Is an SDS register legally required in Australia?

WHS Regulation 344 requires a PCBU to obtain the current SDS from the manufacturer or importer before a hazardous chemical is first used at the workplace and to ensure it is readily accessible to any worker likely to be exposed. While the Regulations name the SDS obligation rather than the register specifically a written register is the de facto evidence regulators auditors and insurers request to confirm the obligation has been met. WHS Regulation 346 separately requires a chemical register so the SDS register sits alongside it as a discrete document not a substitute. Failing to hold a current SDS or give workers reasonable access is an enforceable breach with penalty units under each state WHS Act.

How is an SDS register different from a chemical register?

The chemical register (WHS Regulation 346) lists hazardous chemicals held at the workplace their quantities storage locations and risk controls. The SDS register tracks the Safety Data Sheet documents themselves the version issue date five-year review-due date physical and digital locations and the GHS hazard summary. Most audits expect both registers and treat one being passed off as the other as a procedural weakness. A chemical might appear on the chemical register without a current SDS (a gap) and an SDS might be held for a chemical no longer in use (an obsolete row). Running them separately surfaces both errors. The two registers cross-reference one another to stay aligned.

How long must an SDS be kept and when must it be replaced?

Under WHS Regulation 344 an SDS must not be more than five years old from the manufacturer issue date. A new SDS must be obtained from the manufacturer or importer before the five-year point. EU REACH Article 31 and OSHA HazCom 29 CFR 1910.1200(g) impose equivalent obligations. In practice the supplier publishes a new SDS version when formulation hazard classification or first-aid guidance changes and the PCBU should update the register on receipt regardless of the five-year clock. Superseded SDS should be retained for at least seven years as an exposure-history record so a worker diagnosed with a chemical-related condition can be linked back to the SDS current at exposure.

Who is responsible for maintaining the SDS register?

The PCBU has overall accountability for ensuring the SDS register and chemical register are maintained. In practice the WHS coordinator or safety manager owns the register and area supervisors or named SDS custodians own individual rows for the chemicals used in their area. Contractors introducing chemicals to site under a contractor management plan must provide the SDS as a condition of access and the principal contractor must add it to the SDS register before the chemical is used. Procurement should not raise a purchase order for a hazardous chemical unless the supplier has confirmed a current SDS is on file. Segregation of duties is sensible (the procurement raiser should not also approve a missing SDS) particularly in regulated industries.

What format must an SDS follow?

SDS held in Australia must follow the GHS sixteen-section format implemented by the WHS Regulations and the Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice on Preparation of Safety Data Sheets for Hazardous Chemicals. The same sixteen-section format is required under EU REACH Annex II and OSHA HazCom 29 CFR 1910.1200(g) and is standardised internationally by ISO 11014:2009. The sections cover identification hazard identification composition first aid fire-fighting accidental release handling and storage exposure controls and personal protection physical and chemical properties stability and reactivity toxicology ecology disposal transport regulatory and other information. The register should record whether each SDS is in the GHS sixteen-section format and a supplier-issued sheet that is not should be returned for reformatting.

Is this SDS register template free?

Yes. Download and use this SDS register template at no cost. Open the file in your browser and use Print then Save as PDF. No MapTrack account is required. If you want a digital SDS register that attaches the SDS PDF to each chemical sends a reminder before the five-year WHS Reg 344 review-due date surfaces every approaching expiry on a safety dashboard and is accessible to workers and contractors on a mobile device anywhere on site MapTrack can do that. Book a demo to see how the register runs against your chemical register.

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Free Safety Data Sheet (SDS) register template (PDF-ready). Track SDS location, version, GHS class and 5-year review. WHS Reg 344 and HazCom aligned.

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Updated 18 May 2026

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Updated 18 May 2026

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What is a sds register template?

