Does the card replace the SDS?

No. The SDS remains the source and must stay accessible to workers. The card is the summary for the workplace; whoever wants to know more picks up the SDS.

Which language should the card be in?

Information only works when it is understood, so the card belongs in a language the worker commands. If colleagues speak other languages, a bilingual card is the simplest solution.

All questions

Is a workplace instruction card mandatory?

No, not as a document. The law does require that everyone who works with hazardous substances gets proper information and training on the hazards, the measures and what to do in an incident. The workplace instruction card is the usual way to bring that information to the workplace, per product.

Source: Directive 98/24/EC art. 8; in the Netherlands: Arbowet art. 8; Arbobesluit art. 4.10dLast checked on 31 October 2026

What the law says

The Chemical Agents Directive (98/24/EC) requires every employer in the EU to give workers the results of the risk assessment, information on the hazardous substances at the workplace, training on the precautions, and access to every SDS the supplier provides (article 8). In the Netherlands the Arbowet turns this into a duty to inform workers effectively about the work, the risks and the measures, and to see that instructions are followed (article 8). Article 4.10d of the Arbobesluit works it out for hazardous substances: the information covers at least the hazards from the risk assessment, the nature of the exposure, the limit values, the precautions, hygiene measures, personal protective equipment and what to do in an incident, and it is updated when changed circumstances call for it. The words workplace instruction card appear in none of these texts; what the card contains does. In the Netherlands and Belgium the card (WIK) is the common way to meet the duty; other countries have their own equivalents.

What this means in practice

An SDS is too long and too technical for the shop floor. The workplace instruction card sums up the core of that information per product: the main hazards, the protective equipment, how to work safely and what to do in an incident. A card at the workplace makes the information visible, and an inspector often asks for it. The card does not replace the training itself, so also record who received instruction and when. The card must match the risk assessment and the current SDS, in a language the workers understand. Update it as soon as a new SDS version arrives or the measures change.

How Chemspark does it

Chemspark prepares a formatted workplace instruction card per product, filled with the data from the SDS and the measures recorded in the risk assessment, in Dutch, English or both languages side by side. You review the card, adjust what is needed and put it up; the QR code opens the card on any phone. When a new SDS arrives, the card is flagged 'Workplace card out of date'. See an example of a workplace instruction card.

Frequently asked questions

What goes on a workplace instruction card?: Briefly and per product, the core of what workers need to know: the hazards, the personal protective equipment, how to work safely and what to do in an incident, including first aid. Everything on it comes from the SDS and from your own risk assessment.
Does the card replace the SDS?: No. The SDS remains the source and must stay accessible to workers. The card is the summary for the workplace; whoever wants to know more picks up the SDS.
Which language should the card be in?: Information only works when it is understood, so the card belongs in a language the worker commands. If colleagues speak other languages, a bilingual card is the simplest solution.

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