MSDS, SDS, safety data sheet – one document under several names. Where the names come from, what changed with the switch to the 16-section format and what to do with an old MSDS today.
The term material safety data sheet became widespread in the United States under the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard. The layout of the document was not fixed, so MSDSs from different suppliers often looked very different.
The Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of the United Nations introduced the name safety data sheet with 16 headings in a fixed order. OSHA aligned its standard with the GHS in 2012: for shipments from 1 June 2015, suppliers had to provide SDSs in the 16-section format instead of MSDSs.
In the EU, safety data sheets were first regulated by Commission Directive 91/155/EEC. Today the rules are in Article 31 and Annex II of REACH, in the version set by Regulation (EU) 2020/878. EU law uses only the term “safety data sheet”.
Source: OSHA, interpretation of 29 CFR 1910.1200 (2014) · UNECE – GHS · Directive 91/155/EEC · REACH, Art. 31Each language version of REACH uses its own term. When you sell in another country, the SDS carries the name used in that language.
The title on the document matters less than what is inside. Check these points:
We revise it into a safety data sheet in the current format under Regulation (EU) 2020/878 and translate it into the languages you need.