A Safety Data Sheet (SDS) register is a document-control list that tracks every Safety Data Sheet a workplace holds not the underlying chemicals themselves. For each SDS the register records the product name manufacturer or supplier SDS document version and issue date the document review-due date (no more than five years from the issue date under WHS Regulation 344) the physical location of the printed copy the digital location of the master copy the GHS hazard class summary and the named SDS custodian. This makes the register a discrete WHS Regulation 344 document not a duplicate of the chemical register. The chemical register lists the hazardous chemicals held on site and their quantities and storage locations; the SDS register tracks the safety documents themselves and ensures every chemical on the chemical register has a current SDS that workers can access within thirty seconds.\n\nAustralian WHS Regulation 344 obliges the PCBU to obtain the current SDS from the manufacturer or importer before a hazardous chemical is first used or supplied at the workplace and to ensure the SDS is readily accessible to anyone who uses handles or is likely to be exposed to it. UK COSHH Regulations 2002 and the EU REACH Regulation EC 1907/2006 (Article 31 and Annex II) impose equivalent obligations on suppliers and downstream users. In the United States OSHA HazCom 29 CFR 1910.1200(g) sets the same obligation under the Hazard Communication Standard. The SDS must follow the standard sixteen-section format prescribed by the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) and by ISO 11014:2009 (Safety data sheet for chemical products). The register itself is the audit-ready evidence the regulator the insurer and the auditor request to confirm the duty has been met. A typical mid-size site holds between 40 and 300 SDS each on a five-year review clock and each requiring location-of-copy tracking which is unmanageable without a written register and a scheduled review cadence.

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Benefits of using this sds register template

WHS Regulation 344 evidence: a maintained SDS register is the documented evidence routinely requested by SafeWork inspectors and external auditors to confirm the duty to obtain and provide access to a current SDS has been met.
Five-year review clock managed: tracking issue dates and review-due dates on a single document surfaces any SDS approaching the WHS Reg 344 five-year obsolescence rule the equivalent triggers under EU REACH Article 31 and OSHA HazCom well before they expire.
Worker access within thirty seconds: recording both the physical and digital location of every SDS means a worker contractor paramedic or fire crew can locate the SDS for the chemical they are exposed to within the response window expected by emergency services.
GHS hazard summary surfaced: capturing the GHS hazard class on the register makes the highest-risk chemicals (carcinogens reproductive toxins acutely toxic highly flammable) visible to safety training procurement and storage planning not buried in section 2 of the SDS.
Discrete from chemical register: the SDS register is the document index the chemical register is the substance and storage index; keeping them discrete satisfies WHS Reg 344 and Reg 346 separately and prevents the common audit finding that one register has been treated as a substitute for the other.
Procurement and substitution control: a register that flags acutely hazardous SDS at the procurement step lets safety and procurement push back on new chemicals where a lower-hazard substitute exists under the WHS Regulation 7 hierarchy of controls.

Benefits of digitising forms in MapTrack

When you move your registers from paper to MapTrack, you get:

Field users can easily scan a QR code to complete a form on mobile. Unlimited users.
Automatically get alerts when faults are identified.
Link every form digitally as a PDF to the relevant asset, location or person.
Receive a digital PDF copy with every submission to your email.
Ability to share forms digitally.
Build conditional logic (show or hide questions based on answers).
Take pictures or attach photos. Not possible with a paper-based form.
Electronic signatures.
Edit forms later without reprinting.
Restrict permissions (who can view, complete or approve).
Build forms with AI (describe what you need and MapTrack suggests the form).
Set recurring audit schedules with automatic reminders and escalation.
Produce regulator-ready PDF compliance packs in one click.
Track corrective actions from finding to close-out with full audit trail.

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What to include in a sds register template

This sds register template covers 9 key areas:

