Although the terms safety data sheet (SDS) and material safety data sheet (MSDS) are often used interchangeably, there’s one crucial difference between them. All SDSs follow the GHS’s standard sixteen-section format, whereas MSDS formats can vary between organisations.
Despite the differences in presentation, SDSs and MSDSs both provide important information about the hazards posed by a particular chemical. This includes details on how to use, handle, store and dispose of the product safely.
In this post:
Format of documents
As we’ve already touched upon, safety data sheets follow the standardised sixteen-section formatting of the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). Material safety data sheets, however, can have a wide range of formats depending on the standards of the organisation that issued them.
MSDS format
While the exact format can vary between chemical manufacturers, most material safety data sheets contain the same basic sections. This typically includes the following:
- Product information
- Hazardous ingredients
- Physical data
- Fire or explosion hazard data
- Reactivity data
- Toxicological properties
- Preventive measures
- First-aid instructions
- Preparation information
You can learn more about how to read a material safety data sheet here.
SDS format
Unlike MSDSs, SDSs follow a standardised international formatting based on the GHS. Every SDS document is broken down into the following sixteen standard sections:
- Section 1: Chemical Identification
- Section 2: Hazard(s) Identification
- Section 3: Composition/Information on Ingredients
- Section 4: First Aid Measures
- Section 5: Firefighting Measures
- Section 6: Accidental Release Measures
- Section 7: Handling and Storage
- Section 8: Exposure Controls/Personal Protection
- Section 9: Physical and Chemical Properties
- Section 10: Stability and Reactivity
- Section 11: Toxicological Information
- Section 12: Ecological Information (non-mandatory)
- Section 13: Disposal Considerations (non-mandatory)
- Section 14: Transport Information (non-mandatory)
- Section 15: Regulatory Information (non-mandatory)
- Section 16: Other Information
Hazard symbols on MSDS documents
The hazard symbols included in MSDS documents usually take the form of colour-coded pictograms. Designed to be easily recognisable, these pictograms generally appear in a diamond or rotated square shape. The actual symbols featured may vary depending on the organisation or the standard being used. Here are some common examples:
MSDS hazard categories
The two main categories in MSDS documents are physical hazards and health hazards. The former includes hazards that can inflict direct and immediate harm, such as corrosive acids and volatile liquids that can easily catch fire. Meanwhile, the latter covers substances like carcinogens and poisons that can cause chronic (long-term) or acute sickness.
SDS hazard categories
SDS hazard categories are similar to those for MSDS, especially when it comes to sub-categories and examples. However, in addition to physical and health hazards, SDS documents include a third category covering environmental hazards.
Regulatory requirements
The regulatory requirements for providing MSDS and SDS documents for chemical products can vary between countries and economic regions. It’s also important to remember that each country may have a different minimum amount threshold.
MSDS regulation requirements
As MSDSs are non-standardised, the regulations and requirements vary from one jurisdiction to another. In the United States, for example, there’s no obligation to list all of the hazardous chemicals in a product.
A toxic or hazardous chemical only needs to be included in the MSDS if it’s present at a concentration of 1% or above, or at least 0.1% if it’s a carcinogen.
SDS regulation requirements
The UK and EU member countries subscribe to the GHS standards, which means all safety data sheets for products manufactured or distributed in these countries must follow the standard format. Following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, the UK regulating agency in charge of overseeing this is now called UK REACH.
To facilitate global trade and make business communication easier, many countries opted to comply and transition to GHS standards. As a result, MSDSs are gradually being replaced with standardised SDSs.
This transition is necessary because it helps to avoid confusion and ensure best practices are adopted worldwide. It also makes it easier for chemical companies and their clients to communicate when it comes to specifying orders and complying with local regulations.
Regulatory compliance requirements
Some companies are still in the process of transitioning to the new standards. Even if a country or jurisdiction hasn’t yet adopted SDS as the standard format, a company may still choose to move from MSDS to SDS. There’s no problem with doing this, provided all the required information is included and local regulations don’t prohibit the shift to SDS formatting.
The regulatory compliance requirements for SDS must be in harmony with the CLP regulation (the Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation), which is based on the UN GHS. The requirements include following the formatting standards and providing detailed technical information about the chemical.
Timeline for the transition from MSDS to SDS
For most countries, the transition from MSDS to SDS began in 2003 when the UN established the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. However, some countries have taken much longer to formally shift to the new standards. The United States, for example, only adopted the SDS system in 2015.
Brexit also affected the regulations on safety data sheets, with the UK (England, Wales and Scotland) transitioning from EU REACH to UK REACH at the start of June 2016. The new UK-specific REACH regulations officially became law on 1st January 2021. EU Reach still applies in Northern Ireland under the terms of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Compliance and transition
Impact of transition on businesses and workers
Generally, the transition from MSDS to SDS has had a positive impact on businesses and workers. As well as facilitating global transactions, it’s helped to eliminate many ambiguities in business communication. It also assured regulatory standardisation worldwide, which has in turn led to significant improvements in worker safety.
Summary
The main difference between MSDS and SDS documents is that SDSs follow the standardised formatting of the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals, with 16 sections. The format of material safety data sheets, however, can vary between companies. Many countries and companies have shifted from MSDS to SDS for convenience and to facilitate global trade.
You can download the safety data sheets for all of the chemicals we supply on our website.
