Safety Data Sheets are designed to provide chemical, physical, health, and safety information on reagents and supplies. An important skill in the safe use of chemicals is being able to read an SDS, which provides information about how to handle store, transport, use and disposal of chemicals in a safe manner.

Safety Data Sheets also provide workers and emergency personnel with the proper procedures for handling and working with chemical substances. While there is no standard format for an SDS, they all provide basic information about physical data (melting point, boiling point, flash point, etc.), toxicity, health effects, first aid procedures, chemical reactivity, safe storage, safe disposal, protective equipment required, and spill clean-up procedures. An SDS is required to be readily available at any business where any type of chemical is used. It is important to know how to read and understand the SDS. They normally include the following information:

• Product Identification (Chemical Name and Trade Names)
• Hazardous Ingredients (Components and Percentages)
• Physical Data (Boiling point, density, solubility in water, appearance, color, etc.)
• Fire and Explosion Data (Flash point, extinguisher media, special firefighting procedures, and unusual fire and explosion hazards)
• Health Hazard Data (Exposure limits, effects of overexposure, emergency and first aid procedure)
• Reactivity Data (Stability, condition to avoid, incompatible materials, etc.)
• Spill or Leak Procedures (Steps to take to control and clean up spills and leaks and waste disposal methods)
• Control Measures (Respiratory protection, ventilation, protection for eyes or skin, or other protective equipment)
• Special Precautions (How to handle and store, steps to take in a spill, disposal method, and other precautions)
• The SDS is a tool that is available for making decisions about chemicals