Safety Data Sheets: What are They?

April 21, 2021

Safety Data Sheets: What are They?

Safety Data Sheets: What are They? Formerly called “MSDS”, Safety Data Sheets (SDS) are required by state and federal agencies to include information such as chemical properties as well as the health, physical, and environmental health hazards of the chemicals and all safety and protective measures in place for the handling, storing, and transportation of each chemical.  The SDS includes specific details on each chemical such as required PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), procedures for first aid in case of incident, and all details and procedures for spill clean-up.

Government Organizations Involved with SDS

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) is responsible for the Hazard Communication Standard 29 CFR 1910.1200 and have been designed to make sure that all chemicals produced or imported have clear explanations and details of hazards for employers and employees. Comprehensive information for all chemicals and dangers are to be included as part of the labels on containers, employee training, and in safety data sheets. The information is also crafted to align with the provisions of the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have regulations that also address SDS. The SARA (Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act) is a reauthorization and amendment of CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation & Liability Act of 1980) aka “the SuperFund Act”. Both SARA and CERCLA involve the identification, remediation, and prevention of hazardous substances release to the environment.

Local and State Agencies: There are various local and state agencies involved in dictating SDS regulations.

Countries other than the U.S.:  Almost all countries have some form of regulations that are similar to those found in OSHA’s guidelines and are designed to comply with those established by the GHA. In today’s global economy, countries are involved in creating and transporting chemicals internationally.

Safety Data Sheets: What are They?

Responsibilities of Employers

Employers must make sure that SDSs are easily accessible to all workplace employees. This can be done by having a binder with all SDS information and/or on an easily accessible computer available to employees without leaving their work area. A copy should be available in the case of a power outage. Employers should designate specific individual(s) responsible for maintaining all information on the SDSs. In the case that an employer doesn’t have an SDS, the employer needs to contain the chemical manufacturer.

What are Mandatory Requirements In an SDS?

General Identification: The SDS must include the following areas of identification for the product/chemical:

• Label that has product identifier as well as any additional synonyms or common names under which the substance may be known or recognized.
• Manufacturer name, address, and phone number; name of responsible party/importer and emergency phone number.
• Brief description of use of chemical, what it does/its purpose, and all use restrictions including supplier recommendations.

Hazards Identification: Must include the chemical hazards and all warning information for the hazards. The SDS must have the following hazards identification information:

• The chemical hazard classification. An example would be “category 1 flammable liquid.”
• Signal word such as “Danger, Warning, or Caution.”
• A Hazard Statement or statements which are standardized wording to convey the dangers.
• Logos, icons, or pictograms representing the hazards in black and white with description. An example of this might be the “skull and crossbones” and a flame.
• Precautionary statement(s) are descriptions of the recommended measures that are needed to prevent or minimize any effects that result from exposure or improper handling or storage of the hazardous chemical.
• Additional descriptions of dangers/hazards that may not be classified.
• Addressing contents that may be an ingredient mixture with unknown toxicity, a statement is required to describe the percentage of the ingredient in the mixture and unknown acute toxicity. This doesn’t relate to the individual ingredient(s) but the total percentage of the mixture.

Ingredients and/or Composition Information: Identification of product ingredients including additives used as stabilizers and impurities. It includes information on mixtures, chemicals, and substances where there is a claimed trade secret. The requirements include:

*Substances including:

• Common name, chemical name, and synonyms
• CAS (Chemical Abstracts Service) number(s) and all other identifiers that are unique.
• Stabilizing additives and impurities which can also be listed as and/or contribute to the chemical classification.

*Mixtures including:

• Identical information that is required for substances.
• The exact percentage (concentration) of the chemical name and all ingredients that are classified as a hazard for health that may be in the mixture that are present over their concentration or cut-off limits or present a risk for health below the concentration or cut-off limits.
• The exact percentages or concentration of each of the ingredients must be specified. Concentration ranges may be used if there is a claim for trade secret, there are variations in batch-to-batch, or the SDS is used for substantially similar mixtures.
• Where trade secrets are claims a statement must be included that is chemical identity specific and/or the concentration/exact percentage of the composition has a requirement of being withheld as part of the trade secret.

First-Aid and Fire-Fighting Measures: First-aid measures are designed to describe the actions and care that should be taken by a responder that hasn’t been trained when an individual has had a chemical exposure. Fire-fighting measures are the recommendations and actions that need to be taken to fight a fire that has been caused by the chemical.

*First-Aid measures include:

• Instructions of first-aid that are necessary by routes of exposure due to skin and eye contact, inhalation, and ingestion.
• Description of the priority effects or symptoms as well as any symptoms that are delayed or acute.
• Immediate medical care and any special treatment recommendations when necessary.

*Fire-fighting measures include:

• Both recommendations of proper equipment to extinguish a fire as well as information about equipment that isn’t appropriate for that situation.
• Specific advice on hazards that may be created by the chemical during a fire. An example would be combustion products that occur when the chemical is burning.
• Recommendations on all special equipment needed for firefighter precaution and protection.

