intensive. Software or online solutions are ideal for efficient hazardous substance management. This digital tool also makes it much easier to demonstrably comply with the numerous legal requirements at all times.
The basis for hazardous substance management is not just one law, but the combination of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Hazardous Substances Ordinance (GefStoffV). This imposes numerous binding obligations on companies in order to prevent risks to people, the environment and consumers in the best possible way. The Hazardous Substances Ordinance requires a corresponding risk assessment for the handling of hazardous substances. This results in corresponding protective measures that must be planned, implemented and checked for effectiveness. There is also an extensive documentation obligation, which includes all hazardous substances and all measures.
In order to provide employees with sufficient information, they require all relevant instructions. These include the written operating instructions derived from the safety data sheets accompanying the hazardous substances. In the case of hazardous substances, the Hazardous Substances Ordinance requires all employees to receive verbal instruction before starting work for the first time. Accordingly, instructions must be given at least once a year at the workplace.
However, hazardous substance management should focus on more than just the law; it should also be seen as an important part of overall occupational health and safety management. When selecting hazardous substance management software, companies are best advised to choose an integrated solution for their diverse tasks and obligations. What does this mean? An integrated solution offers a wide range of functional modules for the various areas of occupational health and safety. Ideally, these modules can then be combined as required to create an EHS system that exactly meets your needs. With this holistic approach, one wheel really does mesh with the other.
What can hazardous substance management software actually do? And how does sam® from secova in particular make my day-to-day work easier?
A major advantage of the electronic solution is that it bundles all relevant information in a central database. All hazardous substances can be recorded and listed clearly and with all their properties.
How should what be handled and stored, what dangers does it pose?
With the increasing number of substances, this is almost impossible to manage without the appropriate software.
However, it is worth taking a closer look when selecting software. With the browser-based sam® system, hazardous substance management online is actually available to all authorized users at work. And practically anywhere, because thanks to the sam® EHS Manager app, mobile use is also possible at any time and at any location. This means that smartphones or tablets can be used to display necessary information such as safety data sheets and operating instructions directly at the workplace. The sam® app is also an ideal support for the immediate creation or completion of a risk assessment. Any necessary measures identified on site can be recorded directly and are therefore already stored centrally in the system.
Kontakt
With sam® we at secova also
a significant step further in this respect.
sam® from secova provides users with hazardous substance management software that allows them to create a central directory of all work equipment and hazardous substances at the touch of a button. Managing substances and safety data sheets, deriving and creating the relevant operating instructions – sam® makes all this easy and convenient. The system also supports the assessment of hazards. The “Simple measures concept for hazardous substances(EMKG)” is already integrated for the inhalation, skin, fire and explosion modules. The EMKG concept is an efficient, standardized way to determine appropriate protective measures and facilitates the preparation of the GBU required by the GefStoffV. The EMKG in sam® guides you through the assessment of the respective hazardous substances in a dialog-based manner.
How can I use my hazardous substance management online?
From anywhere – at work, at home, and also on the go with the sam® EHS Manager app
How can secova help me with my hazardous substance management, e.g. with the hazardous substance register?
For example, with the EMKG concept already integrated in sam® for efficient, standardized determination of protective measures
Which employees actually need hazardous substance management software?
Basically, every employee needs the right protective measures
The European Union enacted the EU chemicals regulation REACH(Registration, Evaluation, Authorizationand restriction of CHemicals) in 2007.
The main aim of the regulation is to ensure the highest possible level of protection for people and the environment.
It transferred the main responsibility for chemical safety from the authorities to manufacturers, importers and users. Since then, risk identification, documentation and communication have been part of a company’s obligations – and the REACH Checks in sam® help with this.
The CLP Regulation, which has been in force as a REACH supplement since 2009, must also be taken into account with regard to the Hazardous Substances Management Act. This regulates theclassification,labelingandpackagingof all chemical products in the European Economic Area. The basis for this is the “Globally Harmonized System” (GHS ) introduced by the UN for uniform hazard classification and labelling worldwide. These are nine pictograms with clearly assignable hazard symbols, supplemented by so-called H-/P-phrases(Hazard/ Precautionary).
Here too, the sam® module enables the relevant hazardous substance labeling. In everyday life, however, many other positive features of sam® as hazardous substance management software are noticeable. For example, different manufacturers can be recorded for a substance. Changes made over the years can be traced back at any time, as the various revision statuses are visible. The respective hazardous substances and work equipment can be assigned directly to the individual activities. It is also possible to link work locations and work areas; the system is organized on a location basis.
Other options include a freely definable substance database and release workflows, interface options, individual templates and operating instructions with phrase catalogs. In addition, as with all sam® function modules, there are extensive reporting and evaluation options – updated daily and created with just a few clicks.
The hazardous substance management module works hand in hand with the sam® hazard assessment and can be perfectly integrated into the sam® EHS basic system.
And how do the individual employees in the company themselves benefit from the fact that the sam® Hazardous Substance Management module can be used online? First of all, everyone can receive precisely the selected information that is actually relevant to them personally. This prevents information overload and at the same time all content can always be kept up to date. In addition, employees are always provided with the most important information thanks to simple assignment of employees. This is particularly effective when using the mobile sam® app, which gives the entire workforce access to all topics anytime and anywhere.
Companies that rely on the sam® software for hazardous substance management demonstrably improve their legal security.
The possibility of integrating all employees can actually be achieved with the holistic software solution sam® from secova. It is not only the sophisticated technical functionalities and individual assignments that contribute to this. A decisive factor in the success and high acceptance of sam® is its ease of use. It’s as easy as using an ATM – as around 2.6 million users can now confirm.
