Albert in Action: One-Click Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and Label Generation

Without Albert: A Cumbersome, Time-Consuming Process that Slows Down Project Deliverables

Every time a potentially hazardous material, formulation, or sample leaves a location, it is required to have an up-to-date SDS to accompany it. This means if an innovator wants to send a formulation to a different lab for testing, or a sample to a customer, they need to generate an SDS. Without Albert, this is a daunting and time-consuming process:

• An extremely burdensome and resource intensive endeavor.
  SDSs, often spanning several pages, require intricate calculations that vary based on the country, industry, and the specific use of the substance. Typically conducted manually, these calculations necessitate extensive research and expertise. As a result, many R&D organizations collaborate closely with internal or external regulatory resources to generate these documents. This collaboration places extra strain on an already burdened regulatory teams or leads to additional expenses for hiring third-party resources.
• Takes hours to weeks to complete.
  Given their complexity and the numerous manual steps required, completing a single Safety Data Sheet (SDS) can take a regulatory department or a third-party service several weeks.
• Causes unnecessary delays in the innovation process.
  For innovators who thrive on instant feedback and rapid prototyping, waiting several weeks for an SDS can feel like a lifetime, adding unwanted delays and frustration to the formulating process.
• Could result in a complete formulation “do-over.”
  The SDS is typically the final step before sending a product sample to a customer. This means that an innovator might spend weeks or months on formulation, only to discover at the SDS stage that the product contains a hazard unacceptable to the customer. Such a revelation can reset the innovation process back to its initial stage.
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Key Regulatory Compliance Documentation

• Compliant Inventory Labels
  Labels affixed to containers of hazardous substances, providing essential information about the contents of the container. In the USA, Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) is the preferred method of inventory labeling.

• ‍Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
  A document that provides information about the properties, hazards, safe use, and emergency measures for a particular chemical product. It is essential for ensuring the safety of workers who may be exposed to chemicals in the workplace.
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Creating compliant inventory labels is equally cumbersome and frustrating for innovators, presenting several challenges:

• A manual, awkward process.
  Each time someone unpacks bulk material from a large supplier drum or mixes a new formula or recipe, they must create a label detailing the safety concerns for that material or formula. Without automated methods, chemists often resort to handwriting these labels, a time-consuming task.
• Insufficient information leads to non-compliance.
  The reliance on handwritten labels often means that chemists are unable to create GHS-compliant labels, a regulatory requirement in the USA, due to time constraints, limited ability, and lack of resources.
• Tracking usage of materials is cumbersome and error prone.
  Every time an innovator uses a raw material, they need to update the lab’s inventory management system, often an Excel spreadsheet. Busy innovators sometimes overlook this step, leading to unexpected shortages of crucial materials. This oversight can cause significant delays, exacerbated by extended supplier lead times.
• Higher potential of regulatory and safety issues.
  Strict safety regulations govern the storage limits of certain materials. Inaccurate inventory records can easily lead to non-compliance or safety hazards.