Information on Accidental Release: This involves actions taken as a response to leaks, spills, or releases and includes practices for containment, cleanup, and prevent/minimize exposure to individuals, properties and/or the environment. It can also include the differentiation between large and small spills. The information includes recommendations:

• Instituting precautions for personal use such as providing ventilation, removing the source(s) of ignition, and protective equipment required for the prevention of skin, eyes and clothing contamination.
• Emergency procedures instructions for evacuations, expert consulting when needed, protective clothing.
• Materials used for containment and methods to be used.
• Procedures for cleanup including processed for decontamination, neutralization, vacuuming, cleaning, absorbent materials required and/or all equipment needed.

Handling and Storage: Guidance on practices of safe conditions, handling and storage of chemicals. Information includes:

• All recommendations and precautions for safe handling including for incompatible chemicals, minimization for potential of chemical release into the environment and general hygiene practices around chemicals such as prohibition of eating, drinking, smoking in areas where chemicals are present.
• All information on safe storage recommendations including any incompatibility conditions and specific requirements for safe storage such as requirements for ventilation.

Exposure Control/PPE (Personal Protection Equipment): Detailed information on limits of exposure, engineering controls, and PPE for minimization of exposure for workers. To include:

• PELs (OSHA Permissible Exposure Limits), ACHIH (American Conference of Governmental Hygienists), TLVs (Threshold Limit Values) and all other limits of exposure from manufacturer, importer or employer that prepares the SDS.
• Engineering controls appropriate for chemical such as exhaust ventilation (only in enclosed system).
• Measures for personal protection to prevent injury or illness from chemical exposure such as PPE appropriate for chemical.
• All PPE special requirements to protect against chemical exposure.

Chemical and Physical Properties: Identification of chemical and physical properties associated with the mixture or substance. The SDS may not include all of these due to lack of information or relevancy but must include a notation beside each and include any other relevant properties. Minimum information includes:

• Appearance (i.e.: color)
• Lower/upper limits on explosive or flammability
• Odor and odor threshold
• Vapor pressure and density
• pH
• Relative density
• Freezing/melting point
• Solubility(ies)
• Initial boiling point and boiling range
• Partition coefficient: n-octanol/water
• Flash point
• Auto-ignition temperature
• Evaporation rate
• Decomposition temperature
• Flammability in both gas and solid
• Viscosity.

Stability and Reactivity of Chemical(s): This explains both the reactivity and stability of a chemical and is in three parts:

• Reactivity: Specific test data description for chemical(s) for the family or class of the chemical.
• Stability: Information as to the stability or instability of the chemical(s) under normal ambient conditions and temperatures while being handled/stored, any stabilizers needed to maintain stability, and safety issues if the physical appearance of the chemical changes.
• Other: Any information of potential reactions that are hazardous in a statement that includes if a chemical(s) will react or release heat or pressure or other hazardous conditions and a list of all of the conditions where a hazardous situation may occur. It will also include all materials and classes of chemicals that are incompatible and known or anticipated decomposition hazardous products that could occur due to use, heating, or storage.

Information on Toxicological Condition of Chemical(s): This area details health effects and toxicological information as well as when that data isn’t available. It includes:

• Information on methods of exposure such as ingestion, eye and skin contact and inhalation.
• Details on immediate, delayed, or chronic effects of both short term and long-term exposure.
• The toxicity numerical measures such as median lethal dose.
• Symptom’s description to include severe that is low to most severe.
• Whether the chemical(s) are listed in the NTP (National Toxicology Program) Report on Carcinogens or has been listed on IARC Monographs (International Agency for Research on Cancer) as potentially carcinogenic or listed with OSHA as a potential carcinogen.

Non-Mandatory Requirements for the SDS:

Ecological Information: offers information for the evaluation of the chemical(s) impacts on the environment if it/they were to be released. It includes:

• Toxicity test data results performed on terrestrial and/or aquatic organisms.
• If there is a potential for chemical to degrade and persist in the environment through biodegradation, oxidation, hydrolysis, or other processes.
• Test results of bioaccumulation potential.
• Potential for chemical to move from soil to groundwater.
• Any additional effects that are adverse including global warming potential.

Considerations for Disposal: Proper practices for disposal including recycling and/or reclamation of the chemical(s), the container(s) and practices for safe handling. This should include:

• Appropriate disposal container(s) description.
• Disposal methods to use for each chemical.
• Description of both chemical and physical properties that could affect activities involved in disposal.
• Specifics to deter disposal via the sewage.
• All precautionary indications for incineration or landfill activities.

Information for Transportation: This offers guidelines on the classification information for transporting and shipping hazardous chemical(s) by road, sea, or rail. It can include:

• UN number and proper UN shipping name.
• Class(es) of transport hazard.
• If applicable, packing group number based on hazard degree.
• Type of environmental hazard(s).
• Requirements for bulk transport.
• All special precautions that an individual/employee should know for compliance with transporting or conveyance in or out of the premises.

Regulatory Information: This area includes the regulations for health, safety and the environment that are specific to the product but not included in any other SDS area. It can include:

• Regional or national regulatory information of the chemical(s) or mixture(s) including regulations from OSHA, DOT, EPA and/or Consumer Product Safety Commission

Other or Miscellaneous Information:  This area should indicate the date/time the SDS was prepared and the information on the last known revision. It can also include the sections that any changes were made from pervious versions and any pertinent information that is not found in other sections of the SDS.