Safety data sheet example: all 16 sections explained with real SDS samples

Last updated 2026-07-09

What is a safety data sheet and what does OSHA require?

A safety data sheet tells anyone who handles a hazardous chemical exactly what it is, what it does to the human body, how to store and handle it, and what to do when something goes wrong. Before 2012, the U.S. used Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs). Those had no mandatory format. One supplier sent you two pages, the next sent twelve, and they covered different facts in a different order. That inconsistency cost lives.

In 2012, OSHA revised its Hazard Communication Standard to line up with the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). The revised rule, codified at 29 CFR 1910.1200, requires every SDS to follow a fixed 16-section format. The compliance deadline for most employers was June 1, 2016. ^[1]

The rule puts the burden in two places. Chemical manufacturers and importers must provide an SDS for each hazardous chemical they make or import, and distributors must pass it down the supply chain. As an employer, you must keep a current SDS for every hazardous chemical in your workplace and make each one immediately accessible to employees during every shift. ^[1] "Immediately accessible" means not locked in a filing cabinet the night crew can't open.

Missing or inaccessible SDSs get cited under HazCom. OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard ranks among the top three most-cited standards nearly every year, with thousands of violations recorded annually. ^[2] None of this is complicated once you know what you're looking at.

How many sections are in a safety data sheet?

Exactly 16. The number is fixed under the current GHS-aligned OSHA standard. Suppliers cannot skip sections, re-order them, or rename them. If a section doesn't apply to a particular chemical, the supplier still includes the heading and marks it "not applicable."

That structure replaced the old MSDS format, which had no mandatory section count or order. Some legacy MSDSs ran 8 sections. Others ran 18. The uniformity is the point. A worker reading an SDS for the first time should always know where to find the emergency phone number (Section 1), first aid (Section 4), and firefighting instructions (Section 5).

The 16 sections group into four areas:

• Identification and hazards (Sections 1-3): who made it, what hazards it has, what's in it
• Emergency response (Sections 4-8): first aid, fire, spill response, handling and storage, exposure controls
• Physical and chemical properties (Sections 9-10): how it behaves, how it reacts
• Regulatory and other information (Sections 11-16): toxicology, ecological impact, disposal, transport, regulations, and anything else

Learn the grouping and you can find what you need fast under pressure. Section 4 is always first aid. Always.

What does each of the 16 SDS sections contain?

Here is what each section actually holds, with the kind of plain detail that makes an SDS usable on the floor.

Section 1: Identification. Product name, recommended uses, manufacturer name, address, and emergency telephone number. That number must be staffed 24 hours a day. ^[1] Call it at 2 a.m. and get voicemail, and you have a problem.

Section 2: Hazard(s) identification. The GHS hazard classification (flammable liquid, acute toxicity, and so on), the signal word ("Danger" or "Warning"), hazard statements, precautionary statements, and the GHS pictograms. Read this section first for a quick threat picture.

Section 3: Composition/information on ingredients. The chemical identity of all ingredients, their CAS numbers, and their concentrations or ranges. Trade secret claims can limit disclosure here, but OSHA has specific rules on what can actually be withheld. ^[1]

Section 4: First-aid measures. What to do for eye contact, skin contact, inhalation, and ingestion. It must note any delayed symptoms and any medical attention or special treatment needed. Paramedics and ER nurses read this section.

Section 5: Fire-fighting measures. Suitable extinguishing media, what NOT to use, special hazards from combustion (like the toxic gases a fire produces), and protective gear for firefighters.

Section 6: Accidental release measures. Personal precautions for a spill or leak, environmental precautions, and cleanup methods. A good Section 6 tells someone exactly how to handle a 55-gallon drum spill without making it worse.

Section 7: Handling and storage. Precautions for safe handling and conditions for safe storage, including incompatibilities. This section governs day-to-day work more than any other.

Section 8: Exposure controls/personal protection. OSHA Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs), ACGIH Threshold Limit Values (TLVs), engineering controls, and specific PPE like respirator type and glove material. This section tells you what your workers wear and breathe.

