Key SDS Compliance Mandates in Morocco
1. Format and GHS System
Mandatory Format: The SDS must be a complete 16-Section GHS document that follows the internationally recognized format, often leveraging the structure and content of the EU's REACH Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (Annex II).
GHS Classification: Morocco has adopted the GHS, utilizing its standardized system of pictograms, signal words, and hazard statements. Classification should be aligned with GHS principles to satisfy regulatory oversight from the Ministry of Labor and other competent authorities.
Worker Safety: Decree No. 2-12-431 obligates employers to ensure that chemicals are known, accompanied by their safety data sheets, and that preventive and corrective measures are applied. The SDS is the primary tool for communicating this occupational safety information (e.g., in Sections 7, 8, and 15).
2. Language Requirement
Morocco has two official languages (Arabic and Amazigh), but French remains the dominant language for technical, business, and administrative documentation.
Primary Language: The most robust compliance strategy requires the SDS to be provided in French (Français). Most technical and regulatory documents, including corporate legal texts and national standards (NM), are widely available and often prepared in French.
Legal Requirement for Labeling: Law No. 24-09 relating to product safety states that all mandatory information intended to inform users (like labeling and warnings) must appear at least in the Arabic language.
Recommendation: To achieve full legal and practical compliance, the SDS should be provided in French for the technical review, and hazard communication elements (labels, key SDS summaries) should be translated into Arabic to meet the language mandate for end-user information.
3. Regulatory and Documentation Focus
National Standards (NM): Compliance involves adherence to relevant Moroccan National Standards (NM), such as NM 03.2.100 and NM 03.2.101, which govern the classification and labeling of hazardous chemicals.
CMIM Conformity Mark: Products subject to Moroccan technical regulations must display the CMIM conformity mark, confirming compliance, which is reliant on accurate SDS data.
Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs): The SDS must accurately reflect any local or internationally recognized Occupational Exposure Limit Values in Section 8 to protect workers, as required by labor legislation.
