Well, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that chemical manufacturer, distributor or the importer should care about these Safety Data Sheets(SDS) which were earlier known as Materials Safety Data Sheets(MSDS). They are required to provide these Safety Data Sheets to ensure that the personnel involved in handling the hazardous chemicals understand and know the material they are dealing with and take precautionary actions during transporting, shipping, handling to avoid any accidents. So what information do these data sheets hold exactly? The Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200(g)) provides the details and here we try to summarize the 16 sections of SDS along with the details on what piece of information the section hold. Note: The information presented here is high level and for basic understanding only and may be obsolete. For details on the sections or for help with creation of SDS, please talk to us/other professionals or visit the OSHA briefing website here
Section 1 : Identification
- Chemical Name/identifier
- Contact Info of Supplier
- Recommended Uses
Section 2 :Hazards Identification
- Hazards classification of the chemical
- Appropriate warning information associated with the hazard
Section 3: Composition/Ingredients
- Ingredient Substances
- Mixtures – name and concentration of each ingredient
- Trade Secret chemical
Section 4: First Aid Measures
- First Aid instructions in case of exposure
- Symptoms of exposure
- Immediate Medical Care requirement
Section 5- Fire Fighting Measures
- Suitable (and unsuitable) Extinguishing equipment
- Hazards possible due to chemical on fire
- Protective equipment or precautions for fire fighters
Section 6: Accidental Release Measures
- Personal precautions and protective equipment is accidentally released
- Emergency procedures
- Containment details
- Cleanup procedure
Section 7: Handling and Storage
- Precautions for safe storage
- Safe Storage Conditions
Section 8: Exposure Controls/Personal Protection
- OSHA Permissible Exposure Limits
- Appropriate engineering control
- Personal protective measures
- Special requirements for PPE , protective clothing etc
Section 9: Physical and Chemical properties
- Appearance (physical state, color, etc.)
- Upper/lower flammability or explosive limits
- Odor
- Vapor pressure
- Odor threshold
- Vapor density
- pH
- Relative density
- Melting point/freezing point
- Solubility(ies)
- Initial boiling point and boiling range
- Flash point
- Evaporation rate
- Flammability (solid, gas)
- Partition coefficient: n-octanol/water
- Auto-ignition temperature
- Decomposition temperature and
Section 10 :Stability and Reactivity
- Reactivity/specific test data for chemicals
- Chemical Stability – Stable/Unstable under specific temperature conditions
- Possible hazardous chemical reactions
- Conditions to be avoided
- Incompatible material
- Hazardous decomposition products
Section 11: Toxicology
- Likely routes of exposure
- Description of effect os exposure
- Numerical measure of toxicity
- Symptoms
- Listed in NTP?
Section 12: Ecological Information (Not Mandatory)
- Effect on aquatic and terrestrial animals
- Persists and degrade in environment
- Can trickle down to groundwater
- Other adverse effects
Section 13: Disposal Considerations (Non Mandatory)
- Disposal Containers type
- Disposable methods
- Precautions for landfill
Section 14: Transport Information (Non Mandatory)
- Classification information for shipping and transportation
Section 15: Regulatory Information (Non Mandatory)
- Any national and/or regional regulatory information of the chemical or mixtures
Section 16: Other Information
- Date of SDS preparation
- Last known revision date
- Changes to previous versions of SDS
For more details on these sections or for help with creating the Safety Data Sheets, please contact us
Remember – Safety First. Always.
References for this blog post:
https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3514.html
