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General information about locating safety documents, not medical or legal advice. If someone has been exposed to a chemical, follow the emergency procedure at your workplace or call your local emergency number or poison control service.
A safety data sheet (SDS) is the document a chemical’s manufacturer or importer prepares to pass hazard information down to the people who handle the product. MSDS (material safety data sheet) is the older name for the same kind of document. The quickest legitimate route to one is to ask whoever supplied the product, because under OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) the supplier is expected to provide it. This guide shows who owes you the sheet, where to ask, and what to check once you have it.
How do I get a MSDS sheet? Start with who you are
The route depends on your position. The legal basis comes from OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard, checked 2026-11-01.
| You are | Ask first | Why that route |
|---|---|---|
| An employee or student working with a chemical | Your employer, supervisor or safety office | Employers must keep a copy of the SDS for each hazardous chemical in the workplace, readily accessible during each work shift in the work area (29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(8)). Electronic access is acceptable if it does not block immediate access. |
| A purchaser (buyer, lab manager, clinic or practice) | The supplier or distributor you ordered from | The manufacturer or importer must ensure distributors and employers are provided an SDS with the initial shipment, and must provide one on request (1910.1200(g)(6)). Distributors must pass SDSs and updates along (1910.1200(g)(7)). |
| A home or individual user with no employer | The product’s manufacturer, usually through the manufacturer’s website or customer line | The manufacturer or importer is the party that prepares the sheet. |
The same standard allows the sheet to take any form, including operating procedures, as long as the required information is given for each hazardous chemical (1910.1200(g)(10)). Workers who travel between sites may have the SDS kept at the primary facility, but must be able to get the information immediately in an emergency (1910.1200(g)(9)).
What you need
- The exact product name as printed on the label, plus the manufacturer or supplier name.
- The catalog or item number, if the product came through a distributor.
- Your order paperwork or the shipping documents, which tell you who the supplier was.
Steps: how to get an SDS sheet
How to find safety data sheets at work
- Ask your employer. Check the binder, shared drive or software your workplace uses for its SDS collection. A workplace with hazardous chemicals is expected to have labels and safety data sheets available for its exposed workers (OSHA Hazard Communication page, checked 2026-11-01).
- Check the order paperwork. The sheet is supposed to arrive with the initial shipment, either with the containers or sent before or at shipment.
- Use the distributor’s portal. As one example of a distributor route, McKesson’s safety data sheets page (checked 2026-11-01) tells primary care, home care and long-term care customers to log in to McKesson SupplyManager, search the catalog, open the Item Detail and look under Resources, or contact their SupplyManager salesperson. Hospital and pharmacy customers are directed to McKesson Connect, then Industry Product Information. Other suppliers have their own routes; this is an example, not an endorsement.
- Go to the manufacturer. McKesson’s page tells customers of other suppliers to ask their employer first, then to contact the manufacturer directly.
- Ask in writing. If a labeled hazardous shipment arrived without a sheet, the recipient is expected to obtain it from the manufacturer or importer as soon as possible (1910.1200(g)(6)). A short request works: name the product, the lot or catalog number, the date received, and say that no SDS came with the shipment.
How to obtain SDS sheets for a new product before it arrives
Ask the supplier for the SDS when you place the order, so the sheet is in hand and reviewed before the first container is opened. The standard’s wording is that the sheet accompanies, or is sent before or at, the first shipment.
What is an SDS, and where can you get these?
An SDS is the manufacturer-prepared hazard document for a chemical product, in a specified 16-section format under OSHA’s current Hazard Communication Standard. You get it from the chemical’s manufacturer, importer or distributor, or from your employer, who must keep copies. For what the 16 sections contain, see how to read a safety data sheet.
Where can you find a safety data sheet when the label has no link?
Work down the list in the steps above: employer, order paperwork, distributor, manufacturer, written request. Workplaces that keep many sheets sometimes use dedicated software; see the SDS management software guide. Third-party SDS search sites exist, and a distributor page such as McKesson’s links to one, but the manufacturer’s own sheet for your exact product is the version to rely on.
What can go wrong
- The sheet is a legacy MSDS. Old MSDS documents may not follow the 16-section format. See SDS vs MSDS: what changed and whether legacy sheets are still valid.
- Wrong product or grade. One manufacturer can sell several grades or concentrations under similar names. Compare the product name and catalog number on the sheet with your container label.
- No sheet came with the shipment. Request it from the manufacturer or importer in writing, as in step 5.
- An outdated version. Check the revision date on the sheet against the one the supplier currently provides, and replace older copies in your collection.
Check the sheet once you have it
- The product name and manufacturer match your container.
- The sheet is organised into the 16 numbered sections.
- It shows a revision or issue date, and it is the version the supplier currently provides.
- It is stored where workers can reach it during their shift, as 1910.1200(g)(8) describes. Employer duties are covered in OSHA SDS requirements and employer obligations.
When to get professional help
- Your workplace safety officer or environmental health and safety (EHS) office can locate sheets, build a collection and explain how the Hazard Communication Standard applies to your lab; see the Hazard Communication Standard in the research laboratory.
- If a manufacturer or importer does not respond, tell your safety officer so the request can be escalated.
- For an exposure, spill or injury, use your emergency procedure or emergency services first; finding the sheet comes second.
FAQ
How do I get a MSDS sheet?
Ask your employer or the supplier you bought the product from. Suppliers are expected to send an SDS with the first shipment and to provide one on request. If neither can help, contact the product’s manufacturer.
How to get material safety data sheet copies for an old product?
Contact the manufacturer or the distributor with the product name and catalog number and ask for the current SDS. “Material safety data sheet” is the legacy name, and the current document is called a safety data sheet.
How to get MSDS sheets and SDS sheets in bulk?
Request them from each supplier at ordering, and keep them in a collection your workers can reach during each shift. Electronic storage is acceptable if it does not delay immediate access.
How to obtain SDS sheets if the shipment arrived without one?
Ask the manufacturer or importer in writing. The Hazard Communication Standard expects a recipient of a labeled hazardous shipment without an SDS to get one as soon as possible.
What is an SDS, and where can you get these?
It is the manufacturer’s hazard document for a chemical, in a 16-section format. Get it from your employer, your supplier or distributor, or the manufacturer.
Where can you go to access a SDS at work?
To the place your employer keeps them, which must be readily accessible in the work area during each work shift. Ask your supervisor or safety office if you do not know where that is.
Sources
- OSHA, Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200, paragraphs (g)(6) to (g)(11): https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1200 (checked 2026-11-01).
- OSHA, Hazard Communication: https://www.osha.gov/hazcom (checked 2026-11-01).
- McKesson, Safety Data Sheets (a distributor’s own policy page, cited as one example of a distributor route): https://www.mckesson.com/utility/safety-data-sheets/ (checked 2026-11-01).
