Practical guides for safer work
Practical guides to hazardous-substance operating instructions, safety data sheets, GHS and TRGS 555. With primary sources and editable document drafts from MeineGBU.
Use the guides to prepare questions and understand the workflow. Check current primary sources and their applicability to your workplace. Articles and AI drafts require competent review.
5 guides
What is a Hazardous Substance Operating Instruction – and why every business with hazardous substances needs one
An operating instruction clearly summarises workplace rules for activities involving hazardous substances. It must be accessible to the affected employees. It is legally required by §14 GefStoffV in Germany and detailed in TRGS 555. The requirement and necessary content depend on the activity, risk assessment and applicable regulations.
7 min readRead the guideOperating instructionsTRGS 555 explained: required content, language, posting
TRGS 555 'Operating Instructions and Information of Employees' was published in 2017 and has been authoritative since then. It details §14 GefStoffV and specifies what an operating instruction must contain, how it is communicated and in which language.
8 min readRead the guideOperating instructionsReading a Safety Data Sheet: 16 REACH sections
The Safety Data Sheet is standardized EU-wide: REACH Annex II prescribes 16 sections in a fixed order. Once you know the structure, you find any information in seconds.
9 min readRead the guideOperating instructionsGHS pictograms and H/P phrases: what they mean and how they get into the operating instruction
Anyone using hazardous substances knows the red GHS pictograms – these diamond-shaped symbols with a black image on a white background. They are the most important element of every operating instruction because they work without language.
6 min readRead the guideOperating instructionsMultilingual operating instructions – when is English, Polish or Turkish required?
TRGS 555 requires an operating instruction 'in understandable form and language'. What this means in detail depends on the language background of your employees.
5 min readRead the guide