Free printable SDS binder cover, spine labels and table of contents

What OSHA requires of an SDS binder

OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard does not mention binders, covers or spines. What it requires is the sheets themselves: under 29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(8) the employer “shall maintain in the workplace copies of the required safety data sheets for each hazardous chemical, and shall ensure that they are readily accessible during each work shift to employees when they are in their work area(s).” A binder in an unlocked, known spot is simply the traditional way to meet that.

• Every hazardous chemical on site needs its sheet — (g)(1) and (g)(8). A binder with gaps is the usual finding.
• Every shift, in the work area. A binder in an office that is locked at night does not serve the night shift.
• The chemical list has to match. Your written HazCom program must list the hazardous chemicals present “using a product identifier that is referenced on the appropriate safety data sheet” (1910.1200(e)(1)(i)). A table of contents that uses the same names as the labels and sheets serves as that list and makes each sheet quick to find.
• Any form is acceptable — (g)(10) lets SDSs be kept in any form, including as part of operating procedures, and allows a sheet to cover a group of hazardous chemicals in a work area where appropriate.
• Mobile crews who move between workplaces during a shift can have the sheets kept at the primary workplace facility, as long as the information is immediately available in an emergency (g)(9).

Is an electronic SDS system allowed instead?

Yes. The same paragraph, (g)(8), says “electronic access and other alternatives to maintaining paper copies of the safety data sheets are permitted as long as no barriers to immediate employee access in each workplace are created by such options.” In practice that means every employee knows how to reach the sheets without a password they do not have or a manager who has to be found, and there is a back-up, such as a printed copy, for a power, network or device failure. Many sites keep an electronic library and a printed binder for exactly that reason. See paper SDS binder vs a digital SDS system.

SDS binder example: how a small site sets one up

1. Cover sheet — “Safety Data Sheets”, the company and the work area, emergency numbers, who maintains it and when it was last reviewed. OSHA does not require a cover; it tells a new hire or an inspector at a glance what the binder is and who to ask.
2. Table of contents / chemical index — one line per product, in the same order as the tabs.
3. The sheets, one per tab, alphabetical by product name (or grouped by work area if the site is large). File the full sheet, all 16 sections — see the 16 sections explained.
4. Optional extras many sites keep at the back: a copy of the written HazCom program, the GHS pictogram chart and a log of sheets requested from suppliers but not yet received.

An example table of contents (fictional site; the SDS date comes from section 16 of each sheet, or the header/footer):

Not sure where the date or the SDS number is on a sheet? See where to find the SDS number, revision date and CAS number. Missing a sheet? Look it up in the free SDS search, or paste your whole product list into the SDS binder builder to get every manufacturer’s current sheet as one printable index.

SDS binder questions

Does OSHA require an SDS binder?

OSHA does not require a binder as such. 29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(8) requires copies of the required safety data sheets for each hazardous chemical in the workplace, readily accessible to employees during each work shift in their work areas. A binder is the most common way to do that; electronic access is also allowed if it creates no barriers to immediate employee access.

What should go on an SDS binder cover?

OSHA does not prescribe a cover. A useful one says “Safety Data Sheets” in large type, names the company and the work area it covers, lists emergency numbers (911, Poison Help 1-800-222-1222, and an internal contact), says who maintains the binder, and shows when it was last reviewed.

Does an SDS binder need a table of contents?

Not by name. But the written hazard communication program must include a list of the hazardous chemicals known to be present, using a product identifier that is referenced on the appropriate safety data sheet (1910.1200(e)(1)(i)). A table of contents whose product names match the labels and sheets doubles as that list.

How should an SDS binder be organized?

Most small sites file sheets alphabetically by product name, or by work area, with a numbered tab for each sheet and a table of contents at the front listing product name, manufacturer, SDS revision date, where the product is used or stored, and the tab number.

Can safety data sheets be kept electronically instead of in a binder?

Yes, under (g)(8), as long as there are no barriers to immediate employee access in each workplace. Make sure employees know how to reach the sheets, and keep a back-up such as a printed copy for outages.

Related: where to keep SDS binders and how many you need · OSHA safety data sheet requirements · how to build a chemical inventory · free GHS label maker

General information, not legal advice. Verify against 29 CFR 1910.1200 at osha.gov/hazcom.