What is a safety data sheet (SDS)?
A safety data sheet is written or printed material about a hazardous chemical, prepared under paragraph (g) of the Hazard Communication standard. The employer keeps copies in the workplace, readily accessible to employees during each work shift. Electronic access is allowed if it creates no barriers.
By Cairn. Updated . Sources: eCFR text as of October 27, 2026.
The legal definitions
“Safety data sheet (SDS) means written or printed material concerning a hazardous chemical that is prepared in accordance with paragraph (g) of this section.”
“The employer shall maintain in the workplace copies of the required safety data sheets for each hazardous chemical, and shall ensure that they are readily accessible during each work shift to employees when they are in their work area(s). (Electronic access and other alternatives to maintaining paper copies of the safety data sheets are permitted as long as no barriers to immediate employee access in each workplace are created by such options.)”
Where it applies
- 29 CFR 1910.1200, Hazard communication 50 paragraphs use the term. Read the text on eCFR.
- 29 CFR 1910.1450, Occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals in laboratories 4 paragraphs use the term. Read the text on eCFR. Not the same definition: 29 CFR 1910.1450(h)(1)(ii) sets a narrower duty for laboratories: it covers the safety data sheets received with incoming shipments of hazardous chemicals.
In the enforcement record
Federal and state-plan agencies issued 93,792 cited violations under 29 CFR 1910.1200, Hazard communication, from January 2016 through September 10, 2026. The section ranks 2nd among the 248 sections of 29 CFR cited at least 50 times. This is the count for the whole section, not for the term alone. Within it, 29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(8), which requires the employer to keep safety data sheets in the workplace, drew 9,474 cited violations.
Cairn data, October 2026 snapshot.
See the full record for 29 CFR 1910.1200Sources
- 29 CFR 1910.1200, Hazard communication. eCFR, text as of October 27, 2026.
- Cairn data, October 2026 snapshot. Cairn analysis of the OSHA enforcement record.
Written by Cairn, updated . The quoted text is copied from the sources above. A test compares each quotation with a stored copy of the source, and a separate script compares that copy with the live sources. This page explains the law and is not legal advice.