The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) Laboratory Standard (29 CFR 1910.1450) and Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) require that employees be provided information about the physical and health hazards of the chemicals they use or are potentially exposed to in their work areas. Safety Data Sheet or SDSs are provided by chemical manufacturers and contain useful information about exposure limits, potential hazards, and selection of appropriate controls and personal protective equipment. SDSs must be readily accessible to all employees for all hazardous chemicals/substances used in their work area.
Online access to SDSs and chemical safety resources are provided below to assist labs in this effort. Labs may utilize electronic SDSs as long as no barriers to employee access are created. Printed copies of SDSs must be available to employees who do not have computer access. EH&S recommends that labs retain printed SDSs for highly hazardous materials and materials used on a daily or weekly basis.
Contact EH&S at (314) 362-6816 for questions or technical assistance.
Search EH&S Chemical Inventory SDS Hub
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)
CCOHS provides access to extensive databases of SDSs and chemical safety information. Simply enter the chemical name or CAS registry number to access information across all databases. Searchable databases include MSDS, RTECS®, CHEMINFO, HSELINE, OSHLINE, NIOSHTIC, and ILO Encylopaedia.
Manufacturer’s Online Resources
These resources are provided by chemical manufacturers. You should consult the SDS for the manufacturer who supplied the chemical in question.
Other Chemical Safety Resources
The following are commonly used chemical safety resources. Simply click on a link below and utilize the search function for your chemical or substance of interest.
- Pathogen SDSs
- NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards
- International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSC)
- NIH WISER
- NIH PubChem You can access the Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary (LCSS) from this search.
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)