What chemicals require an SDS?

Chemical manufacturers and importers in the United States are required to classify the hazards of the chemicals they produce or import. If an employer chooses to do its own classifications, it is responsible for complying with the classification requirements of the Hazard Communication Standard 29 CFR 1910.1200. 

The Hazard Communication Standard requires that the chemical manufacturer, distributor, or importer provide Safety Data Sheets for each hazardous chemical to downstream users to communicate information about these hazards.

A hazardous chemical is defined as “any chemical which is classified as a physical hazard or a health hazard, a simple asphyxiant, combustible dust, or hazard not otherwise classified.”

• • Health hazard means a chemical that is classified as posing one of the following hazardous effects: acute toxicity (any route of exposure); skin corrosion or irritation; serious eye damage or eye irritation; respiratory or skin sensitization; germ cell mutagenicity; carcinogenicity; reproductive toxicity; specific target organ toxicity (single or repeated exposure); or aspiration hazard. The criteria for determining whether a chemical is classified as a health hazard are detailed in Appendix A to §1910.1200 — Health Hazard Criteria.
  • Physical hazard means a chemical that is classified as posing one of the following hazardous effects: explosive; flammable (gases, aerosols, liquids, or solids); aerosols; oxidizer (gases, liquids, or solids); self-reactive; pyrophoric (liquids or solids); self-heating; organic peroxide; corrosive to metal; gas under pressure; or in contact with water emits flammable gas; or desensitized explosive. The criteria for determining whether a chemical is classified as a physical hazard are detailed in Appendix B to §1910.1200 — Physical Hazard Criteria.
  • Simple asphyxiant means a substance or mixture that displaces oxygen in the ambient atmosphere, and can thus cause oxygen deprivation in those who are exposed, leading to unconsciousness and death.
  • Combustible Dust means finely divided solid particles of a substance or mixture that pose a flash-fire hazard or explosion hazard when dispersed in air or other oxidizing media.
  • Hazard not otherwise classified (HNOC) means an adverse physical or health effect identified through evaluation of scientific evidence during the classification process that does not meet the specified criteria for the physical and health hazard classes addressed in this section. This does not extend coverage to adverse physical and health effects for which there is a hazard class addressed in this section, but the effect either falls below the cut-off value/concentration limit of the hazard class or is under a GHS hazard category that has not been adopted by OSHA (e.g., acute toxicity Category 5).