Janitorial & Sanitation Reference Library · Chemistry & Dilution

Reading SDS and GHS Labels for Jan-San Chemicals

The required elements of a HazCom shipping label and the 16-section Safety Data Sheet, and which sections custodial staff and buyers need first.

Ref JS-040329 CFR 1910.1200(f)29 CFR 1910.1200(g)29 CFR 1910.1200 Appendix C29 CFR 1910.1200 Appendix D40 CFR 156.64

Safety-critical sheet, not yet signed off by an expert reviewer. Use it to understand the topic, then take every value and decision from the governing standard, the manufacturer’s instructions and a qualified person.

What it is

OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200), aligned with the UN Globally Harmonized System (GHS), requires manufacturers and importers to label hazardous chemicals and to provide a Safety Data Sheet in a fixed 16-section format. Distributors must pass the SDS to commercial customers with the first shipment and after updates (1910.1200(g)(6)). EPA-registered disinfectants also carry a FIFRA pesticide label, which uses its own signal words (DANGER, WARNING or CAUTION; 40 CFR 156.64).

How to identify the label elements (1910.1200(f)(1))

Product identifier · signal word (Danger for more severe hazards, Warning for less severe) · hazard statements · pictograms · precautionary statements · name, address and phone of the responsible party.

The 16 SDS sections (Appendix D)

#	Section	Why jan-san users read it
1	Identification	Product name, use, supplier and emergency phone
2	Hazard(s) identification	Classification, signal word, pictograms
3	Composition/information on ingredients	Active ingredients such as hypochlorite, quats, acids
4	First-aid measures	What to do for eye, skin, inhalation or ingestion
5	Fire-fighting measures	Extinguishing media, hazardous combustion products
6	Accidental release measures	Spill cleanup and PPE
7	Handling and storage	Storage conditions and incompatibilities
8	Exposure controls/personal protection	Exposure limits, gloves, goggles, ventilation
9	Physical and chemical properties	pH, flash point, appearance
10	Stability and reactivity	Incompatible materials—mixing hazards
11	Toxicological information	Routes of exposure, symptoms
12	Ecological information*	Environmental effects
13	Disposal considerations*	Waste handling
14	Transport information*	UN number, hazard class for shipping
15	Regulatory information*	Other regulations that apply
16	Other information	Revision date and notes

*OSHA does not enforce the content of Sections 12–15, but they must be present.

Key points

The SDS usually describes the concentrate. A diluted product can have a different hazard; some manufacturers publish a separate SDS for the use-dilution. Ask for it.
Section 8 PPE for the concentrate is the starting point for dispensing tasks.
The nine HazCom pictograms are in Appendix C; the environment pictogram is not required by OSHA.
Workplace secondary containers need the product identifier and hazard information (1910.1200(f)(6)).
Keep SDSs readily accessible to employees on each shift (1910.1200(g)(8)).

Common mistakes

Keeping a binder of outdated, pre-GHS MSDSs.
Assuming a "green" product has no SDS.
Confusing the FIFRA signal word with the HazCom signal word.

Governing standards: 29 CFR 1910.1200(f), (g) and Appendices C and D; 40 CFR 156.64.

Reference only. Verify against the current governing code or standard, the manufacturer's data and the project documents before use. Apps for Distributors disclaims liability arising from reliance on this reference.

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