Finding Safety Data Sheets (2024)

FAQs

Where do I find Safety Data Sheets? ›

Employers must ensure that the SDSs are readily accessible to employees for all hazardous chemicals in their workplace.

Paragraph 29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(8) of the standard requires that "the employer shall maintain in the workplace copies of the required MSDSs for each hazardous chemical, and shall ensure that they are readily accessible during each work shift to employees when they are in their workarea(s)." OSHA does not require nor ...

Safety data sheets provide information on chemical products that help users of those chemicals to make a risk assessment. They describe the hazards the chemical presents, and give information on handling, storage and emergency measures in case of accident.

The answer is written in the Guidance on the compilation of safety data sheets (SDS): “In all cases, suppliers of a substance or a mixture which requires a safety data sheet have the responsibility for its contents, even though they may not have prepared the safety data sheet themselves."

Safety Data Sheets, Labels and other product tech sheets and literature are available upon request by contacting Customer Service at your local branch location. You can also visit manufacturer websites directly for immediate download.

The manufacturer, as noted above, is required to maintain these SDSs, and an employer can obtain the appropriate SDS directly from the manfacturer usually on their website, free of charge.

SDSs can't be stored behind a locked door that only certain people have access to, or in a box on the wall with a lock on it, or with a supervisor that you have to ask permission to get to them, or in an electronic system that's so password protected that no one can get to them, or so borrowed in an electronic system ...

Employers will be required to make sure that all hazardous products (as defined by the Hazardous Products Regulations have an up-to-date SDS when it enters the workplace. The SDSs must be readily available to the workers who are exposed to the hazardous product, and to the health and safety committee or representative.

Manufacturers and importers of hazardous chemicals must review and update the information in an SDS every 5 years.

Where can you find MSDS in the workplace? ›

Some employers keep the MSDS information in a binder in a central location (e.g., in the pick-up truck on a construction site). Others, particularly in workplaces with hazardous chemicals, computerize the Material Safety Data Sheet information and provide access through terminals.

It is recommended that SDSs are maintained in a hard copy log format which includes all applicable chemicals in that particular workplace. Multiple logs or additional copies of SDSs may be necessary to ensure that all employees have access to the information.

you will have to create your own template which is always standardized and input the contents from the manufacturer. In this way, you can have your SDS sheet unique.

Chemical Safety's SDS and GHS database is a free service available to organizations of all types. For-profit organizations are granted permission to access Chemical Safety's SDS Search from Chemical Safety's website. There are no restrictions on the number of searches performed.

Some employers keep the MSDS information in a binder in a central location (e.g., in the pick-up truck on a construction site). Others, particularly in workplaces with hazardous chemicals, computerize the Material Safety Data Sheet information and provide access through terminals.

The SDS must accompany the first shipment of chemicals. Any updated SDS should be sent within three months of any new and significant information regarding the given hazardous chemical. So, yes, safety data sheets do expire. The expiration depends on the discovery of new and significant information.

The main difference between an MSDS and an SDS is the standardized formatting. All SDSs follow the GHS's 16 section formatting, while MSDSs could come in many different formats depending on the organization. Beyond that, they aim to convey the same information regarding chemical hazards.