The best practices to follow in order to register your products successfully in WERCSmart
Your registered products will undergo the WERCSmart product compliance assessment review. If any data inconsistencies are discovered during the assessment review, the product is put on hold, and suppliers are alerted by listing the product’s status as “Needs Attention” in their WERCSmart product management dashboard.
This article highlights a few practices that can be used to mitigate product suspensions and allow for a seamless WERCSmart registration experience.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Click on one of the "5 Best Practices" below to navigate to that location within the article.
#1 Using an OSHA compliant Safety Data Sheet:
#2 Selection of an accurate Type of Product:
#3 Confirming that your formulation is complete and accurate to your product:
#4 Verify that your physical characteristics align with your SDS:
#5 Enter your transportation data as it is represented on your SDS:
Special notes:
#1 Using an OSHA compliant Safety Data Sheet:
Used as the primary document for worker safety, the Safety Data Sheet (or SDS) is crucial to your success in registering products. This document carries most of the information that is needed for product registration and will also be uploaded in conjunction with the data you input during the registration process.
Before submitting your SDS, be sure it follows the 16 section GHS format standard guidelines. Pay particular attention that Section 2 provides information for Hazards Identification and Section 3 provides the product’s composition, as these two sections have been used differently in other legacy SDS formats. Also, be sure classifications and accurate pictograms are used in Section 2 that are consistent with the composition data you have identified Section 3.
For more details on what an OSHA compliant SDS is, please proceed to the links shown below:
OSHA requirements for Safety Data Sheets.
OSHA pictograms that must be applied to Section 2 of your SDS.
I want an introduction to WERCSmart.
This article will show how to enroll in our interactive WERCSmart webinar, there is a full section regarding SDS compliance along with an example SDS.
If you find that your current SDS is not OSHA compliant, you can request that a Regulatory representative from WERCSmart author a compliant SDS for your product:
SDS authoring is an available option that can be selected during the registration process rather than uploading your own SDS.
SDS authoring costs $275 for products that are not regulated for transport and $350 for products that are regulated for transport.
If you have a Premium Subscription plan, you can waive the cost of getting an SDS authored. For more details on what is included with each subscription, please proceed to this article: What are the Subscription plans?
During the product registration process, there are multiple locations within the portal that inform you which SDS section can be used to pull certain data from your product. This is another reason why having an OSHA compliant SDS with the correct formatting is imperative to successful product registration in WERCSmart.
#2 Selection of an accurate Type of Product:
One of the first questions that you enter in when registering your product, is selecting what Type of Product you are registering. This selection will determine which questions the system asks you while you register your product. This is why selection of an accurate product type is critical to your success in WERCSmart.
In many cases, you can refer to Section 1 of your SDS to see what recommended use your product has. In WERCSmart, recommended use (RU) and Type of Product are used synonymously. This recommended use can be typed into the Type of Product search box to find any similar options that are present in WERCSmart.
If you are struggling to find an accurate product type, please proceed to this article for additional assistance: What Product Type should I choose?
#3 Confirming that your formulation is complete and accurate to your product:
In addition to checking the consistency of content and format within the SDS document, WERCSmart also compares a product’s formula that was entered in the chemical composition table as part of the registration process against the data provided in the SDS. If the chemical composition data doesn’t match correctly to the SDS, WERCSmart will identify the inconsistency.
Within the SDS, your data regarding the formulation of your product can be found in Section 3. This data will need to be inputted during the registration process. If Section 3 of your SDS does not include 100% of your overall product's formulation, you will need to input the remainder of the formulation that is absent from Section 3 of your SDS to comply with the 100% concentration requirement. For more details on this requirement, please proceed to this article: What if my ingredients do not total 100%?
If you are trying to find an ingredient to add to your formulation but cannot find the ingredient, please proceed to this article: I cannot find my ingredient in WERCSmart
Be sure to compare the formulation details listed in your chemical composition table against your SDS for consistency. Essentially, if a registered product’s chemical composition table contains 50% water/50% glycerin, the same percentages should also be reflected in the SDS, or if the composition provided has ranges, such as 10-50% water, the value entered must be within that range. Overall, the data that is shown in section 3 of your SDS, should match your formulation entered in WERCSmart.
You must also make sure that all ingredients listed anywhere on your SDS are present in your formulation that is entered into WERCSmart.
#4 Verify that your physical characteristics align with your SDS:
The same approach for managing inconsistencies in a product’s formulation data is applied to a product’s physical characteristics. WERCSmart will identify the inconsistency unless the flashpoint, boiling point, VOC, and other physical and chemical property data that is entered in the chemical composition fields coincide with Section 9 in the SDS.
For selecting the accurate primary and secondary physical state during registration, please refer to Section 9 of your SDS so that your physical state on the SDS and in WERCSmart align. The physical state options available in your registration are determined by the type of product you have selected. If you do not see the accurate physical state options appearing for your product, (Ex: your product has a physical state of liquid but WERCSmart is only showing solid as an option) please proceed to this article: The physical state options do not match my product.
Be sure to compare the formulation details listed in your chemical composition table against your SDS for consistency.
#5 Enter your transportation data as it is represented on your SDS:
In most cases, a product status listed as “Needs Attention” regarding transportation data, typically uncovers an inconsistency when comparing the product formulation that was prepared in the chemical composition table against your answers entered in the transportation section of WERCSmart asking whether the product is “regulated for transport” and the information provided within Section 14 on the SDS.
Begin by referencing Section 14 in your SDS to verify if your product is regulated for transport, is non-regulated, or whether it qualifies for any exceptions. If your SDS does not adequately provide the information, talk with your transportation or logistics department to assist with providing the correct information. Once Section 14 on the SDS is correct, be sure that the product’s chemical composition table and transportation details entered in WERCSmart are harmonized.
Special notes:
The WERCSmart program provides a secure, permission-based platform that facilitates the safe exchange of product information between manufacturers and retailers with the highest standards of confidentiality and service.
Please do not hesitate to contact Customer Support for additional assistance with product registration. You may contact Customer Support via phone call, chat, or by submitting a support ticket.