Safety data sheet (SDS)
Also called material safety data sheet, MSDS
Reviewed by Dasha ShakovVP Marketing, Proton
Updated
What is safety data sheet (SDS)?
A safety data sheet (SDS) is a standardized document that describes a chemical product’s hazards and how to handle, store and dispose of it safely. It also covers transport, first aid and spills, and it replaced the older material safety data sheet (MSDS).
How it works
In the US, OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard requires SDSs in a 16-section format based on the Globally Harmonized System (GHS). Manufacturers write them. Distributors must pass them on to customers with the first shipment of a hazardous product and again after the sheet is updated; for over-the-counter sales to employers, a wholesale distributor may instead provide the SDS on request, as long as it tells customers one is available.
Safety data sheet (SDS) example
With a school’s first order of a new floor stripper, the jan/san distributor sends the SDS, which the custodial supervisor files in the building’s safety binder.
Further reading
Related terms
- Personal protective equipment (PPE)Personal protective equipment (PPE) is gear worn to protect a worker from injury or exposure, such as gloves, safety glasses, hard hats and respirators.
- Janitorial and sanitation (jan/san) distributorA janitorial and sanitation (jan/san) distributor sells cleaning chemicals, paper goods, trash liners and floor-care equipment to building cleaners.
- Lot and serial number trackingLot and serial number tracking is recording which production batch (lot) or which individual unit (serial number) of a product went to which customer.
- Product information management (PIM)Product information management (PIM) is software, and the process around it, for collecting, enriching and publishing product data from one place.
