Safety data sheets

To list products that require hazardous substance labelling, you must provide a safety data sheet. For further details, please refer to our support article on GHS labelling.

On the product detail page, the safety data sheet is displayed as follows:

Screenshot showing how the safety data sheet is displayed on the product detail page

General requirements

Naming instructions

  • File names may only contain lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens, or underscores.

  • Do not use spaces or special characters (such as umlauts, <, >, etc.).

  • File names must match the names of the PDFs in your catalogue.

Technical requirements

  • The safety data sheet must be linked to the product in the catalogue and also provided as a PDF via SFTP or URL download.

  • Only one safety data sheet can be assigned per article.

Content requirements

  • The data sheet must be in the official language of the country where the product is offered.

  • Please ensure that the data sheet is up to date.

Data transfer

The data is transferred via SFTP. Also, the file names must be specified in the catalogue to enable correct assignment in our system.

You can find your SFTP access details in the catalogue management tool under ‘SFTP settings’, where you can generate a new password at any time if required.

For all relevant information and standards on data transfer, please refer to our support page on how to upload your catalogue via SFTP.

Implementation in the catalogue (CSV format)

Referenced safety data sheets can be specified from column AS (MIME_SOURCE8):

CSV screenshot showing how safety data sheets are referenced starting from column AS (MIME_SOURCE8)

We recommend using columns AS to AU to specify the safety data sheet information. Columns AP to AR are reserved for specifying the product data sheet details, and columns X to AO for product images.

PDF download via URLs

It is possible to download PDFs via URLs during catalogue processing. Please contact our Technical Support, who will be happy to assist you.

Please also refer to the important information stated below.

Example for implementation in CSV format:

CSV screenshot showing how the Unite CSV implementation works


Important information:

  • The URL is specified as MIME_SOURCE in the column AS (MIME_SOURCE8).

  • The URL must link directly to a data sheet. Downloading from overview pages is not supported.

  • The PDF file name must be unique. If file names are identical, the PDFs will overwrite each other (regardless of the path).

  • MIME_PURPOSE must be set to ‘safety_data_sheet’ in column AT (MIME_PURPOSE8).

Transferring the file to Unite

Please transfer the catalogue file with the updated data to the corresponding directory via SFTP as usual.

Implementation in the catalogue (XML format)


Safety data sheets are created in the MIME_INFO section. The following MIME_TYPE must be set:

<MIME_TYPE>application/pdf</MIME_TYPE>

For safety data sheets, please use ‘safety_data_sheet’ as the MIME_PURPOSE:

<MIME_PURPOSE>safety_data_sheet</MIME_PURPOSE>

Excerpt from catalogue in XML format:

<MIME_INFO>
<MIME>
<MIME_TYPE>application/pdf</MIME_TYPE>
<MIME_SOURCE>safetydatasheet.pdf</MIME_SOURCE>
<MIME_DESCR>Safety data sheet</MIME_DESCR>
<MIME_PURPOSE>safety_data_sheet</MIME_PURPOSE>
<MIME_ORDER>1</MIME_ORDER>
</MIME>
</MIME_INFO>


PDF download via URLs

It is possible to download PDFs via URLs during catalogue processing. Please contact our Technical Support, who will be happy to assist you.

Please also refer to the important information stated below.

Example for implementation in XML format:

<MIME_INFO>
<MIME>
<MIME_TYPE>application/pdf</MIME_TYPE>
<MIME_SOURCE>http://www.supplierwebsite.co.uk/pdf/safetydatasheet.pdf</MIME_SOURCE>
<MIME_DESCR>Safety data sheet</MIME_DESCR>
<MIME_PURPOSE>safety_data_sheet</MIME_PURPOSE>
<MIME_ORDER>1</MIME_ORDER>
</MIME>
</MIME_INFO>


Important information:

  • The URL is specified as MIME_SOURCE.

  • The URL must link directly to a data sheet. Downloading from overview pages is not supported.

  • The PDF file name must be unique. If file names are identical, the PDFs will overwrite each other (regardless of the path).

  • MIME_PURPOSE must be set to ‘safety_data_sheet’.

  • MIME_TYPE must be set to application/pdf.

Transferring the file to Unite

Please transfer the catalogue file with the updated data to the corresponding directory via SFTP as usual.

Using a separate CSV file (conditions file)

Information on safety data sheets can also be submitted via CSV file (conditions file). A conditions file allows you to update or add product information in the catalogue at a later stage. This method is especially recommended if it is not possible to store the data sheet information in the catalogue as described above.

Note: If a CSV file is already active for your catalogue, you can simply add the additional columns and upload the updated file as usual.

CSV structure in Excel:

SUPPLIER_AID

MIME_SOURCE8

MIME_TYPE8

MIME_PURPOSE8

123456

Safety_data_01002.pdf

application/pdf

safety_data_sheet


A sample CSV file is available on the support page Conditions file (CSV).


Explanations:

  • SUPPLIER_AID: the product number in the catalogue the safety data sheet belongs to

  • MIME_SOURCE12: the name of the referenced file including file extension

  • MIME_TYPE12: the file type (use application/pdf for safety data sheets)

  • MIME_PURPOSE12: the purpose (for safety data sheets simply use safety_data_sheet)

A suffix must be added to the headings MIME_SOURCE, MIME_TYPE, and MIME_PURPOSE. For safety data sheets, for example, use the number 12, i.e. MIME_SOURCE12, MIME_TYPE12, and MIME_PURPOSE12. Check your catalogue for the highest existing number and use the next available one.

Example with multiple MIME_TYPEs:

CSV screenshot showing structure when using multiple MIME_TYPEs


After editing, save the Excel file and export the data as a CSV file:

File > Save as > File type: CSV (Comma delimited) (*.csv)

Screenshot showing how to save the file as a CSV


Naming convention for CSV files

To ensure your file is automatically recognised and processed by our systems, please use the following naming conventions:

  • If the CSV file contains various types of information:

    • Catalogue-ID_conditionsfile.csv

    • Example: P1234_conditionsfile.csv

  • If the CSV file contains only images and data sheets:

    • Catalogue-ID_mimes.csv

    • Example: P1234_mimes.csv

Transferring the CSV file to Unite

Transfer the separate CSV file to the SFTP directory associated with the catalogue. If you use an additional CSV file, adhere to the naming convention described above. After the initial transfer, there may be a delay as the file needs to be activated in the system.

Once this process is complete, we’ll automatically send an email to the address specified in the catalogue management tool.

Tip: Send your CSV file to support@unite.eu for review in advance. We’ll check the format and return it to you as quickly as possible.
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