Safety Data Sheets or SDSs (formerly known as Material Safety Data Sheets or MSDSs) are required to be provided by chemical manufacturers, distributors, and importers, according to OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (HCS). Their purpose is to communicate hazards associated with chemical work in a relatively quick summary.

University Access to Safety Data Sheets

EHS subscribes to the Chemwatch SDS Repository, which can be accessed with your UMID login.

Standardized Safety Data Sheet Sections

Under the UN’s Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS), Safety Data Sheets have been standardized to 16 sections in a particular order, as listed below.

Section 1: Identification includes product identifier; manufacturer or distributor name, address, phone number; emergency phone number; recommended use; restrictions on use.

Section 2: Hazard(s) identification includes all hazards regarding the chemical; required label elements.

Section 3: Composition/information on ingredients includes information on chemical ingredients; trade secret claims.

Section 4: First-aid measures includes important symptoms/effects, acute, delayed; required treatment.

Section 5: Firefighting measures lists suitable extinguishing techniques, equipment; chemical hazards from fire.

Section 6: Accidental release measures lists emergency procedures; protective equipment; proper methods of containment and cleanup.

Section 7: Handling and storage lists precautions for safe handling and storage, including incompatibilities.

Section 8: Exposure controls/personal protection lists OSHA’s Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs); ACGIH Threshold Limit Values (TLVs); and any other exposure limit used or recommended by the chemical manufacturer, importer, or employer preparing the SDS where available as well as appropriate engineering controls; personal protective equipment (PPE).

Section 9: Physical and chemical properties lists the chemical's characteristics.

Section 10: Stability and reactivity lists chemical stability and the possibility of hazardous reactions.

Section 11: Toxicological information includes routes of exposure; related symptoms, acute and chronic effects; numerical measures of toxicity.

Section 12: Ecological information*

Section 13: Disposal considerations*

Section 14: Transport information*

Section 15: Regulatory information*

Section 16: Other information, includes the date of preparation or last revision.

* OSHA does not regulate these sections (29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(2), but they are regulated by other entities.

SDS Databases

• Fisher Scientific (Fisher Scientific SDS Search)
• Interactive Learning Paradigms, Incorporated (ILPI) (SDS Databases)
• Sigma Products (SDS Search)
• Daycon Products (used by UMB General Services)
• VWR Scientific Products (VWR SDS Search)

General Chemical Information

• EPA Chemical and Toxics Topics (including databases for chemicals and pesticides)
• NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards
• OSHA Occupational Chemical Database
• TOXNET