What is a safety data sheet for chemicals?

Aug 27, 2025 | Resources

What is a safety data sheet for chemicals?

Did you know that all hazardous chemicals must have a safety data sheet? A safety data sheet can be the difference between control and chaos if an accident occurs. Find out what a safety data sheet is, why it is so important, and common challenges for businesses.

What is a safety data sheet (SDS)?

A Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is a document (digital or hard copy) that provides an overview of how chemicals should be handled, used and stored. All SDSs follow a standard 16-point layout so that the information is easy to find, no matter what chemical you are working with.

What is the difference between a safety data sheet and a chemical inventory?

A safety data sheet (SDS) provides information about a specific chemical, while a substance register provides an overview of all the chemicals in the company, and thus consists of several SDSs.

Why do we need safety data sheets?

SDSs are needed to handle chemicals safely, protect employees from health hazards and describe procedures for first aid, fire and spills. Not only that, but updated SDSs are required by law through the Regulations for the Performance of Work, REACH and CLP, and are an important part of a company’s health, safety and environment (HSE) work.

Examples of situations where SDS is needed:

When receiving new chemicals in the workplace
In the event of a spill, fire or other accident
By supervision from the authorities
During transport of dangerous goods
When using a new chemical
When disposing of waste
In risk assessments

What should a data sheet contain?

A safety data sheet is always structured according to a fixed 16-point template. This makes it easy to find the right information, no matter what chemical you are working with.

The 16 points consist of:

Identification (name of the substance/product and supplier)
Hazard identification (health, fire and environmental hazards)
Composition (content and hazardous components)
First aid measures (what to do in case of accidents)
Firefighting measures (suitable extinguishing media and protective measures)
Measures in the event of a spill (handling of spills and leaks)
Handling and storage (safe procedures and storage requirements)
Exposure controls/protective equipment (limit values and protective equipment)
Physical/chemical properties (appearance, smell, boiling point, etc.)
Stability/reactivity (conditions that may cause hazardous reactions)
Toxicology (effects on health)
Ecology (impact on the environment)
Disposal consideration (waste management)
Transport (UN number and transport requirements)
Regulations (laws and regulations that apply)
Other information (additional info and update date)

Who is responsible?

The supplier’s responsibility

The supplier is responsible for preparing and supplying safety data sheets in Norwegian when a hazardous chemical is marketed in Norway. The SDS must be free, up-to-date and available to professional users. Among other things, the data sheet must contain Norwegian limit values and the Poisons Information Center’s emergency number. In the event of new information or regulatory changes, the supplier must update the SDS and send it to customers who have received the product in the last 12 months.

The employer’s responsibility

Procedures must be established to ensure that safety data sheets are of satisfactory quality, meet the requirements of the regulations and are updated when new information or versions become available. The employer is responsible for checking the SDS when new chemicals are used, ensuring that the data sheets are up to date, and obtaining missing information from the supplier if they are incomplete.

If an error is discovered, the employer must check whether a newer version is available and contact the supplier for an update. It is particularly important to ensure that special Norwegian requirements are taken care of in the SDS, for example that chapter 8 contains Norwegian administrative limit values, that chapter 15 refers to relevant Norwegian regulations, and that any Norwegian product registration number (PRN) is listed there.

Known challenges

Difficult to keep SDS up to date

Many companies find it challenging to keep their chemical inventory and SDS documentation up to date. When the company uses chemicals from several manufacturers and suppliers, it quickly becomes challenging to keep track of all the changes they make to their SDS.

There are no fixed deadlines for updating data sheets, and changes can therefore be made at any time. SDSs must be revised as soon as there is new information about hazards or regulations. This requires good routines to ensure that the SDS is always updated in relation to the chemicals the company actually uses.

Safety information must be easily accessible and understandable for employees

It is a legal requirement that employees have easy access to safety data sheets for the chemicals they work with. In practice, this can be challenging if the data sheets are stored in digital systems that employees have not been adequately trained in, behind passwords, or only exist in paper archives.

