Safety data sheets: the 16 sections
Published 2026-10-18 · 9 min read · sources checked 2026-10-18
16
sections, in a fixed order
12
that OSHA enforces (1–11 and 16)
Nov 20, 2026
employer update date for substances
Construction’s hazard communication rule, 1926.59, is a single sentence: the requirements are identical to 1910.1200. So the safety data sheet in your gang box is built to the same 16-section format as one in a chemical plant — and you need one for every hazardous chemical you use.
The 16 sections
The headings and their order are fixed by 1910.1200(g)(2), and Appendix D sets the minimum content of each. Sections 12 to 15 must be present to be consistent with the GHS, but OSHA will not enforce them because those areas are not under its jurisdiction.
| No. | Heading (as the rule prints it) | What to look for on site |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Identification | Product identifier, supplier, emergency phone number |
| 2 | Hazard(s) identification | Classification, signal word, pictograms, hazard statements |
| 3 | Composition/information on ingredients | Is crystalline silica, isocyanate or a solvent in it? |
| 4 | First-aid measures | What to do before the ambulance arrives, by route of exposure |
| 5 | Fire-fighting measures | Right and wrong extinguisher; combustion products |
| 6 | Accidental release measures | Spill containment and cleanup |
| 7 | Handling and storage | Incompatibilities; where the can lives on site |
| 8 | Exposure controls/personal protection | Exposure limits, ventilation, the PPE to buy |
| 9 | Physical and chemical properties | Flash point, vapour pressure — the fire and vapour story |
| 10 | Stability and reactivity | Conditions to avoid, incompatible materials |
| 11 | Toxicological information | Routes of exposure, acute and chronic effects, carcinogen listing |
| 12 | Ecological information | Not enforced by OSHA |
| 13 | Disposal considerations | Not enforced by OSHA |
| 14 | Transport information | Not enforced by OSHA |
| 15 | Regulatory information | Not enforced by OSHA |
| 16 | Other information | Date of preparation or last revision |
Headings read from 29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(2) on 2026-10-18. If no relevant information is found for a sub-heading, the SDS must say so (g)(3).
The six a foreman reads
OSHA’s own brief on the format says sections 1 through 8 hold the general information that should help those who need it quickly. On a jobsite that narrows further:
- Section 2 before the product is opened — the signal word and pictograms tell you how seriously to take the rest.
- Section 8 before you buy PPE. It names exposure limits, engineering controls and the specific glove material or respirator. Carry it onto the PPE hazard assessment.
- Section 7 when you decide where the product is stored on site, and what it must not sit beside.
- Sections 4, 5 and 6 before anything goes wrong: first aid, extinguisher choice, spill response. Brief them at a toolbox talk on the day a new product arrives.
Notice
SDS vs the label
The label on a shipped container carries six things: product identifier, signal word, hazard statements, pictograms, precautionary statements and the supplier’s name, address and phone number. The SDS carries all of that in section 2 and fourteen more sections besides.
One trap for a site that uses ANSI safety signs. HazCom has only two signal words: “danger” for the more severe hazards and “warning” for the less severe. The ANSI Z535 sign vocabulary this site uses has five, and CAUTION and NOTICE do not exist on a chemical label. Read the label’s word on HazCom’s two-step scale, not the sign scale.
The access rule
SDSs must be readily accessible during each work shift to employees in their work areas ((g)(8)). A binder in the main office across town fails that test for a crew on site. Electronic access is allowed — a tablet, a QR code to the supplier’s library — only if it creates no barriers to immediate access. A dead phone signal in a basement is a barrier.
For crews that travel between locations during a shift, the SDSs may stay at the primary workplace, provided employees can immediately obtain the information in an emergency ((g)(9)). The binder, the list of chemicals and the training all belong in your written hazard communication program.
The 2024 update and its dates
The current text of 1910.1200 took effect July 19, 2024, with phased dates in (j). Manufacturers had until May 19, 2026 for substances and have until November 19, 2027 for mixtures. Employers then update any alternative workplace labelling, the hazard communication program and training as necessary by November 20, 2026 for substances and May 19, 2028 for mixtures.
Caution
The rule text
Quoted from the current eCFR text of title 29, read on 2026-10-18.
The requirements applicable to construction work under this section are identical to those set forth at § 1910.1200 of this chapter.
Chemical manufacturers and importers shall obtain or develop a safety data sheet for each hazardous chemical they produce or import. Employers shall have a safety data sheet in the workplace for each hazardous chemical which they use.
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 employees must travel between workplaces during a workshift, i.e., their work is carried out at more than one geographical location, the safety data sheets may be kept at the primary workplace facility. In this situation, the employer shall ensure that employees can immediately obtain the required information in an emergency.