Section 9: Physical and chemical properties. Appearance, odor, pH, boiling point, flash point, flammability limits, vapor pressure, vapor density, and solubility. Flash point is often the most operationally important number on the page.

Section 10: Stability and reactivity. Chemical stability, conditions and materials to avoid, hazardous decomposition products. This drives storage decisions.

Section 11: Toxicological information. Routes of exposure, acute and chronic health effects, carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, reproductive toxicity. If a chemical sits on IARC's list or the NTP report on carcinogens, it belongs here.

Section 12: Ecological information. Aquatic toxicity, persistence, bioaccumulation potential. OSHA says this section is not mandatory under 29 CFR 1910.1200, but other regulations require it, so most suppliers complete it. ^[1]

Section 13: Disposal considerations. How to dispose of the chemical and its contaminated packaging. Treat this as guidance, not a substitute for your local hazardous waste rules.

Section 14: Transport information. UN number, proper shipping name, hazard class, and packing group for ground (DOT), sea (IMDG), and air (IATA). Sections 12 through 15 are enforced by other agencies, not OSHA.

Section 15: Regulatory information. Whether the chemical shows up on SARA Title III lists, CERCLA, California Proposition 65, TSCA, and other inventories.

Section 16: Other information. Date of preparation or last revision, changes from the previous version, a key to abbreviations, and anything else the supplier considers relevant.

What does a real safety data sheet look like? (Hexane walkthrough)

Hexane makes a good teaching example. It's genuinely dangerous, it shows up everywhere from labs to cleaning operations to food processing, and its SDS is public. Here's a real hexane SDS section by section, using NIOSH data and OSHA limits as reference points. ^[3][4]

Section 1 (Hexane ID): Product name: n-Hexane. CAS Number: 110-54-3. Emergency phone: usually the manufacturer's 24-hour line or CHEMTREC (1-800-424-9300).

Section 2 (Hexane hazards): Signal word: "Danger." GHS classifications include Flammable Liquid Category 2 (highly flammable), Aspiration Hazard Category 1 (fatal lung damage if swallowed and it enters the airways), Reproductive Toxicity Category 2, Specific Target Organ Toxicity from repeated exposure Category 1, and Aquatic Chronic Toxicity Category 2. The pictograms show a flame, an exclamation mark, a health hazard symbol, and an environmental symbol. That's a lot of hazard on one product.

Section 8 (Hexane exposure controls): OSHA's PEL for hexane is 500 ppm as an 8-hour time-weighted average. ^[5] NIOSH recommends a far lower REL of 50 ppm TWA because hexane causes peripheral neuropathy with chronic exposure. The ACGIH TLV is also 50 ppm. The gap between OSHA's legal limit and the two recommended limits is a tenfold difference, and any honest Section 8 lists all three numbers. An employer who runs at OSHA's 500 ppm limit and ignores the NIOSH figure is legal but not safe.

Section 9 (Hexane physical properties): Flash point roughly -22 degrees C (-7 degrees F), which makes it extremely flammable. Boiling point roughly 69 degrees C (156 degrees F). Vapor density greater than 1, so hexane vapor sinks to floor level and can travel to a distant ignition source. Flammable range 1.1% to 7.5% in air. ^[4]

Section 11 (Hexane toxicology): Chronic inhalation causes peripheral neuropathy, meaning weakness and numbness in the limbs. Occupational cohort studies from shoe manufacturing and other industries document it well. NIOSH flags hexane as a nervous system hazard with confirmed neurological effects in workers. ^[3]

Here's the lesson buried in this sheet. The OSHA PEL and the truly protective exposure limit are not the same number. A safety data sheet hands you both. You decide which one you'll hold your workplace to.

For hydrochloric acid, another common industrial chemical, the same 16-section structure applies to a corrosive instead of a flammable. The HCl safety data sheet covers very different hazards in the exact same format.

How is a modern SDS different from an old Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)?

"SDS" and "MSDS" point at the same basic idea, but they are not interchangeable documents under current law. An MSDS was required under the pre-2012 HazCom standard. An SDS is required now.