Most people who handle chemicals at work are not chemists, and it can be challenging for employers to provide ongoing and necessary training in how an SDS should be understood and used.

A good SDS provides an overview, creates security and ensures compliance with legal requirements. When companies take safety data sheets seriously, both HSE work and emergency preparedness are strengthened. So make sure you have a system that makes it easy to keep all safety data sheets up to date and available, so that safety information becomes a natural part of your daily work with chemicals.

What is a chemical inventory?

Aug 19, 2025 | Resources

What is a chemical inventory?

A chemical inventory is first and foremost about order and overview, and is an important tool in the health, safety and environment (HSE) work of any company that handles hazardous chemicals. There are clear requirements for documentation and available information, and a chemical inventory collects this in one place so that laws, regulations and internal procedures are followed.

What is a chemical inventory?

A chemical is considered hazardous if it is classified in accordance with European legislation (REACH and CLP), either for health, physical or environmental hazards. A substance register is a collection of necessary information about hazardous chemicals in the workplace, including safety data sheets (SDS).

The purpose of a chemical inventory is to make it easy for employees to find relevant information for safe and efficient handling of chemicals. The safety data sheets provide guidance on both preventive measures – such as the use of protective equipment, correct storage and handling routines – and reactive measures in the event of accidents, such as spills, fires or exposure to chemicals. In this way, the chemical inventory serves as a practical tool both in day-to-day HSE work and in emergency situations.

What should a chemical inventory contain?

A chemical inventory must meet the requirements of the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority’s guidelines, the European REACH regulations and the CLP regulations. In Norway, it is a requirement that the information in the chemical inventory must be in Norwegian. If employees are not fluent in Norwegian, the employer must ensure that the chemical information is made available in a language the employees understand.

As a minimum, the chemical inventory must contain:

Chemical overview with names, classification, hazard symbols and updated SDS for hazardous chemicals
Information sheets for non-classified chemicals in the workplace, such as pharmaceuticals, welding fumes and other process-generated chemicals
Risk assessments of the chemicals with preventive measures

Who is responsible?

Both the employer and the employee have certain responsibilities, but it is the employer who is primarily responsible for creating and maintaining the chemical inventory.

The employee’s responsibility:

Follow established routines and procedures when handling hazardous chemicals
Participate in necessary training in the use of the chemical inventory
Report if information in the chemical inventory is missing or outdated

The employer’s responsibility:

Creating and maintaining the chemical inventory
Ensure that the chemical inventory is updated with valid SDS
Ensure that the chemical inventory is in accordance with legal requirements
Make the chemical inventory easily accessible (digitally or physically) for employees
Provide necessary training in the use of the chemical inventory

Known challenges

Lack of quality control of SDS

For many companies, keeping their chemical inventory up to date is a challenge. Data sheets or chemical overviews may be out of date, resulting in incorrect or incomplete information. This weakens HSE work and can lead to both orders and fines from the authorities.

Difficult to find information

In the past, it was a requirement that the chemical inventory should be on paper. Many companies still use physical binders, which results in a lot of manual work. Regardless of the format, the MSDS can contain large amounts of information that can be difficult to navigate without good routines and adequate training.

How to get started with a chemical inventory

An effective chemical inventory starts with clear procedures for purchasing and systematic HSE work, as described in the company’s management system. Ensure that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined so that the chemical management system is followed up and maintained.

Map the chemicals: Get an overview of all chemicals present in the workplace
Build structure: Organise your chemical inventory to reflect how and where chemicals are stored
Enter information: Register the chemicals and retrieve approved safety data sheets, preferably through an easy-to-use chemical management system
Make the information accessible: Make sure that all employees who handle chemicals have easy access to the chemical inventory
Keep your index up to date: Add new chemicals when purchasing, and archive products you no longer use

An up-to-date chemical inventory gives your business control over the chemicals it uses and is a legal requirement to prevent damage to health and the environment. With a digital and automated chemical system, it is easier to ensure that the information is always up-to-date, correct and accessible.