In brief
The safety data sheet (SDS) is the 16-section document, in Turkish, that the supplier must provide with substances and mixtures classified as hazardous. Sections 2, 3, 8, 9, 10 and 11 are used for the risk assessment; section 8 for PPE; sections 4, 5 and 6 for first aid and emergencies; and sections 7 and 10 for storage. The employer is obliged to make the information in the SDS available to employees.
What is a safety data sheet (SDS), and is it mandatory?
In short, what is an SDS? A safety data sheet is a document describing a chemical's hazards and the conditions for its safe use, which travels with the product along the supply chain. In the international literature it is called an SDS, formerly an MSDS. In Türkiye its legal basis is Art. 27 and Annex 2 of the Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals of 23 June 2017 (KKDİK, the Turkish equivalent of REACH).
The answer KKDİK gives to "is a safety data sheet mandatory?" is as follows:
- Must be provided (Art. 27/1): If a substance or mixture is classified as hazardous under the classification and labelling legislation, or is persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic, the supplier provides the SDS to the recipient.
- Provided on request (Art. 27/3): If a mixture not classified as hazardous contains, for example, a substance with an occupational exposure limit value, the supplier provides an SDS when requested.
- Who prepares it: The SDS is prepared in accordance with Annex 2 by a chemical assessment specialist certified under Annex 18.
- Language and date: The SDS is supplied in Turkish and is dated (Art. 27/5–6).
- Updates: An updated SDS is sent free of charge to all recipients who have received the product in the previous 12 months (Art. 27/10).
On the workplace side there are two obligations. Under Art. 31 of KKDİK, the employer provides employees with the SDS information on the substances they use or may be exposed to. Under Art. 6 of the Regulation on Health and Safety Measures in Work with Chemical Substances, the Turkish SDS prepared in accordance with KKDİK and obtained from the supplier is specifically taken into account in the risk assessment. We explain the general framework of this regulation in our article on OHS in work with chemical substances.
SDS sections: 16 headings and their use at work
Art. 27/6 of KKDİK lists the headings that must appear in the SDS. We summarise what each section is used for in OHS in the table below:
| No. | Section | What is it used for at work? |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Identification of the substance/mixture and of the company | Confirming that it is the right product, the supplier and the emergency phone number |
| 2 | Hazards identification | Classification, pictograms, H and P statements: the starting point of the risk assessment |
| 3 | Composition/information on ingredients | Hazardous components, CAS numbers and concentrations |
| 4 | First aid measures | What to do for eye, skin, inhalation and ingestion |
| 5 | Firefighting measures | Suitable and unsuitable extinguishing media, combustion products |
| 6 | Accidental release measures | Response to spills and leaks, PPE, clean-up |
| 7 | Handling and storage | Safe use, storage conditions, incompatibilities |
| 8 | Exposure controls/personal protection | Limit values, ventilation, PPE specifications |
| 9 | Physical and chemical properties | Flash point, vapour pressure, physical state |
| 10 | Stability and reactivity | Conditions to avoid, incompatible materials, hazardous decomposition products |
| 11 | Toxicological information | Acute and long-term health effects |
| 12 | Ecological information | Effects on the environment |
| 13 | Disposal considerations | Management of waste and empty packaging |
| 14 | Transport information | UN number, transport class, packing group |
| 15 | Regulatory information | Specific regulations applying to the product |
| 16 | Other information | Revision information, abbreviations, full text of statements |
Reading the whole sheet is of course best; but if time on site is limited, the order below takes you most quickly to the most useful information.
How to read an SDS: sections 2, 3, 9, 10 and 11 for the risk assessment
Start with section 2. Pictograms and H statements (hazard statements) tell you what kind of hazard the product carries: is it flammable, corrosive, a respiratory sensitiser, carcinogenic? P statements are precautionary statements. This section is the direct source for the "hazard" column in the risk assessment.
Section 3 gives the hazardous components in the mixture and their CAS numbers. If the same hazardous component is present in more than one product, total exposure may be greater; a component with a limit value also indicates a need for workplace measurement. We plan measurements with authorised laboratories and enter the results in the risk assessment.