The differences that matter:

Feature	Old MSDS	Current GHS SDS
Number of sections	No fixed number (commonly 8-18)	Exactly 16, fixed order
Section order	Varied by supplier	Mandatory sequence
Hazard classification system	Inconsistent across suppliers	GHS-based, standardized
Signal words	No standard	"Danger" or "Warning" only
Pictograms	Optional, varied	9 standardized GHS pictograms
Global compatibility	Low	High (used in 70+ countries)

Got MSDSs left over from before the 2016 deadline? They're out of date. You need current SDSs from your suppliers. Plenty of suppliers still print "MSDS" on their documents out of habit, but if the sheet was updated after 2016 it should follow the 16-section GHS format regardless of the title.

Old MSDSs aren't garbage. If you just want to understand what a chemical does, an old MSDS still carries real information. For OSHA compliance, though, you need current GHS-aligned SDSs, organized so workers can actually find them.

What information do workers actually use in an emergency?

Training workers to use an SDS is not about memorizing all 16 sections. In an emergency people are stressed, moving fast, and need two or three facts right now. OSHA training requirements under 29 CFR 1910.1200(h) say employees must be trained on how to read and use SDSs. The practical goal is speed and accuracy when it counts.

Four sections carry the load:

Section 4 (First Aid) when someone is hurt. The instructions have to be specific. "Flush eyes with water for 15 minutes" is useful. "Seek medical attention" with nothing else is not.

Section 5 (Fire Fighting) when the chemical is on fire. Knowing whether CO2 or dry chemical is right, or whether water spray makes it worse, is the difference between controlling a fire and feeding it.

Section 6 (Accidental Release) when there's a spill. A flammable solvent spill in an enclosed space with a floor drain can turn into a vapor explosion fast. Section 6 should tell workers to kill ignition sources and ventilate before they touch the cleanup.

Section 1 (Emergency Contact) when someone needs to call for help or reach poison control. The CHEMTREC number (1-800-424-9300) is one of the most reliable chemical emergency hotlines in the U.S. and appears on many SDSs. ^[6]

Post a one-page quick reference near your high-hazard chemicals highlighting these four sections. It doesn't replace the full SDS. It saves the seconds that matter.

How should a small business organize and store safety data sheets?

OSHA doesn't mandate a format for your SDS system. Three-ring binders, a computer terminal on the floor, an electronic management system, or a mix all pass. What OSHA does mandate is that SDSs be "readily accessible to employees in their work area throughout each work shift." ^[1] That phrase does real work.

For most small businesses, a binder-per-area setup works. One binder for the shop floor, one for the maintenance room, one for the lab. Each has an index up front and SDSs alphabetized by product name. Everyone who works with or near a chemical knows where the binder lives. A supervisor checks it quarterly to catch anything missing or outdated.

Electronic systems are fine as long as backup access exists when the system goes down. OSHA has said in letters of interpretation that electronic SDS systems are allowed, but you need a plan for power outages or system failures. ^[7] A binder holding your most hazardous chemicals as a backup to your software is not overkill.

Things that get you cited:

• An SDS four versions old that reflects a formulation the supplier already changed
• No SDS for a product sitting right there on the shelf
• An SDS locked in a supervisor's office where workers can't reach it
• Employees who have no idea where the SDSs are

If you're building a written hazard communication program from scratch, your SDS system is one of three core parts (the others being labeling and training). SafetyFolio's safety program generator can draft that written program fast, including the SDS access procedures and training records your OSHA inspector will ask to see.

How do you get an SDS for a chemical you use?

Your first call is always the supplier or manufacturer. Under 29 CFR 1910.1200, they must provide an SDS with or before the first shipment of any hazardous chemical. If you never got one, ask. They cannot legally refuse.

For chemicals you've used for years and never had a sheet for, these sources work:

OSHA's SDS tools: OSHA links to SDS search resources from its HazCom pages, though the coverage isn't exhaustive. ^[1]

NIOSH Pocket Guide: NIOSH publishes hazard information for several hundred common industrial chemicals, free online. ^[3] It isn't a full SDS, but it's enough to start.

