Frequently Asked Questions about SafeText
Does SafeTEXT conform to GHS, ADR 2007 and REACH, including the new ordering of sections in safety data sheets?
Yes. SafeTEXT conforms to GHS, ADR 2007 and REACH. It supports both the old and the new ordering of sections in datasheets.
If I license SafeTEXT will my copy be kept up to date?
New versions of the program are released every year, or sooner if necessary, to meet changes in legislation as well as to provide general improvements to the program. Interim releases of phrase updates are sent to customers as often as necessary to keep phrases and translations up to date and to provide new ones. Loading new phrases into your database is automated, simple, and quick.
What languages are available in SafeTEXT?
SafeTEXT currently writes datasheets in Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, French, Finnish, German, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish (contact us if you need customisation of English, French, Portuguese, or Spanish for the Americas). Other languages are currently being added, including traditional and simplified Chinese. If you have specific language needs we can provide translation under special contract and at realistic costs.
Does the editor work in languages other than English?
The standard interface for the editor is in English, but you can list the phrases from which you make selections in any of the languages supported by SafeTEXT.
Can I add my own phrases, or am I restricted to the ones supplied with SafeTEXT?
Yes, you can add your own phrases. SafeTEXT works by storing a version of each phrase in every language but you only need to provide translations of your own phrases into the languages you want to use. We can get translations for you if you need them.
Can I customise my safety data sheets?
You can put one or more different logos at the top of the first page, the tops of other pages, and the foot of the last page, on the left, the right, and/or in the centre. You can control whether symbols appear or do not appear in the section on main hazards (i.e. section 3 prior to mid 2007, section 2 from mid 2007), and sections 8, 14, and 15, and how they are laid out across the page. You can choose font and font size, spacing between lines, and margin sizes, and there are some other detailed options such as whether the product name appears as a header on the first page and whether it is in bold or standard typeface.
You can group datasheets into “territories”. What supplier name and logos appear on datasheets, what sub-headings are included in each section, the ordering of sections, and what columns are included in the table of constituents can be different for different territories. You can “translate” datasheets from one territory to another, so that you do not need to maintain near duplicates.
A lot of my products are very similar. Can I deal with the safety data sheets for them collectively?
Two features in SafeTEXT allow you to create multiple datasheets with minimum effort: you can base a new datasheet on an existing one, in effect using the existing one as a template; you can create multiple datasheets automatically in different languages and territories from a single master datasheet.
Can I print safety data sheets onto a single side of A4 paper?
SafeTEXT can print datasheets in a two column format and you can get a complete datasheet onto one side of A4 paper in this format if your product is not too complicated and hazardous.
Can I produce safety data sheets suitable for subsidiaries of my company?
Yes, you can produce variations of a datasheet based on one master version. As well as being in different languages, if necessary, the different versions can include different company logos, supplier addresses, and emergency contact numbers. You may also want to include certain section sub-headings for subsidiaries operating in some countries but not others, and SafeTEXT allows you to do that.
How can I be sure staff around the company use the right version of a safety data sheet?
When you approve a datasheet it becomes the current approved version. If anyone requests a datasheet for despatch to a customer the current approved version is the only one available to them. If you edit a datasheet that has been approved, the approved version remains unchanged and a new, draft version is created. Users continue to be restricted to despatching the approved one. When you approve the new version, it becomes the current approved version and the previous one becomes an archive version.
Can I issue an updated version of a safety data sheet to customers who received the previous one?
Yes. By default, SafeTEXT creates a check list of customers who received the datasheet during the preceding twelve months, but you can change that period to any one that you want. By default, SafeTEXT assumes you want to despatch the update by the same means as you used for the original (i.e. as a printed copy by post or as a pdf file by email) but you can change that if you wish.
Two or three people in my company create and edit safety data sheets at present, and each one is checked and approved by someone other than the person who wrote it. Then it is made available to lots of staff. I want to be certain they are all using the same safety data sheets and I do not want most staff to be able to make changes. Can SafeTEXT support this kind of use?
All your users can access a single copy of your database, so that you are certain that everyone is using the same set of datasheets. Alternatively, if some of your users need separate copies of the database with their own customer lists but you still want them to be restricted to using centrally edited versions of datasheets, that is also possible using the SafeTEXT distribution module. Each user of SafeTEXT has a user name and password. You can restrict users to various levels of access and these include distinctions between users who are or are not allowed to edit datasheets, users who are or are not also allowed to approve datasheets, and users who are or are not allowed to change the access privileges of users.
It takes a lot of work to apply the official classification and labelling rules that relate to sections 14 and 15 of safety data sheets. Does SafeTEXT do classification automatically?
Harmoneus classifies substances and preparations and provides detailed labelling advice relating to sections 14 and 15 of safety data sheets. It also works out the implications of the classifications for the other datasheet sections and makes recommendations (what hazards to include in the section on main hazards, what advice to give in the first aid section, etc). Harmoneus links to SafeTEXT so that the recommendations can be transferred automatically and incorporated into a draft datasheet.
What does SafeTEXT cost?
The price depends on how many copies you have and how many languages you have, but a typical cost for a single site is between £2150 + VAT (where applicable) and £5540 + VAT (where applicable).