Analyze an SDS

SDS and chemical safety guides

Short, practical explanations of the questions people ask most about safety data sheets, labels, training and the numbers on an SDS. Start with What is an SDS? or How to read an SDS.

Basics

What an SDS is and how to read one.

What Is an SDS (Safety Data Sheet)?
An SDS, or safety data sheet, is a standardized document prepared by the manufacturer or importer of a chemical product. It describes the...
SDS vs MSDS: What Changed and Why It Matters
An MSDS (material safety data sheet) is the older name and format; an SDS (safety data sheet) is the current standardized 16-section document...
How to Read an SDS: A Step-by-Step Method
To read an SDS quickly, confirm that the sheet matches your product (Section 1), read the hazards in Section 2, check how current it is (Section...
SDS for Mixtures: How Hazards Are Classified and Reported
An SDS for a mixture classifies the product as supplied, using either test data on the whole mixture or calculation methods based on its...
SDS for Consumer Products: When Do You Need One?
Consumer products such as household cleaners, paints and glues are regulated mainly through their labels. OSHA's HazCom standard exempts a...

Duties, records and rights

Who provides, keeps and updates sheets, and what workers are entitled to.

Who Must Provide an SDS?
Under OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard, the chemical manufacturer or importer must prepare an SDS for each hazardous chemical, distributors...
How to Get an SDS from a Manufacturer
To get an SDS you do not have, first check the shipment paperwork and the supplier's website, then ask your distributor or the manufacturer in...
How Long Should You Keep SDS Records?
OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard does not set a fixed period for keeping a superseded SDS, but the separate records access standard (29 CFR...
SDS Binders and Digital Access: Meeting the Access Rule
OSHA requires that SDSs be readily accessible to employees in their work area during each shift. You can meet this with paper binders, electronic...
SDS Update Requirements: How Often Must a Sheet Change?
Under OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard, a manufacturer or importer must update the SDS within three months of becoming aware of significant...
Employee Right to Know: Your HazCom Rights as a Worker
The employee right to know, as set out in OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard, means workers have a right to information about the hazardous...
Trade Secrets on SDSs: What Can Be Withheld
Under OSHA's HazCom standard, a manufacturer may withhold the specific chemical identity, or the exact concentration, of an ingredient on an SDS...
HazCom Training Requirements: What Employees Must Learn
OSHA requires employers to train employees on the hazardous chemicals in their work area at the time of their initial assignment and whenever a...

Labels and inventory

Containers, labels and keeping track of what you have.

Chemical Labeling Requirements: Shipped Containers vs Workplace Labels
Under OSHA HazCom, chemical manufacturers, importers and distributors must put a label on each shipped container of a hazardous chemical with six...
Secondary Container Labels: Decanting Chemicals Safely
When you pour a hazardous chemical from its original container into another one, the new container needs a label with the product identifier and...
Chemical Inventory Management: Building a List That Works
A chemical inventory is a list of every hazardous chemical product at your site, with the location, quantity and a link to the current safety data...
Chemical Storage Compatibility: What Can Be Stored Together
Chemicals should be stored by hazard class and compatibility, not alphabetically. The main rule is to keep apart materials that react dangerously...

Reading the numbers

Gloves, limits and the key figures on a sheet.

Choosing Chemical-Resistant Gloves from an SDS
To choose chemical-resistant gloves, start with Section 8 of the SDS for the recommended glove material, then check the glove maker's chemical...
Reading Exposure Limits: PEL, REL, TLV, IDLH, STEL and Ceiling
An occupational exposure limit is the airborne concentration of a chemical that a worker may breathe under defined conditions. A PEL is a legally...
Flash Point Explained: What It Means on an SDS
The flash point is the lowest temperature at which a liquid gives off enough vapor to form an ignitable mixture with air near its surface when an...
LD50 and LC50 Explained: Reading Toxicity Numbers
LD50 is the dose of a substance that kills 50 percent of a group of test animals under stated conditions, usually given in milligrams per kilogram...

See also the SDS hub, the 16 sections, the regulations index, the GHS reference and the glossary.