Manufacturer websites: Most large chemical companies post current SDSs searchable by product name or CAS number. Sigma-Aldrich, Thermo Fisher, and VWR keep especially complete databases.

National Library of Medicine: The NLM hosts toxicological data on thousands of substances, useful for cross-referencing what an SDS tells you. ^[8]

One thing to watch: SDSs go stale when a supplier reformulates or when new toxicology emerges. OSHA requires manufacturers to update an SDS within three months of learning of significant new hazard information. ^[1] So check periodically that the sheet in your binder matches the current product from your supplier.

If a chemical is made in-house (a mixture your facility creates), you are the manufacturer and you write the SDS. That's more involved, but OSHA's HazCom standard and its guidance documents lay out the classification and SDS-writing requirements. ^[1]

What are the most common SDS mistakes employers make?

Most OSHA HazCom citations don't come from employers who ignored safety. They come from employers who had a system and let it slip. Here are the failure modes I see over and over.

Missing SDSs for obvious chemicals. Cleaning products, lubricants, and welding gases get overlooked constantly. If a product carries a GHS label on the container, an SDS exists and you need it accessible.

Outdated SDSs. A supplier reformulates. The old sheet stays in the binder. Nobody notices for two years. The new formulation might have a different flash point or a new hazardous ingredient.

Training that happened once. OSHA requires training when employees are first assigned to a work area with hazardous chemicals and when new hazards show up. ^[1] Annual refreshers aren't explicitly required, but if your workers can't find the binder or can't explain what Section 8 means for their chemical, the initial training didn't stick.

Treating all chemicals the same. A routine cleaning solution and a highly flammable solvent are both chemicals. They don't get the same handling, storage, or PPE. Section 2 and Section 8 of each SDS drive those distinctions.

Assuming supplier SDSs are always right. Suppliers make mistakes: a PEL listed wrong, a flash point that doesn't match NIOSH data, a Section 8 that recommends no PPE for a chemical that clearly needs a respirator. Cross-check critical values against NIOSH and ACGIH data for your highest-hazard chemicals.

The incident report process is where a missing SDS surfaces painfully. When a worker is hurt by a chemical and the ER asks what's in it, "we couldn't find the sheet" is an awful answer.

What does OSHA's HazCom standard actually say about SDS requirements?

The regulatory text sits at 29 CFR 1910.1200(g). The standard says chemical manufacturers, importers, or distributors must ensure that each container of hazardous chemicals leaving the workplace is labeled, tagged, or marked with the required information, and must provide an SDS for each such chemical. ^[1]

For employers, the key obligation under 1910.1200(g)(8) reads: "Employers shall maintain in the workplace copies of the required safety data sheets for each hazardous chemical in the workplace, shall ensure that they are readily accessible during each work shift to employees when they are in their work area(s), and shall ensure that the SDSs are provided to other employers upon request."

That last clause matters. If you're a contractor or subcontractor working in someone else's space and you bring chemicals with you, you share your SDSs with the host employer. And the host employer's SDSs have to be accessible to your workers too.

OSHA also specifies at 29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(2) that SDSs must be in English, though employers may keep additional copies in other languages. In workplaces with significant non-English-speaking crews, having sheets in workers' primary language is good practice no matter the legal minimum. OSHA has stressed multilingual HazCom training in its guidance materials. ^[9]

The standard requires SDSs to be prepared with 16 specific headings, labeled (a) through (p), matching the 16-section format one to one. The format is not optional and not negotiable.

How do SDS requirements connect to other OSHA standards?

SDSs don't live in isolation. They feed several other OSHA program requirements directly.

Respiratory protection (29 CFR 1910.134): Section 8 of an SDS says whether a respirator is needed and what type. If it calls for an air-purifying respirator with an organic vapor cartridge, your written respiratory protection program has to reflect that, and workers must be fit-tested and medically cleared for that specific respirator. The SDS is the trigger document. ^[10]

Lockout/Tagout (29 CFR 1910.147): Section 10 (stability and reactivity) and Section 7 (handling and storage) inform lockout procedures for equipment that processes hazardous chemicals. What happens if a chemical is released during maintenance shapes your energy control procedures.

