Appendix D
Safety Data Sheets and Resource Material
UW-Stout requires that a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) be on file for each hazardous chemical used in the
laboratories covered by the Laboratory Standard. The SDS must be manufacturer- and product numberspecific (i.e., containers of acetic acid manufactured by Fisher Scientific and Sigma-Aldrich must each
have their own SDS on file. If a product/catalog number is known, the SDS should be specific to that
product/catalog number).
SDSs provide comprehensive safety information on a substance or mixture for use in the workplace.
Copies of SDSs for chemicals stored and used in UW-Stout laboratories are readily available from several
sources:

CISPro, the web-based chemical inventory system implemented in summer 2011 for the
chemical and biological inventories of the Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Food & Nutrition
departments. SDSs stored in CISPro are accessible either by logging into the database itself
(requires a user name and password) or by utilizing the MSDS Search website:
https://cisprolive1.chemswlive.com/CISPro/login_msds.asp?accessid=2640

Many SDSs may also be accessed on-line. Table D-1 lists several on-line databases available at
no cost. For the most current SDS, always refer first to the product manufacturer’s or vendor’s
website, the largest of which are included in the table.
Table D-1: On-line SDS Links
Note that this is not an exhaustive list.
Resource
Comment
Sigma-Aldrich
www.sigmaaldrich.com/safety-center.html
Sigma-Aldrich provides on-line SDS access for their
products and for some chemicals that are not Sigma-Aldrich
products. Sigma-Aldrich uses the GHS SDS format; SDSs
created or revised beginning in 2010 also include GHS
pictograms and hazard and precautionary statements.
Fisher Scientific provides on-line SDS access for their
products and for some chemicals (e.g., Acros) that are not
theirs. To access a SDS, enter the product number,
chemical name or CAS registry number in the search field.
Fisher Scientific uses a 16-section SDS format very similar
to the GHS SDS format.
BD provides on-line SDS access for their products. BD uses
a 16-section SDS format very similar to the GHS SDS
format.
Avantor provides on-line SDS access for their products as
well as those for J.T. Baker and Mallinckrodt. To access an
SDS, enter the product number, chemical name or CAS
registry number in the search field. Avantor uses a 16section SDS format very similar to the GHS SDS format.
Fisher Scientific
www.fishersci.com
BD (Becton Dickinson)
http://www.bdregdocs.com/msds/
Avantor Performance Materials
http://www.avantormaterials.com/
Resource
Comment
Vermont SIRI MSDS Database
http://siri.org/msds/
The University of Vermont maintains a relatively large
database of SDSs for chemicals and products. The
database can be searched by manufacturer or chemical
name.
On March 26, 2012 OSHA published its updated Hazard Communication standard in the Federal Register,
which mandates use of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS)
16-section format by June 1, 2015. Certain sections that do not fall under the jurisdiction of OSHA are
regulated by their specific agency (e.g., transport information will be covered by the U.S. Department of
Transportation and ecological information will be covered by the Environmental Protection Agency).
A summary of the 16-section GHS SDS format with main components of each section is found in Table D2 below. It is important that all employees are familiar with the format and terminology used on SDSs
since this are considered a primary source of chemical safety information.
Table D-2: Summary of GHS SDS Sections
GHS SDS section
1. Product and company identification
2. Hazards identification
3. Composition/information on ingredients
4. First-aid measures
5. Firefighting measures
6. Accidental release measures
7. Handling and storage
8. Exposure controls/personal protection
9. Physical and chemical properties
10. Stability and reactivity
11. Toxicological information
Content
 Product identifier
 Manufacturer or distributor name, address, phone
number
 Emergency phone number
 Recommended use
 Restrictions on use
 All hazards regarding the chemical
 Required label elements
 Information on chemical ingredients
 Trade secret claims
 Important symptoms/effects, acute, delayed
 Required treatment
 Suitable extinguishing techniques, equipment
 Chemical hazards from fire
 Emergency procedures
 Protective equipment
 Proper methods of containment and cleanup
 Precautions for safe handling
 Conditions for safe storage, including any
incompatibilities
 OSHA’s Permissible Exposure Limits
 Threshold Limit Values
 Appropriate engineering controls
 Personal protective equipment
 Chemical characteristics
 Chemical stability
 Possibility of hazardous reactions
 Routes of exposure
 Related symptoms, acute and chronic effects
 Numerical measures of toxicity
GHS SDS section
12. Ecological information
13. Disposal considerations
14. Transport information
15. Regulatory information
16. Other information
Content
 Exotoxicity
 Persistence and degradability
 Bioaccumulative potential
 Mobility in soil
 Other adverse effects
 Description of waste residues and information on their
safe handling and methods of disposal, including any
contaminated packaging
 UN number
 UN proper shipping name.
 Transport hazard class(es)
 Packing group, if applicable
 Marine pollutant (Y/N)
 Special precautions which a user needs to be aware of
or needs to comply with in connection with transport
or conveyance either within or outside their premises
 Safety, health and environmental regulations specific
for the product in question
 Including date of preparation or last revision
Table D-3 contains a list of additional resources on chemical safety. This list includes links to several
reputable chemical safety resources (primarily governmental agencies) that are available at no cost.
Table D-3: Additional Chemical Safety Resources
NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/default.html
International Chemical Safety Cards
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ipcs/icstart.html
The NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards (NPG) is
intended as a source of general industrial hygiene
information on several hundred chemicals/classes for
workers, employers and occupational health professionals.
It presents key information and data in abbreviated or
tabular form for chemicals or substance groupings that are
found in the workplace. It includes chemical names,
Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances
information, exposure limits, physical description,
measurement methods, PPE recommendations, and
respirator recommendations.
International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs) summarize
essential health and safety information on chemicals for
their use at the “shop floor” level by workers and
employers in factories, agriculture, construction and other
work places. Information provided in user friendly format in
several languages. Good supplement to SDSs. Limitations:
ICSCs have been developed for a limited number of
substances.
Laboratory Chemical Safety Summaries
http://dwb4.unl.edu/Chem/CHEM869V/CHE
M869VLinks/www.qrc.com/hhmi/science/la
bsafe/lcss/start.htm
OSHA Occupational Chemical Database
https://www.osha.gov/chemicaldata/
NIOSH chemical page
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/chemical.
html
NIOSH databases
www.cdc.gov/niosh/database.html
Laboratory Chemical Safety Summaries (LCSSs) were
prepared by the National Research Council, Committee on
Prudent Practices for Handling, Storage, and Disposal of
Chemicals in Laboratories. They provide concise critical
discussions of the toxicity, flammability, reactivity, and
explosivity of a limited number of chemicals commonly
used in scientific research laboratories. Directions for
handling, storage and disposal and special instructions for
first aid and emergency response are given. Since many of
these chemicals are representative of a class of potentially
hazardous compounds, the LCSSs can also be used as
guides to handling many other compounds with related
chemical structures. LCSSs are designed especially for
laboratory workers. They are an excellent complement to
the substance SDS.
OSHA maintains this database as a convenient reference
for the occupational safety and health community. This
database compiles information from several government
agencies and organizations.
Links to information on many specific chemicals is found on
this page.
Links to a number of useful databases in addition to the
NPG and ICSCs links referenced above.