How to organise a product-document folder
A product-document folder connects one identified item to its label, instructions, safety data and supporting claims. Organise by exact product and version, then by document purpose. A pile of downloaded PDFs is useful only when the matching item can be found.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Separate identity, instructions and supporting claims.
- Record document version and access date.
- Mark missing evidence rather than filling gaps from a similar product.
Start with an identity card
Write brand, full product name, shade or variant, item code and market as shown on the label. Add photographs of the identifying text. Use an internal folder name such as brand–item-code–variant; the naming scheme is a proposed organisational aid. For the proposed index below, product ID means the unique internal key assigned to this identity card, rather than a manufacturer’s identifier.
Sort by document purpose
Keep label records, instructions, safety data sheets (SDS) and promotional material in separate groups. Ireland’s Health and Safety Authority explains that REACH exempts finished cosmetic mixtures for the final user from SDS supply duties. An SDS may therefore not be required for such a cosmetic; its absence alone does not prove a missing document. Do not apply that exemption automatically to other salon chemicals. [1]
Link each file to the identified item
When an SDS is supplied, compare its Section 1 product identifier with the item’s label. HSA explains that the issue or revision date appears on the first page and information about changes can appear in Section 16. Use the complete index below to preserve each file’s identity and provenance. Mark unresolved identity as “pending” instead of assigning the file to a similarly named product. [1]
Keep a short folder index
Use one row per file, or per unavailable document needed for a question, with these columns: product ID; document purpose; filename; original URL; access date; language; document revision; file location; identity status; unresolved question. In this proposed workflow, “matched” means the file identifies this item, “pending” means that the file match is unresolved or a requested document is unavailable, and “excluded” means it identifies another item. Keep previous versions in an archive with a pointer to the current version. This folder answers “Where is the document for this item?”; the claim-tracing guide separately asks whether a particular statement is supported. If a document needed for a particular question is unavailable, add a placeholder row using the same columns. Enter the internal key in product ID and the requested document’s purpose in document purpose. Mark filename, original URL, language, document revision and file location unavailable wherever you cannot establish them. In access date, record the availability-check date with a note that no file was read. Set identity status to pending and describe the missing document in unresolved question. This is a record of a request, not proof that the document is legally required.
Article Sources
- Health and Safety Authority, Ireland — Questions and Answers
Primary source
Ireland’s regulator Q&A on REACH safety data sheets. Format answer: 16 headings, Section 1 identification and issue/revision date on the first page. Update answer: changes may be identified in Section 16. Separate provision and exemption answers explain the scope of SDS supply duties.
Written and reviewed with AI assistance using the linked sources. No hands-on product testing or independent specialist review was performed.
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