Personal Protective Equipment (29 CFR 1910.132): Section 8 drives your PPE hazard assessment, which OSHA requires in writing for each work area. The SDS tells you which chemical hazards require PPE and what type. You cannot do that assessment honestly without the sheet.

Emergency Action Plans (29 CFR 1910.38): Sections 5 and 6 feed your emergency action plan, especially fire response and spill procedures.

This is why chemical management is hard to silo. If your SDSs are wrong or missing, several other programs go incomplete by definition. Sending your safety leads through OSHA 30 training helps them see these connections and manage them before an inspector does.

Frequently asked questions

How many sections are in a safety data sheet?

Exactly 16. OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard at 29 CFR 1910.1200 requires all SDSs to follow the GHS-aligned 16-section format in a fixed order. No section can be dropped, though one can be marked "not applicable" if it doesn't fit a specific chemical. This fixed structure replaced the old MSDS format, which had no mandatory section count.

What is the difference between an SDS and an MSDS?

Both describe hazard documentation for chemicals, but they're not the same document. MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) was the pre-2012 term with no required format or order. SDS (Safety Data Sheet) is the current term under OSHA's GHS-aligned HazCom standard, with exactly 16 sections in a mandatory sequence. If you have MSDSs from before 2016, they're out of date and should be replaced with current GHS SDSs from your suppliers.

Where can I find a free safety data sheet for hexane?

NIOSH publishes hazard information for n-Hexane (CAS 110-54-3) in its Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards at cdc.gov/niosh/npg. Full 16-section SDSs are free from major chemical suppliers like Sigma-Aldrich and Thermo Fisher; search the product name on their sites. OSHA's HazCom pages at osha.gov also link to SDS tools.

What is the OSHA exposure limit for hexane?

OSHA's PEL for n-hexane is 500 ppm as an 8-hour TWA under 29 CFR 1910.1000. NIOSH recommends a much lower REL of 50 ppm TWA because hexane causes peripheral neuropathy with chronic exposure, and ACGIH also recommends 50 ppm. A hexane SDS Section 8 should list all three. Running near OSHA's 500 ppm limit is legal but far riskier than the NIOSH figure suggests.

Does every chemical in my workplace need a safety data sheet?

Every hazardous chemical does, as defined by OSHA's HazCom standard at 29 CFR 1910.1200. A hazardous chemical is any chemical that poses a physical or health hazard, plus simple asphyxiants, combustible dust, pyrophoric gases, and hazards not otherwise classified. Consumer products used in the same way and frequency as a normal consumer generally fall under an exemption, but most workplace use exceeds consumer patterns and requires an SDS.

Can I use an electronic system to store safety data sheets?

Yes. OSHA permits electronic SDS systems as long as workers can reach them immediately during their shift without barriers. The key requirement is a reliable backup for outages. OSHA letters of interpretation confirm electronic systems are acceptable, but keeping paper backups for your most critical chemicals is widely recommended. Workers also have to be trained on how to use the electronic system.

What are the GHS pictograms on a safety data sheet?

There are nine standardized GHS pictograms: flame (flammable), flame over circle (oxidizer), exploding bomb (explosive/reactive), skull and crossbones (acute toxicity), exclamation mark (irritant, lower severity), corrosion (skin/eye corrosion), health hazard (carcinogen, reproductive toxicity, and similar), gas cylinder (compressed gas), and environment (aquatic toxicity). They appear in Section 2 and match the label on the container.

What should Section 8 of an SDS include for PPE?

Section 8 (Exposure Controls/Personal Protection) must specify respiratory protection (including cartridge type if an air-purifying respirator is needed), glove material and thickness, eye and face protection, and body protection. It should also list engineering controls like local exhaust ventilation plus OSHA PELs, NIOSH RELs, and ACGIH TLVs. Vague statements like "wear appropriate PPE" without specifics are inadequate and a red flag on any SDS.

How often do safety data sheets need to be updated?

