Safety Data Sheet Sections: A Guide to All 16 Under GHS

Knowing where to look among the safety data sheet sections saves time during a risk assessment, a spill response or an inspection. This guide walks through the 16-section format defined by the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) and adopted by OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard (HazCom), and explains how lab managers and EHS staff can use each section in practice.

Why safety data sheet sections follow a fixed order

GHS is a United Nations framework that standardizes how chemical hazards are classified and communicated on labels and safety data sheets (SDSs). OSHA aligned HazCom with GHS in 2012, replacing the older, free-form material safety data sheet (MSDS), and updated the standard again in 2024 to align with a later GHS revision.

Under HazCom, chemical manufacturers and importers must prepare an SDS for each hazardous chemical, and distributors must pass it on with the initial shipment and with the first shipment after the SDS is updated. Because every sheet uses the same headings in the same order, a reader can go straight to the section they need.

Most research laboratories are also covered by the OSHA Laboratory Standard (29 CFR 1910.1450). It requires a written Chemical Hygiene Plan and requires employers to keep labels on incoming containers intact and to maintain the SDSs they receive in a place where laboratory staff can readily get to them.

The 16 sections at a glance

*Sections 12–15 are required to appear on a HazCom-compliant SDS, but OSHA does not enforce their content because those topics fall under other agencies, such as the EPA and the Department of Transportation.

Reading Section 2: pictograms, signal words and statements

Pictograms

GHS defines nine pictograms, each a black symbol inside a red-bordered diamond. HazCom requires eight of them; the environment pictogram is optional under OSHA rules.

• Physical hazards: flame, flame over circle (oxidizers), exploding bomb, gas cylinder.
• Corrosion: used for both metal corrosion and corrosion/serious eye damage health classes.
• Health hazards: skull and crossbones, exclamation mark, health hazard (the silhouette symbol).
• Environment: dead tree and fish.

Signal words

Only one signal word appears per label or SDS. "Danger" is used for the more severe hazard categories and "Warning" for the less severe. Some lower categories carry no signal word at all.

Hazard and precautionary statements

Hazard statements describe the nature of the hazard and are often printed with H-codes: H2xx for physical hazards, H3xx for health hazards and H4xx for environmental hazards. Precautionary statements are grouped by P-codes: P1xx general, P2xx precautions for safe use, P3xx response, P4xx storage and P5xx disposal. The codes are widely printed next to the text and make it easy to cross-reference sheets from different suppliers.

Where to find storage, handling, exposure control and disposal information

Storage and handling: Sections 7 and 10

Section 7 gives storage conditions such as temperature, protection from moisture or light, and container requirements. Read it together with Section 10, which lists incompatible materials and conditions to avoid. Shelf placement and segregation decisions usually depend on both.

Exposure controls and PPE: Section 8

Section 8 lists any occupational exposure limits and recommended controls. Apply the hierarchy of controls: engineering controls such as fume hoods or ventilated balance enclosures first, then administrative controls, then PPE. Glove recommendations are often generic, so confirm glove material and permeation data with the glove manufacturer for the solvents you actually use. For powders, see our guide to safe handling of lyophilized powders.

Spills: Section 6

Section 6 describes containment and clean-up methods and the protective equipment needed. Use it to stock spill kits and to write lab-specific spill procedures, and confirm those procedures with your EHS office.

Disposal: Section 13

Section 13 offers general disposal guidance, but it cannot reflect every federal, state, local and institutional requirement. Use it as input to your institution's waste procedures, not as a substitute. Our overview of laboratory chemical waste disposal covers the general principles.

SDSs for research materials with limited data

Many research reagents, including synthetic peptides, have not been fully tested. Section 11 may say "no data available" or that the toxicological properties have not been thoroughly investigated, and Section 2 may show no classification.

• Absence of data is not evidence of safety. Prudent laboratory practice is to handle substances of unknown toxicity as potentially hazardous and to minimize exposure.
• Check Section 3 for composition. It may identify the salt form or other components present in the material.
• Know which document answers which question. An SDS is product-level hazard information; a certificate of analysis is lot-level test data. See how to read a certificate of analysis for the second.
• Read the intended-use statement in Section 1. For research-use-only products it should be consistent with the supplier's research use policy.

Keeping SDSs accessible and current

1. Make them readily accessible. HazCom requires SDSs to be available to employees in their work area during each work shift. Electronic access is acceptable when there are no barriers to immediate access, and a backup is in place.
2. Index by the product identifier. The name or number on the container label should match Section 1 exactly so the right sheet can be found quickly.
3. Check the revision date. Section 16 shows when the sheet was prepared or last revised. Replace superseded versions in the working file when a new one arrives.
4. Ask before discarding old sheets. OSHA's access to employee exposure and medical records rule (29 CFR 1910.1020) contains long retention requirements for records of chemical identity, so follow your EHS office's retention policy.
5. Train staff to read them. HazCom training must cover how to read labels and SDSs and where to find them.

Frequently asked questions

How many sections does a safety data sheet have?

A GHS-aligned SDS has 16 sections in a fixed order. OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard specifies the same 16 headings in its Appendix D.

Is an SDS the same as an MSDS?

The SDS replaced the MSDS. MSDSs had no required format, while SDSs follow the standardized GHS structure adopted by OSHA in 2012.

Which section tells me how to dispose of a material?

Section 13 covers disposal considerations. OSHA does not enforce its content, and actual disposal must follow your institution's EHS procedures and applicable federal, state and local regulations.

What does "no data available" in Section 11 mean?

It means the supplier had no test data for that endpoint. It does not show that the material is harmless, so minimize exposure and follow your Chemical Hygiene Plan.

References

1. OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200, including Appendix D (Safety Data Sheets).
2. United Nations, Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS).
3. OSHA Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories, 29 CFR 1910.1450.
4. National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling and Management of Chemical Hazards (2011).