MSDS

The pre-GHS predecessor to the safety data sheet, replaced in the United States in 2015.

Material Safety Data Sheets were the format used before OSHA aligned the Hazard Communication Standard with GHS. They had no mandated structure, so information appeared in different places on different sheets.

The transition deadline for US workplaces was June 1, 2015, after which sheets had to be in the 16-section SDS format. The term MSDS is still in common use out of habit.

An MSDS still sitting in a binder is a sign the library has not been refreshed in a decade, and the classification on it predates the current GHS criteria.

Related terms

• Safety Data SheetThe 16-section document a manufacturer must supply describing a hazardous chemical's hazards, handling and properties.
• GHSThe UN system that standardises how chemical hazards are classified, labelled and described on safety data sheets.
• HazComOSHA's standard requiring that chemical hazards be classified, labelled, documented and communicated to workers.

A plain-English explanation, not legal advice. Figures are the federal baseline; your state may differ, so see the state-by-state requirements.