Safety Data Sheet | Environmental Health and Safety | UC Davis Health

A new feature permits you to search the master database for your SDS. If you find it, you can request that it be added to the UC Davis Medical Center database. If you can't find it in the database, send an e-mail to srheller@healt.ucdavis.edu Include:

• Name of the product
• Manufacturer’s part number, stock number or similar
• Manufacturer’s name

If your need is urgent, call EH&S at 916-734-0295.

Important Note: the SDS Online link from the UC Davis Campus SDS page does not link to our SDS Online eBinder. You must go through the Medical Center link to access our SDSs.

Many manufacturers, particularly the chemical product industry, have SDSs available online. Do a Google search to find the manufacturer’s site, then use the site's search function to find the SDS listings.

UC Davis campus EH&S has a list of SDS sites
A good place to start is Vermont SIRI.

Chemical manufacturers, importers, and distributors of hazardous chemicals are all required to provide the appropriate labels and material safety data sheets to the employers to whom they ship the chemicals. The information is to be provided automatically. Every container of hazardous chemicals you receive must be labeled, tagged, or marked with the required information. Your suppliers must also send you a properly completed Safety Data Sheet (SDS) at the time of the first shipment of the chemical, and with the next shipment after the SDS is updated with new and significant information about the hazards.

You can rely on the information received from your suppliers. You have no independent duty to analyze the chemical or evaluate the hazards of it.

In general, materials that exhibit hazardous characteristics (flammable, corrosive, toxic, reactive) need SDSs. For a more detailed explanation, go to the hazmat inventory tips page.

Because few folks have the time to keep the hardcopy binder current. By using departmental hazardous materials inventories and inquiries from users, we hope to have current SDSs for 95-98% of the hazardous materials used in the Medical Center. In addition, the vendor for the database is constantly updating it with new and updated SDSs so we don’t have to.

Useful sections:

• Health effects – tells what happens when an individual is exposed to the chemical, usually by inhalation, skin absorption, or ingestion.
• Accidental release measures – what to do in the event of a spill.
• Handling and storage – how to do this safely.

Most of the information in the other sections is useful only to safety professionals and fire suppression personnel.

How do I get information on the UC Davis Medical Center Hazard Communication Program?
See Policy 1641: Hazard Communication Program (Staff Only). This explains all roles, responsibilities, and functions.

All hazardous materials containers must have appropriate labels. Containers from the manufacturer are usually labeled correctly. However, if you transfer hazmat to another container or do some blending to come up with something new, a label must be applied promptly. It must include:

• The chemical or trade name of the material (to link it to an SDS).
• Appropriate hazard warnings (e.g., causes lung damage, eye irritant, flammable, etc.)

Marking over the labels on reused bottles is not a good idea, as it is confusing. Many suppliers can provide blank labels with adhesive backing. Grainger has some good options (search for “blank right-to-know labels” – as they frequently change links and part numbers). Please spell out products that are often available through the UC contract with Fisher Scientific.

Your department’s Safety Coordinator may have completed hazcom train-the-trainer, and is responsible for assisting supervisors in conducting this training. A hazcom training is available on the UC Learning Center.