Do Safety Data Sheets Expire? UK Update Rules

Safety data sheets do not have a universal UK expiry period. A sheet can remain current for years if the product and relevant information have not changed, while a recently issued sheet can be wrong for your container if it covers another formulation, concentration or supplier. Check identity, revision history and supplier status rather than relying on age alone.

Is there a legal expiry date for a safety data sheet?

UK rules do not set a general “expires after three years” or “expires after five years” rule for every safety data sheet (SDS). HSE has explicitly noted that no age limit is provided because a supplier's update duty depends on relevant changes, not the passage of a fixed number of years (HSE 2025 guidance survey outcome).

An SDS must be dated, and revised versions should identify their revision date. Those dates help document control, but they are not expiry dates. Treat a long interval since revision as a reason to verify the sheet, particularly for products still purchased or used regularly, rather than as automatic proof that it is invalid.

This distinction matters because false rules create two bad outcomes. Teams may throw away a valid source document merely because it is old, or they may assume a newer PDF is correct without checking that it matches the product in their workplace.

When must a supplier update an SDS?

A supplier must update the SDS without delay when defined new information or regulatory decisions affect it. Article 31(9) of REACH states that updates are required when new information may affect risk-management measures or new hazard information becomes available, when an authorisation is granted or refused, or when a restriction is imposed (REACH Article 31).

The updated, dated version must be identified as a revision. Article 31(9) also requires the supplier to provide it free of charge to recipients supplied during the preceding 12 months. HSE summarises the practical position by saying that suppliers must provide an up-to-date SDS when a dangerous chemical is supplied for workplace use (HSE chemical safety data sheets).

Other commercial changes can also produce a revised document, such as a formulation, trade name, supplier detail or recommended-use change. The key workplace question is not simply “Is there a newer date?” but “What changed, and does it alter our assessment or controls?”

What do the issue date and revision date mean?

The issue date identifies when a version was produced; the revision date identifies when an existing SDS was changed. Suppliers may format version histories differently, so inspect the first page and any revision notes rather than assuming a field has one universal label.

Record all of these where available. If the supplier provides no clear revision history, ask for confirmation of the current version and keep the response with the document record.

How can you tell whether an SDS is still current?

Verify the SDS against the product and supplier before judging it by age. Use this sequence:

1. Match the product name and code. Compare the SDS with the label and purchase record.
2. Match the supplier or manufacturer. A generic SDS from another company may not describe the formulation you received.
3. Match concentration and physical form. A concentrate, ready-to-use mixture, aerosol and bulk liquid may require different documents.
4. Compare classification. Check the label against SDS Section 2 for pictograms, signal word and hazard statements.
5. Check the issue, revision and version fields. Look for revision notes and superseded-version references.
6. Check the supplier's official source. Download from the supplier or request confirmation rather than using an unverified document library.
7. Ask when uncertain. HSE advises users who have lost an SDS or think it is out of date to ask the supplier for another one (HSE COSHH FAQ).

Quarantine the document from active use if identity conflicts cannot be resolved. An uncertain SDS should not be used to make confident decisions about a different product.

Safe Foundry's SDS-to-assessment workflow is designed around matching source documents to assessment records, which helps make a revision actionable rather than leaving it in a downloads folder.

Does a new SDS mean the COSHH assessment is obsolete?

A new SDS should trigger a COSHH review, but it does not automatically require the entire assessment to be rewritten. Compare the revisions with the hazards, exposure assumptions, controls, emergency arrangements and PPE recorded for the task.

Pay particular attention to changes in:

• Section 1 product and supplier identity;
• Section 2 classification and label elements;
• Section 3 composition where supplied;
• Sections 4, 5 and 6 emergency information;
• Section 7 handling and storage;
• Section 8 exposure limits, engineering controls and PPE information;
• Section 9 physical properties relevant to release or fire;
• Sections 10 to 13 stability, toxicology, ecology and disposal;
• Section 15 regulatory information.

HSE emphasises that an SDS provides information for a COSHH assessment but is not itself the assessment (HSE safety data sheets). A document revision cannot account for your quantity, method, ventilation, people or maintenance evidence. Record the comparison and either confirm the assessment, amend affected sections or carry out a fuller reassessment.

How often should a workplace check its SDS library?

Set a risk-based verification cycle and combine it with event-driven checks. There is no single legal interval that makes every library current. The system should catch changes when products are ordered, received, relabelled, reformulated or reviewed.

A practical workflow is:

• verify product and SDS identity at first receipt;
• record the supplier, version and revision date;
• check for a current version during each related assessment review;
• request confirmation when an actively used product has an old or unclear document;
• route new versions to the assessment owner;
• remove superseded copies from points of use while preserving them in the history;
• record which assessment versions relied on each SDS.

More frequent checks may be justified for products that change often or present serious risks. Lower-use products still need a check before being brought back into service after a long gap.

The Safe Foundry features explain how a central register can connect products, SDS records and assessments. Technology can prompt the check and preserve the trail; a competent person still has to evaluate what changed.

Should you delete old safety data sheets?

Keep a controlled history where an old SDS helps explain previous exposure, assessment or control decisions. Replace uncontrolled copies at the point of use so workers do not pick the wrong version, but preserve superseded versions with clear status and effective dates.

Your retention period should reflect applicable health-record, exposure, incident, contractual and legal needs. Do not invent one universal SDS retention period for every UK workplace. A document-control register should show:

• product and supplier;
• SDS version, issue and revision dates;
• date received and source;
• active or superseded status;
• effective period in your workplace;
• linked COSHH or DSEAR reviews;
• reason for replacement;
• archive location and retention decision.

Use the help centre for practical guidance on organising product and document records. The goal is an auditable chain: the exact chemical used, the information available at the time, the assessment decision made and the later revision that prompted review.