Chemical manufacturers must update an SDS within three months of learning of significant new hazard information or new ways to protect against a hazard, per 29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(5). As an employer, check with suppliers periodically, especially when a product is reformulated. OSHA sets no mandated review frequency for employers, but comparing your sheet against the supplier's current version once a year is reasonable.

What happens if an OSHA inspector finds missing safety data sheets?

Missing SDSs are cited under 29 CFR 1910.1200, which ranks among the most frequently cited standards. As of 2024, serious violations carry penalties up to $16,550 each, and willful or repeat violations reach up to $165,514 each. Beyond the fine, if a worker is hurt by a chemical with no accessible SDS, the legal and liability exposure runs well past the citation itself.

Are sections 12 through 15 of an SDS required by OSHA?

OSHA's 29 CFR 1910.1200 does not enforce Sections 12 (ecological), 13 (disposal), 14 (transport), or 15 (regulatory). Those fall to EPA, DOT, and other agencies. OSHA does require the section headings to appear, though inspectors can't enforce the content. Most suppliers complete these sections anyway because other regulations or customer expectations demand it.

What is the emergency contact number commonly used on safety data sheets?

CHEMTREC (Chemical Transportation Emergency Center) is the most common emergency contact on U.S. SDSs. Its 24-hour number is 1-800-424-9300. CHEMTREC connects callers with chemical hazard experts who advise on emergency response. The Section 1 emergency phone number on any SDS must be staffed or reachable 24 hours a day; a business line that goes unanswered after hours doesn't meet the requirement.

Do I need an SDS for products I mix myself in the workplace?

If your facility creates a mixture that meets OSHA's definition of a hazardous chemical, yes. You become the chemical manufacturer for that mixture and must prepare an SDS, classify its hazards under GHS rules, and provide it to workers. This applies to facilities that blend cleaning solutions, mix coatings, or create other chemical mixtures in their process. OSHA's HazCom standard at 29 CFR 1910.1200(d) covers hazard classification for mixtures.

Sources

1. OSHA, Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200: OSHA requires a 16-section GHS-aligned SDS for each hazardous chemical, kept readily accessible to employees during each work shift; manufacturers must update an SDS within three months of significant new hazard information.
2. OSHA, Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards: Hazard Communication (29 CFR 1910.1200) consistently ranks among the top three most-cited OSHA standards.
3. NIOSH, Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards: n-Hexane: NIOSH REL for n-hexane is 50 ppm TWA; NIOSH identifies hexane as a nervous system hazard with confirmed neurological effects.
4. NIOSH, International Chemical Safety Card for Hexane (ICSC 0279): n-Hexane flash point approximately -22 degrees C, flammable range 1.1% to 7.5%, vapor density greater than 1 (vapor sinks to floor level).
5. OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.1000 Table Z-1, Limits for Air Contaminants: OSHA PEL for hexane (n-Hexane) is 500 ppm as an 8-hour TWA.
6. CHEMTREC, Emergency Response Services: CHEMTREC operates a 24-hour chemical emergency hotline at 1-800-424-9300 used as the emergency contact on many U.S. SDSs.
7. OSHA, Letters of Interpretation (Hazard Communication): OSHA permits electronic SDS management systems provided workers have immediate access during each shift and a backup exists for outages.
8. National Library of Medicine, Toxicology Data: NLM provides toxicological and chemical data for thousands of substances useful for cross-referencing SDS information.
9. OSHA, Hazard Communication Training Requirements Guidance: OSHA guidance stresses that HazCom training must be presented in a manner and language employees can understand, supporting multilingual training.
10. OSHA, Respiratory Protection Standard 29 CFR 1910.134: 29 CFR 1910.134 requires written respiratory protection programs; Section 8 of an SDS is the source document for identifying respirator requirements.
11. OSHA, OSHA Penalties: Serious OSHA violations carry penalties up to $16,550 per violation; willful or repeat violations up to $165,514 as of 2024.
12. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS): The UN GHS establishes the 16-section SDS format and nine standardized pictograms adopted by OSHA's 2012 HazCom revision.