Header and scope: site or workplace name register custodian (typically the WHS coordinator) date issued version number and approving manager.
Product identification: product name product code manufacturer or importer name manufacturer SDS reference number supplier name if different and UN number if dangerous goods classified.
SDS document metadata: SDS version or revision number SDS issue date by the manufacturer SDS review-due date (issue date plus five years per WHS Reg 344) and the language of the held copy.
Physical and digital copy locations: the named physical filing cabinet or area noticeboard where the printed copy sits the digital location or URL where the master copy is stored and the access route from the work area for any worker.
GHS hazard summary: the GHS hazard pictograms (eight pictograms under GHS Annex I) the GHS signal word (Danger or Warning) and the hazard statements (H-codes) summarised onto the register row for at-a-glance visibility.
Workplace use information: the work area or process the chemical is used in the exposure groups (operators maintenance cleaning contractors) and any health monitoring requirement under WHS Reg 368.
SDS custodian and review trigger: the named person responsible for the SDS row (usually the WHS coordinator or area supervisor) the next scheduled review date and the documented triggers that force an interim review (new SDS version ingredient change regulatory update incident audit finding).
Cross-reference to chemical register and risk assessment: the chemical register row ID for the substance and the related risk assessment or COSHH assessment reference so the SDS register chemical register and risk assessment hang together as one compliance bundle.
Verification trail: date of last register review name of reviewer the SafeWork or HSE audit reference where the register was inspected and any corrective action raised from the last review or inspection.

How to use this sds register template

Walk the site and inventory every Safety Data Sheet currently held: visit every storage area workshop plant room laboratory cleaning store and vehicle. For every container of a hazardous chemical locate the SDS. Compare the SDS list against the chemical register so any chemical present without a matching SDS is captured as an immediate gap. Cross-check the supplier records and procurement system so SDS for recently delivered chemicals are not missed.
Capture the document metadata for each SDS on the register: for every SDS held record the product name manufacturer SDS version SDS issue date review-due date (issue date plus five years per WHS Reg 344) language physical filing location digital location GHS hazard class custodian work area and cross-reference to the chemical register row. Verify each SDS is in the GHS sixteen-section format required by ISO 11014:2009 and request a reformatted SDS from the supplier where it is not.
Identify and chase any SDS that is more than five years old or missing: list every SDS where the issue date is more than five years in the past or where the chemical exists on the chemical register but no SDS is on file. Request a current SDS from the manufacturer or importer in writing set a thirty-day chase cadence and escalate to the supplier account manager and the procurement function for any chemical where a current SDS cannot be obtained.
Publish the access map to workers and contractors: position the physical SDS folder in the documented location post a workplace map showing the SDS location to every worker and contractor embed the digital register link in the induction pack and confirm at the next toolbox talk that every worker can locate the SDS for the chemicals they use within thirty seconds as required by WHS Reg 344 and the regulator audit expectation.
Schedule the next review and set the trigger criteria: stamp the next register-wide review date (annual is standard) set the SDS-specific review-due dates on a calendar and document the trigger events that require an interim register update (new chemical introduced chemical removed new SDS version received supplier change ingredient change regulatory update incident audit finding). The WHS coordinator or area supervisor named as custodian owns the trigger response.

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How often should you complete this register?

WHS Regulation 344 requires every SDS to be reviewed at least every five years from its issue date and a new current SDS must be obtained from the manufacturer or importer when the existing one is older than five years. EU REACH Article 31 and OSHA HazCom 29 CFR 1910.1200(g) impose equivalent obligations. In practice the full register is reviewed at least annually by the WHS coordinator to verify document currency physical and digital location accuracy and SDS coverage against the chemical register. Individual SDS rows are also reviewed on a trigger basis: a new SDS version is received a chemical is introduced or removed a supplier change occurs an ingredient or hazard classification change is published a workplace incident references the chemical an audit finds a gap or a regulator issues an alert. The register is re-printed and reissued with a new version number after each annual review. MapTrack can attach an SDS to the chemical record and the asset record schedule the five-year review reminder against the SDS and surface every SDS approaching expiry on the safety dashboard so the register stops being a static document and becomes a live workflow.

Frequently asked questions

Applicable regulatory standards

This template aligns with the following regulations and standards:

WHS Reg 344 (Safety Data Sheet for hazardous chemical)
WHS Reg 346 (Register of hazardous chemicals)
WHS Reg 368 (Health monitoring)
EU REACH Regulation EC 1907/2006 (Article 31 and Annex II)
OSHA HazCom 29 CFR 1910.1200(g)
GHS Globally Harmonised System Rev 9 2021
ISO 11014:2009 (Safety data sheet for chemical products)
Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice on Preparation of Safety Data Sheets 2020

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