Staff Ed: Reading a Safety Data Sheet

The SDS (Safety Data Sheet) for each hazardous substance in your work area tells you how to use the chemical safely.

The SDS may describe:

• Chemical properties.
• Physical hazards.
• Health hazards.
• Environmental health hazards.
• Protective measures.
• Safety precautions for handling, storing, and transporting each substance.
• Emergency and first-aid procedures.

Based on the class or type of chemical, an SDS may have more information.

Each SDS may look a little different. But all give you the same basic details. The SDS sections will likely be familiar to you.

This section gives you:

• Common names or synonyms for the chemical.
• The name, address, and phone number of the company that developed or supplied the chemical or the SDS.
• Recommended uses of the chemical.

This section includes:

• Classification of the chemical.
• The signal word.
• Hazard and precautionary statements.
• Pictograms.
• Descriptions of hazards or mixtures that contain an ingredient with an unknown toxicity, if any.

This section identifies the ingredients that contribute to hazards or are named as hazardous by OSHA. Also listed are:

• Substances: chemical names, synonyms, common names, the chemical abstracts service (CAS) number and other unique identifiers.
• Substances: impurities and stabilizing additives of the chemical or hazardous components.
• Mixtures: chemical names, synonyms, common names, the CAS number and other unique identifiers.
• Mixtures: impurities and stabilizing additives, and the concentration of the chemical or hazardous components.
• Chemical where a trade secret is claimed. A statement is needed.

This section provides:

• Emergency procedures, and what else to do, as needed, before professional medical help arrives.
• The most important symptoms or effects from the chemical exposure.
• Immediate or delayed symptoms or effects from the chemical exposure.

This section:

• Tells about the substance's fire and explosive properties.
• Lists extinguishing devices and basic firefighting guidelines.
• Gives advice on hazards (combustion products) that can develop from a chemical fire.
• Recommends special protective gear or equipment, if any.

This section:

• Tells how to contain and clean up a spill, leak, or other release based on the size of the chemical spill.
• Tells how to evacuate the area, when to contact experts, and what protective gear or equipment to use, based on the size of the spill.

This section:

• Describes safe handling practices that minimize contact with the substance.
• Warns about risks from fire or reactions with incompatible substances.
• May say if it's safe to eat or smoke around this substance.

This section explains:

• Exposure limits.
• Engineering controls, such as proper ventilation.
• Personal protective equipment (PPE), such as respiratory protection.

This section identifies the substance's characteristics, such as:

• Appearance, odor, and pH.
• Explosive limits and boiling or melting points.
• Vapor pressure, density, and relative density.
• Flammability.
• Other properties based on the class of the substance.

This section:

• Describes conditions that could lead to a hazardous chemical reaction. This might include contact and reaction with other substances. It might say what environmental conditions to avoid.
• Tells when the chemical is stable or unstable based on the temperature and conditions in the storage area.
• Describes stabilizers needed to maintain chemical stability.
• Lists safety issues when physical changes in the substance occur.

This section:

• Tells about routes of exposure, and describes symptoms associated with the chemical exposure.
• Lists delayed, acute (short-term), and chronic (long-term) effects from exposure.
• Tells if the chemical is listed in the National Toxicology Program (NTP) Report on Carcinogens.
• Tells if the chemical may be a potential carcinogen in the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monographs or by OSHA.

This section describes the impact if a chemical is released in the environment.

This section states the correct disposal, recycling, reclamation, or safe handling guidelines for the chemical or its container.

This section describes the correct transportation guidelines for the hazardous substance. This applies to road, air, rail, or sea.

This section describes the chemical's safety, health, and environmental regulations not included elsewhere on the SDS, if any.

This section tells when the SDS was developed and its last revision date. It may tell where the revision or revisions to the updated version of the SDS are located.