Information note on ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)

This project began during the 1980s with the objective of developing a product to disseminate the appropriate hazard information on chemicals at the workplace in an understandable and precise way. To date approximately 1700 Cards are available. ICSCs are regularly updated to take account of the latest scientific developments.

Briefing note | 18 October 2022
Contact(s): labadmin-osh@ilo.org

What are ICSCs?

ICSCs are data sheets intended to provide essential safety and health information on chemicals in a clear and concise way.

ICSCs follow a fixed format which is designed to give a consistent presentation of the information and is sufficiently concise to be printed onto two sides of a harmonized sheet of paper, an important consideration to permit easy use in the workplace.

Who are ICSCs intended for?

The primary aim of the Cards is to promote the safe use of chemicals in the workplace and the main target users are therefore workers and those responsible for occupational safety and health.

In addition, ICSCs are regularly used as a readily available source of concise information for first responders dealing with a chemical incident.
ICSCs are also used for other purposes, such as education and training activities.

What information is provided in ICSCs?

It is intended ideally that an ICSCs should complement any Chemical Safety Data Sheet which is available, but ICSCs do not have any legal basis and cannot be a substitute for any legal obligation on a manufacturer or employer to provide chemical safety information.

IdentityChemical name, synonyms, molecular formula, common registry numbers (CAS, EC number).
Physical dataPhysical state, melting and boiling points, vapour pressure, solubility in water.
Chemical propertiesSubstances with which the chemical can react to form a hazardous product or which will result in a fire or explosion hazard. Materials known to be incompatible with the chemical.
Acute health hazardsSymptoms of exposure (inhalation, skin, eyes, ingestion)
Routes by which the chemical can be absorbed into the body
Short and long term health effectsAdverse health effects which could arise from short or long-term exposure, as identified from toxicological tests or from poisoning incident case studies.
Fire and explosion hazardsSituations which could give rise to a risk of fire or explosion.
Preventive measuresInformation on appropriate engineering controls, protective clothing and other equipment which could either prevent exposure or avoid the risk of fire or explosion.
First aid and fire fighting informationEmergency response advice tailored to the properties of the chemical.
Regulatory informationOccupational exposure limits published by institutions in various jurisdictions.
Classification and labellingSymbols/Pictograms, hazard and precaution statements from EU legislation and increasingly according to GHS.
Environmental dataInformation on environmental hazards e.g. risk to aquatic organisms, bioaccumulation.
Spillage disposal and safe storage Methods for containment, safety measures to protect workers dealing with a spillage, appropriate storage conditions based on chemical properties.

How are chemicals identified in ICSCs?

The identification of the chemicals on the Cards is based on the UN numbers, the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) number and the Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances (RTECS/NIOSH) numbers. It is thought that the use of those three systems assures the most unambiguous method of identifying the chemical substances concerned, referring as it does to numbering systems that consider transportation matters, chemistry and occupational health.

Are ICSCs an instrument to classify chemicals?

The ICSCs project is not intended to generate any sort of classification of chemicals. It makes reference to existing classifications. As an example, the Cards cite the results of the deliberations of the UN Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods with respect to transport: the UN hazard classification and the UN packaging group, when they exist, are entered on the Cards. Moreover, the ICSCs are so-designed that room is reserved for the countries to enter information of national relevance.

What is the Globally Harmonized System and how is it applied on ICSCs?

The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) is now being widely used for the classification and labelling of chemicals worldwide. One of the aims of introducing the GHS was to make it easier for users to identify chemical hazards in the workplace in a more consistent way.

GHS classifications have been added to new and updated ICSCs since 2006 and the language and technical criteria underlying the standard phrases used in the Cards has been developed to reflect ongoing developments in the GHS to ensure consistent approaches. The addition of GHS classifications to ICSCs has been recognized by the relevant United Nations committee as a contribution to assisting countries to implement the GHS, and as a way of making GHS classifications of chemicals available to a wider audience.

How are ICSCs produced?

The preparation of ICSCs is an ongoing process of drafting and peer reviewing by a group of scientists working for a number of specialized scientific institutions concerned with occupational health and safety in different countries.

Chemicals are selected for new ICSCs based on a range of criteria for concern (high production volume, incidence of health problems, high risk properties). Chemicals can be proposed by countries or stakeholder groups such as trade unions.

ICSCs are drafted in English by participating institutions based on publicly available data, and are then peer reviewed by the full group of experts in biannual meetings before being made publicly available. Existing Cards are updated periodically by the same drafting and peer review process, in particular when significant new information becomes available.
In this way approximately 50 to 100 new and updated ICSCs become available each year and the collection of Cards available has grown from a few hundreds during the 1980s up to more than 1700 today.

Are ICSCs authoritative?

The international peer review process followed in the preparation of ICSCs ensures the authoritative nature of the Cards and represents a significant asset of ICSCs as opposed to other packages of information.

ICSCs have no legal status and may not meet all requirements included in national legislation. The Cards should complement any available Chemical Safety Data Sheet but cannot be a substitute for any legal obligation on a manufacturer or employer to provide chemical safety information. However, it is recognized that ICSCs might be the principal source of information available for both management and workers in less developed countries or in small and medium sized enterprises.

In general, the information provided in the Cards is in line with the ILO Chemicals Convention (No. 170) and Recommendation (No. 177), 1990; to the European Commission Directive 2001/59/EC; and to the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) criteria.

Are ICSCs similar to Material Safety Data Sheets?

Great similarities exist between the various headings of the ICSCs and the manufacturers' Safety Data Sheet (SDS) or Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) of the International Council of Chemical Associations.

However, MSDS and the ICSCs are not the same. The MSDS, in many instances, may be technically very complex and too extensive for shop floor use, and secondly it is a management document. The ICSCs, on the other hand, set out peer-reviewed information about substances in a more concise and simple manner.

This is not to say that the ICSCs should be a substitute for an MSDS; nothing can replace management's responsibility to communicate with workers on the exact chemicals, the nature of those chemicals used on the shop floor and the risk posed in any given workplace.

Indeed, the ICSCs and the MSDS can even be thought of as complementary. If the two methods for hazard communication can be combined, then the amount of knowledge available to the safety representative or shop floor workers will be more than doubled.

In what languages are ICSCs available?

ICSCs are initially prepared and peer reviewed in English in peer-review meetings. Subsequently, national institutions translate the Cards from English into their native languages. The standard sentences and consistent format used in ICSCs facilitates computer-aided translation of the information.

The objective of the ICSCs project is to make essential health and safety information on chemicals available to as wide an audience as possible, especially at the workplace level. The project aims to increase the number of translated versions available and is always seeking the support of additional institutions who could contribute to the translation process.

Have a look at the languages into which ICSCs collection has been translated from the original English language.

How are ICSCs disseminated?

As documents intended for use at the workplace level, it is important that ICSCs are easily accessible to the target audience.

ICSCs are prepared in English in peer-review meetings and are published on the Web shortly after. The Cards are made available free of charge via the Internet, in a searchable database, in as many languages as possible, and in a format which is easily displayed or printed.

The web-based database hosting the Cards can be searched by chemical name, common synonyms and CAS number.

Future developments may include increasing the number of languages available, and making ICSCs viewable via mobile phones and portable devices.