Who is responsible for ensuring a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is available for each hazardous material in the workplace?

The responsibility for ensuring that a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is available for each hazardous material in the workplace falls on the employer. Employers are obligated under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations to provide a safe working environment, which includes making necessary safety information, like SDSs, readily accessible to their employees. The SDS contains critical information about the properties of each chemical, handling instructions, and emergency measures, and it is essential for training staff on safe practices.

While manufacturers are indeed required to create and supply SDSs for the products they produce, it is the employer who must ensure that these documents are available and accessible to employees who may come into contact with hazardous materials in their day-to-day work. Employees, while important for following safety protocols and using the information in SDSs, do not hold the responsibility for ensuring the presence of these documents. OSHA provides guidelines and enforces regulations regarding SDS availability, but it is ultimately the employer's duty to comply with these expectations in the workplace.