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Get Compliant: Safety Data Sheets (SDS)

Safety data sheets (SDSs) play a key part in transmitting information about the hazardous properties of chemical products to the users. There are a wide variety of resources to help both those who prepare SDSs and those who use them to understand them better.

View this page for guides and information sources, or for more detailed information view our page on how to tell if a safety data sheet is legal.

General Guidance:

• The Compilation Of Safety Data Sheets - This HSE Approved Code of Practice forms part of the CHIP regulations and should be referred to by anyone drawing up or checking SDS. The CHIP Regulations incorporate the EU Safety Data Sheets Directive (91/155/EC as amended)
• The UK Chemical Industries Association (CIA) Guidance on the Compilation of Safety Data Sheets is a practical guide for writers of safety data sheets
• The Association of Swedish Chemical Industries and the Swedish Plastics and Chemicals Federation have produced a guide to better safety data sheets for chemical products - The art of making safety data sheets
• The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) has some useful resources, including a guide to Creating Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) and guidance on First Aid for Chemical Exposures and The Material Safety Data Sheet - A Practical Guide to First Aid
• The Austrian Umweldtbundesamt has a Guide to Compiling Safety Data Sheets, which although a little out of date, nevertheless contains useful guidance
• The Australian National Code of Practice for the Preparation of Material Safety Data Sheets incorporates a useful checklist

Training:

The Chemical Hazards Communication Society (CHCS) Runs a modular course on the writing of safety data sheets.

For users of safety data sheets:

• Why do I need a safety data sheet? An explanatory leaflet from HSE
• Safety Data Sheets - A User Guide A useful guide prepared and published by the Chemical Hazards Communication Society to assist recipients.
• How to interpret MSDS information sheets The Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Oxford University.
• ILPI offer a 7-part quiz that looks at the content of OSHA (US) MSDS.
• University of Missouri - Understanding the Material Safety Data Sheet (US ANSI Format)

Glossary:

There are many glossaries of safety data sheet terms available on the Internet. Try the following:

• CCOHS Glossary - Common Terms in MSDSs