Does a safety data sheet expire? Update rules by jurisdiction
요약
No, a safety data sheet has no expiry date: US, EU and Canadian supplier rules tie revision to significant new hazard information. Suppliers revise within three months under US OSHA, without delay under EU REACH and within 90 days in Canada. Australia adds a review at least every 5 years; some Canadian workplaces seek a new copy after 3 years.
US makers, importers and employers who prepare an SDS must add newly learned significant information on hazards or protective measures within three months (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(5), 2026).
EU suppliers must send the dated revision free of charge to every recipient they supplied in the preceding 12 months, under REACH Article 31(9) (European Union, 2026).
Canadian suppliers may sell for up to 90 days after significant new data appear with the old SDS plus a document listing the changes and the date (Hazardous Products Regulations s. 5.12, current to 2026).
Section 16 of an SDS gives the date of preparation or the last change, not an expiry date (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1200 Appendix D, 2026).
When does a safety data sheet stay valid, and when not?
A safety data sheet stays valid at any age while no new hazard information exists for that exact product, and stops being valid once the supplier learns of such information or the product changes. The table below decides whether a safety data sheet on file can still be used or must be replaced.
Condition | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
US, no significant new hazard or protection information since the SDS date | Valid, whatever its age | Updates are tied to new information, not a calendar (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(5), 2026) |
US, preparer becomes newly aware of significant hazard or protection information | Out of date; revise within three months | (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(5), 2026) |
EU, new hazard information or new information that may affect risk management measures | Out of date; update without delay | Also triggered when an authorisation is granted or refused or a restriction is imposed (REACH Article 31(9), consolidated 2026) |
Canada, significant new data change the classification or the ways to protect | Out of date; supplier updates within 90 days | (Hazardous Products Regulations s. 5.12; CCOHS, 2026) |
Canada, federally regulated workplace, supplier SDS 3 years old or more | Obtain a current SDS from the supplier, if feasible | (Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations s. 10.32(2), current to 2026) |
Australia, SDS not reviewed for 5 years, or formulation changed | Due for review and reissue by the maker or importer | (SafeWork SA, 2026) |
Canada, federally regulated workplace, product received while the SDS on file is from another supplier, has another product identifier, or was dated three years or more before receipt | Does not count; obtain the supplier's current SDS without delay | The rule accepts only a sheet with the same identifier and supplier, current information and a date under three years before receipt (s. 10.32(1)(a)-(c), current to 2026) |
The key row is the first: in the US, a safety data sheet with no significant new hazard information since its date remains valid at any age, because the Hazard Communication Standard ties revisions to new information rather than a fixed interval (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(5), 2026). Check the jurisdiction rows that apply to your site before relying on that row. An old date alone does not prove a sheet is invalid; it is a prompt to ask the supplier whether a newer revision exists.
How often must a supplier update a safety data sheet?
A supplier must update a safety data sheet whenever significant new hazard information appears, within a deadline set by each jurisdiction; the US, EU and Canadian supplier rules set no fixed calendar interval. In the US, the preparer must add the new information "within three months", and a chemical not currently produced or imported gets the update before it re-enters a workplace (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(5), 2026). Distributors and employers receive the updated sheet with the first shipment after the update (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(6)(i), 2026).
In the EU, REACH Article 31(9) requires suppliers to update the safety data sheet without delay and to label the new version "Revision: (date)" (REACH, consolidated 2026). In Canada, the Hazardous Products Act and Regulations require the SDS to be accurate at the time of every sale, with updates within 90 days of significant new data, according to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS, 2026).
Australia is the main exception to an event-only rule. Manufacturers and importers must review and revise each SDS as often as necessary, or at least every 5 years (SafeWork SA, 2026; WorkSafe WA, 2026).
Why do some sources say a safety data sheet expires after three or five years?
Some sources say a safety data sheet expires after three or five years because older Canadian rules and current Australian rules contain fixed review intervals, which are often repeated as if they applied everywhere. The three-year figure comes from Canada: WHMIS 1988 required suppliers to update an SDS every three years, and the Hazardous Products Act and Regulations no longer require that (CCOHS, 2026). Federally regulated employers must obtain a current SDS, if feasible, once the supplier sheet is three years old or more, and must update the hazard information themselves when that is not feasible (Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations s. 10.32(2) and (3), current to 2026). CCOHS lists British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut and Yukon with the same three-year step (CCOHS, 2026).
The five-year figure comes from Australian work health and safety laws, which set a review at least every 5 years for manufacturers and importers (SafeWork SA, 2026). Neither rule puts an expiry date on the sheet itself; each one triggers a request for a current version, although a federally regulated Canadian employer receiving a product cannot rely on a sheet dated three years or more before receipt (Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations s. 10.32(1)(c), current to 2026).
What should you do with an old safety data sheet on file?
An old safety data sheet on file should be checked against the supplier's current version, kept if nothing has changed and replaced if a newer revision exists. Start with the date in Section 16, which gives the date of preparation or the last change to the sheet (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1200 Appendix D, 2026). Ask the supplier for the current version; US manufacturers and importers must provide an SDS on request (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(6)(iv), 2026). Where the three-year Canadian employer rule applies, CCOHS advises asking the supplier for written confirmation if the content has not changed or no update is available (CCOHS, 2026).
Replace the sheet everywhere workers look it up, so they see one version. In the US, superseded sheets need not be kept for a set period if a record of the substance identity, where it was used and when it was used is kept for at least 30 years, under 29 CFR 1910.1020(d)(1)(ii)(B) (OSHA, 2026). Lubinpla can work through a case like this from your own SDSs and supplier documents and return one cited document for your review.
자주 묻는 질문
Is a five-year-old safety data sheet still valid?
Yes in the US and the EU, if the supplier has no significant new hazard information for that product (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(5), 2026; REACH Article 31(9), consolidated 2026). In Australia, a sheet not reviewed in 5 years is overdue for review by the maker or importer (SafeWork SA, 2026). Australian workplaces must keep the current SDS for each hazardous chemical in their register, so ask the supplier for the reviewed version (WorkSafe WA, 2026). In Canadian workplaces under the three-year employer rule, the employer should already have sought a current copy (CCOHS, 2026).
What makes a safety data sheet out of date?
New information on hazards or on ways to protect against them makes a safety data sheet out of date in the US, the EU and Canada. Under REACH, a new authorisation decision or a new restriction also requires an update (REACH Article 31(9), consolidated 2026). In Canada, significant new data are data that change the classification or the ways to protect against the hazard (Hazardous Products Regulations s. 5.12(1), current to 2026).
Does a supplier have to send me the updated safety data sheet?
It depends on the jurisdiction. US manufacturers and importers send it with the first shipment after the update (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(6)(i), 2026). EU suppliers send it to all recipients supplied in the preceding 12 months (REACH Article 31(9), consolidated 2026). In Canada, CCOHS notes there is no requirement to give an updated SDS to past purchasers (CCOHS, 2026).