Safety Data Sheets (SDS): What Food Businesses Need
What a Safety Data Sheet is, how to build a hazardous chemicals register, how to keep SDS current (the 5-year rule), and how to give kitchen staff access —…
A Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is a standard 16-section document that tells you how to use, store and handle a hazardous chemical safely — the cleaners, sanitisers, degreasers and pest products in your kitchen. Under work health and safety law, most food businesses must keep a current SDS for each hazardous chemical, list those chemicals in a register, and make the sheets readily accessible to staff. Rules vary, so confirm details with your state or territory WHS regulator. Key takeaways: An SDS is a 16-section document from the manufacturer or importer explaining how to safely use, store, handle and respond to a hazardous chemical.. Under WHS law, businesses generally must keep a current SDS for each hazardous chemical and list those chemicals in a register kept at the workplace.. An SDS is usually treated as out of date if it is more than five years old — check the preparation or revision date and request a fresh copy from the supplier.. SDS and the register must be readily accessible to any worker who could be exposed, and to emergency services — a folder or digital library near the chemical store works well.. Requirements sit under work health and safety law (the Safe Work Australia model laws, applied by each state or territory), separate from but complementary to the FSANZ Food Standards Code.. What a Safety Data Sheet actually is A Safety Data Sheet is a document prepared by the manufacturer or importer of a hazardous chemical that sets out its hazards and how to work with it safely. In Australia, SDS follow a standard 16-section format aligned with the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (the GHS), which is adopted through the model Work Health and Safety Regulations. You will see everything from first-aid measures to firefighting advice, safe storage, personal protective equipment and disposal. If you have heard the term MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet), that is the older name — the format and terminology changed to SDS when Australia moved to the GHS. For a food business, the chemicals that typically need an SDS are your sanitisers, detergents, degreasers, oven and grill cleaners, dishwasher chemicals, descalers and any pest-control or drain products. Prepared and supplied by the chemical's manufacturer or importer, not by you. Follows a fixed 16-section GHS structure so staff always know where to look. Covers hazards, safe handling, storage, PPE, first aid, spills and disposal. 'MSDS' is the outdated term for the same kind of document. Applies to hazardous chemicals — most kitchen sanitisers and cleaners qualify. Why food businesses need them (WHS, not just food safety) It is worth being clear about where this obligation comes from. SDS requirements sit under work health and safety (WHS) law — the Safe Work Australia model WHS Act and Regulations, adopted by most states and territories. Victoria is the exception: it keeps its own Occupational Health and Safety framework, which is broadly similar but confirm the detail with WorkSafe Victoria (Western Australia adopted the model WHS laws in 2022, so it now aligns with the other harmonised jurisdictions). WHS law is separate from the Food Standards Code, which governs food safety. The two overlap in your kitchen: the FSANZ Code — chiefly Standard 3.2.2, with premises requirements in Standard 3.2.3 — generally requires you to store chemicals so they cannot contaminate food and to clean and sanitise effectively, while WHS law requires you to protect the people using those chemicals. The newer Standard 3.2.2A adds food safety management tools (a food safety supervisor, food handler training and substantiation of key controls, including cleaning and sanitising) for many food service and retail businesses. Managing your SDS well helps you meet all of these. Always confirm which WHS regulator covers you and check their current guidance. SDS duties come from WHS law, enforced by your state/territory WHS regulator. Victoria uses its own OHS framework; the other jurisdictions apply the model WHS laws. FSANZ Standard 3.2.2 covers chemical storage away from food and effective sanitising; Standard 3.2.2A adds food safety management tools. Good SDS management supports both worker safety and food safety. Sole traders with no workers may have lighter duties — but usually still benefit from keeping SDS on hand. Keeping a hazardous chemicals register A register of hazardous chemicals is generally required at any workplace where hazardous chemicals are used, handled or stored. In practice the register is a simple list of every hazardous chemical present, with the current SDS for each one attached or linked. It does not need to be complicated — a clearly labelled folder or a shared digital library is enough, provided it is kept up to date and matches what is actually on your shelves. Do a walk-through of your chemical store, warewashing area, cool room chemicals and cleaning caddies, and list what you find. When you introduce a new product, add it to the register and file its SDS before it goes into use. Note that larger quantities of certain hazardous chemicals can trigger extra duties, such as a manifest and regulator notification — check the thresholds with your WHS regulator if you store chemicals in bulk. List every hazardous chemical kept, used or handled at the premises. Attach or link the current SDS for each item on the list. Keep it where workers and emergency services can find it. Review it whenever you add, change or stop using a product. Remove products you no longer stock so the list stays accurate. Keeping your SDS current — the five-year rule An SDS is only useful if it reflects the product as it is now. Under the model WHS Regulations, manufacturers and importers must review and, if necessary, revise an SDS at least once every five years. For you, the practical rule is simple: an SDS more than five years old should be treated as out of date. Check the 'date of preparation' or last revision date, whic
How to set up SDS and a register in your food business
Check the chemical store, warewashing area, cleaning caddies, cool room and pest-control products. Write down every hazardous chemical you use, handle or store — this becomes your register list.
Download the SDS from each supplier's website or request it directly. Confirm the preparation/revision date in Section 16 is within the last five years.
Attach or link each current SDS to its entry on your list. Use a labelled folder, a binder, or a shared digital library — whatever your team will actually keep updated.
Keep the register and SDS readily accessible near the chemical store, not locked in an office. If digital, add a printed or offline backup for outages.
Show every worker where the SDS live, how to find first-aid (Section 4) and spill (Section 6) information, and which chemicals must never be mixed. Cover this at induction.
Once a year, reconcile the register against what is on your shelves, remove discontinued products, and replace any SDS older than five years.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an SDS and an MSDS?
They are the same kind of document under different names. 'MSDS' (Material Safety Data Sheet) is the older term used before Australia adopted the Globally Harmonised System (GHS). Since that change, the standardised 16-section document is called a Safety Data Sheet (SDS). If your files still say MSDS, treat them as needing review and request current SDS from your suppliers.
How often does an SDS need to be updated?
Under the model Work Health and Safety Regulations, the manufacturer or importer must review and, if necessary, revise an SDS at least once every five years. As a user, you should treat any SDS older than five years as out of date and request a fresh copy. Check the preparation or revision date, usually shown in Section 16 of the sheet.
Do small cafes and takeaways really need a chemicals register?
Generally, any workplace that uses, handles or stores hazardous chemicals is expected to keep a register — and a cafe's sanitisers, degreasers and dishwasher chemicals usually qualify. It can be as simple as a labelled folder listing each chemical with its current SDS attached. Sole traders with no workers may have lighter duties, so confirm your obligations with your state or territory WHS regulator.
Who provides the Safety Data Sheet?
The manufacturer or importer of the hazardous chemical is responsible for preparing and providing the SDS, and suppliers must make it available. You do not write your own. Most suppliers publish SDS on their website or send them on request, usually free of charge, so collecting current copies is straightforward when you set up or refresh your register.
Where should SDS be kept in a kitchen?
They must be readily accessible to any worker who could be exposed and to emergency services — which means quick to reach, not locked in a manager's office. A folder near the chemical store or a bookmarked digital library on a shared device both work. If you rely on a digital system, keep a printed or offline backup so staff still have access during an outage.
Is an SDS the same as a food safety requirement under the FSANZ Code?
No. SDS requirements come from work health and safety law, which protects the people using chemicals. The FSANZ Food Standards Code — chiefly Standard 3.2.2 — separately requires you to store chemicals so they cannot contaminate food and to clean and sanitise effectively, while Standard 3.2.2A adds food safety management tools. The obligations overlap in your kitchen, so managing SDS well supports both worker safety and food safety.