How to read an SDS: Your complete guide OSHA requirements for safety data sheets

A safety data sheet (SDS) is a standardized document OSHA requires employers to keep readily accessible, giving workers clear, consistent information about any hazardous chemicals they may encounter on the job. SDSs are vital during emergencies and can help put safety first on the job.

Think about the last time you hired a new team member at your facility. They understood their role, but in those first few weeks, they didn’t know all the ins and outs of the workplace. If that new staff member were to come across an unfamiliar chemical, where would they go to learn more about the potential risks they could be facing?

With an up-to-date and easy‑to‑access SDS database, that employee could quickly find the information they need — what the chemical is, the hazards it poses, the PPE required for safe handling, and the steps they must take to safely clean or contain a spill. A reliable SDS database gives team members confidence, helps prevent injuries and supports a stronger safety culture throughout your workplace.

What is an SDS?

SDSs are regulated documents that provide critical knowledge to employees about the hazards they encounter on the job.

Each SDS identifies a separate hazardous substance that’s stored on site at the facility, provides information about the substance’s properties and associated risks, and offers guidance on safe handling, storage and emergency measures. It is the standardized document that is the method by which employers conduct hazard communications.

SDS vs. MSDS: What’s the difference?

In short, an SDS is an evolved and updated version of an MSDS.

In its initial 1983 hazard communication standards, OSHA required employers to inform staff members of dangerous substances with material safety data sheets (MSDS).

However, OSHA did not set a standard format of documentation for MSDSs. It also did not clarify a standardized precaution hierarchy or rating system, causing confusion from workplace to workplace, and sometimes, from worker to worker.

In 2012, OSHA revised its hazardous communications regulations and standardized how manufacturers and distributors inform workers about hazardous materials. The modern SDS follows a specific format and uses international standards to describe the risks that staff members may face.

How do you read an SDS?

Every SDS is laid out in a standard, 16-section format.

• Section 1 — Identification: Includes the product name, recommended use and supplier information.
• Section 2 — Hazard ID: Denotes either a danger (severe or immediate threat) or a warning (less severe), a hazard statement explaining the risks, precautionary statements describing how to reduce exposure and pictograms to clarify each threat.
• Section 3 — Composition and ingredients: Lists the names of the chemicals and ingredients in the product, as well as the concentrations of those ingredients.
• Section 4 — Initial first aid measures: Lists first aid and care steps for different routes of exposure (ingestion, inhalation, exposure to skin, etc.) and the common symptoms posed by each exposure route.
• Section 5 — Fire-fighting methods: Shares the manufacturer recommendations for fighting fires caused by production, extinguisher guidance and equipment precautions.
• Section 6 — Accidental release measures: Lists recommendations from the manufacturer on how to clean up or contain spills and leaks. Also includes PPE recommendations for first responders and proper evacuation procedures.
• Section 7 — Safe handling and storage: Provides best practices on avoiding accidental releases during moving or storing. Also includes proper hygiene methods and incompatibilities with other chemicals or agents.
• Section 8 — Exposure controls and personal protection: Lists OSHA’s personal exposure limits for the substance and instances when ventilation or respirators are needed to limit exposure.
• Section 9 — Physical and chemical properties: Provides safety managers with vital descriptions. What does this substance smell or look like? What are its freezing or boiling limits? In what conditions will this substance explode? What are its pH levels?
• Section 10 — Stability and reactivity: Relays which materials are incompatible with this substance, and what stabilizers are needed for use and storage.
• Section 11 — Toxicological information: Describes how the substance could enter the body and the effects if it does so. Will it cause short-term damage? Long-term damage? Is it a carcinogen?
• Section 12 — Ecological information: Lists any relevant EPA regulations surrounding this product.
• Section 13 — Disposal information: Lists EPA disposal requirements for manufacturers or distributors.
• Section 14 — Transportation information: Notes any Department of Transportation restrictions surrounding the shipping of this substance.
• Section 15 — Regulatory information: Provides any safety, health and environmental regulations for the substance that are not detailed elsewhere in the document.
• Section 16 — Other information: Includes the document’s publish date as well as the date and nature of any revisions.

Beyond reading an SDS, how do you stay better protected?

Assembling and maintaining a proper SDS database for your facility is a great first step in establishing a safety-first culture at your workplace. But what comes next? Putting the best practices spelled out in those documents in place.

Make sure your workplace is safely storing hazardous chemicals, equipping team members with the right protective apparel and PPE, and has the proper emergency equipment in place to help prevent injuries.

With chemical storage safety solutions, managed protective apparel programs, a wide variety of PPE offerings, and vital emergency eyewash equipment, Cintas has nearly everything you need to satisfy the requirements of an SDS. Click here to learn more.