Sections 9 and 10 complete the fire and explosion side. A low flash point and high vapour pressure show that the product can form flammable vapour even at room temperature. The list of incompatible materials in section 10 tells you which chemicals must not be placed side by side.
Section 11 is where the physician looks for health surveillance: irritation, sensitisation, organ toxicity and long-term effects are given here. The workplace physician decides on the need for tests based on this information.
Section 8 for PPE selection
Section 8 is the most valuable section of the SDS from the workplace's point of view. Three types of information are looked for here:
- Limit values: Occupational exposure limit values for the product's components. They are assessed together with the values in the annexes of the Chemical Substances Regulation.
- Engineering controls: Recommendations such as local exhaust ventilation, general ventilation and closed systems. These are applied before PPE.
- Personal protection: Glove material and, where possible, thickness and breakthrough time; type of eye and face protection; respiratory protection and filter type; protective clothing.
Do not settle for a general statement such as "use suitable gloves"; ask the supplier for the material information. We explain how to turn this information into a task-based PPE matrix in our article on PPE selection.
Sections 4, 5 and 6 for first aid, fire and spills
These three sections form the chemical part of your emergency plan:
- Section 4: How long to flush after a splash in the eye, what to do after skin contact, first steps for inhalation and ingestion. Your first aiders should have read this section in advance for the chemicals you use.
- Section 5: Suitable extinguishing media and unsuitable extinguishing media. For example, for a substance that reacts with water, responding with water makes the hazard worse; this information should be part of the firefighting team's training.
- Section 6: How to close off the area in a spill, with what PPE to respond and which absorbent material to use. The contents of the spill kit are prepared according to this section.
For the general structure of the plan, see our emergency plan guide.
Sections 7 and 10 for storage
Section 7 gives storage conditions (temperature, ventilation, keeping the container closed, distance from heat sources) and incompatibilities; read together with section 10, it determines your shelving layout. Decisions such as not putting acids with bases or oxidisers with flammables on the same shelf come from here. Choose the warning signs to put at the store entrance according to this information as well; for the rules on signs, see our article on health and safety signs. The transport information in section 14 becomes important if you dispatch the chemical off site.
Art. 32 of KKDİK requires manufacturers, importers, downstream users and distributors to keep the information needed for their duties available for at least 10 years after they last used the substance; a workplace using the chemical in its industrial or professional activity is a downstream user under KKDİK. So do not throw away the SDSs of products that are no longer used. You can track SDS update dates together with your risk assessment and measurement dates in the OHS calendar.
In our risk assessment service, we review the SDS for each chemical at your workplace one by one and enter the hazards, PPE and emergency measures in the document. For businesses processing chemicals, paints and plastics, see also our chemicals and plastics sector page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are an SDS and an MSDS the same thing?
Yes, they refer to the same document. In Türkiye its name in the legislation is the safety data sheet; in the international literature it is called an SDS, and in older usage an MSDS. What is valid in Türkiye is the Turkish-language sheet prepared in accordance with Annex 2 of KKDİK.
What should I do if the supplier does not provide an SDS?
For a product classified as hazardous, the supplier is obliged to provide an SDS. Request the sheet in writing; since you cannot assess the product's risks until it arrives, the safest course is not to put it into use.
Where should SDSs be kept?
In the department where the chemical is used, somewhere employees can easily reach, and also in the OHS file. The employer is obliged to provide SDS information to employees; a sheet that sits only on the purchasing department's computer does not serve this purpose.
How often is a safety data sheet updated?
KKDİK does not set a fixed period; when there is new information affecting risk management measures, an authorisation or a restriction, the supplier updates the sheet and sends it to recipients from the previous 12 months. Periodically confirm the date of the sheet you hold with the supplier.
A risk assessment that identifies and scores hazards on site, links each measure to an owner and a date, and has a clear renewal schedule.
Bursa SİSTEMER OSGB Technical Team — written from the field experience of our OHS specialists and workplace physicians. Legal information is valid as of the publication/update date; contact us for an assessment specific to your business.