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Reference

SDS Register

The register of Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for chemicals and hazardous substances your workspace uses — fuels, adhesives, solvents, gases, paints, and the like. Every worker can look one up on the spot; managers keep the register current.

Who can use it — Anyone with "view SDS register" permission can browse entries, search, and open a document. Adding, editing, archiving, or restoring an entry needs "manage SDS register" permission. See Roles & Permissions for how access is set.

Where to find it — Safety & Compliance → SDS Register in the sidebar.

How to use it

  • Search by product or manufacturer name using the search box at the top.
  • Filter by Category — Fuels & Oils, Concrete & Masonry, Adhesives & Sealants, Solvents & Cleaning, Gases, Paints & Coatings, or Landscaping & Earthworks.
  • Each entry is a card showing the product name, manufacturer, category, UN Number and DG Class (if it's a dangerous good), expiry date, and any storage/location notes.
  • View SDS opens the uploaded document in a large preview panel, right from the card — no download needed, and you don't need manage permission to use it.
  • If the entry also has a Manufacturer SDS link, a button opens the manufacturer's own copy in a new tab.
  • QR Code shows a scannable code that opens that exact entry directly on a phone — handy for pinning next to a chemical storage cabinet.

Documents are stored privately and served through short-lived signed links (15 minutes), so there's no direct public URL to a chemical's SDS — every open is logged against the entry (who viewed it and when).

Our Register vs Global Library

The page has two tabs:

  • Our Register — your workspace's own SDS entries, the ones that show up for search and safety use on your sites.
  • Global Library — a shared, cross-tenant catalogue of common chemicals maintained centrally. You can browse it the same way, but it isn't your register — it's a source to copy from.

If someone with manage permission finds a chemical in the Global Library, Copy to Register pulls its product name, manufacturer, category, UN number, DG class, manufacturer URL, and issue date straight into a new entry in Our Register, ready to review and save.

Adding and managing entries (manage permission)

  • Add Entry opens a form to create an entry from scratch: product name, manufacturer, category, UN number, DG class, manufacturer SDS URL, location/storage notes, SDS issue date, notes, and the SDS document itself (PDF only, up to 20MB).
  • SDS Issue Date — enter it and the expiry date is calculated automatically as 5 years later. Leave it blank and no expiry is tracked.
  • Edit lets you update any of those fields on an existing entry, including replacing the uploaded PDF.
  • Archive hides an entry from ordinary field workers (it's a soft removal, not a delete) — a confirmation warns you first. Restore brings it back. Archived entries only appear to managers, via the Show archived checkbox.
  • Two extra filters appear only for managers: an expiry state filter (Expiring in 30 days / Expired) and the Show archived checkbox.

Expiring and expired dates are colour-coded on every card — amber for expiring within 30 days, red for expired. Managers with manage permission also get an automatic email/notification reminder when entries in the register are due to expire within 30 days.

Connected pages

  • Company Policies — other safety documentation kept alongside the SDS register.
  • Project Library — project-specific documents, as distinct from this workspace-wide chemical register.

Tips & common mistakes

  • Can't add or edit an entry? You need "manage SDS register" permission — viewers can browse and open documents but not change the register.
  • "Unable to load SDS document right now" means the signed URL couldn't be generated — retry shortly, or ask an administrator to check the file if it persists.
  • Copying from the Global Library doesn't overwrite your entry later — it's a one-off copy at the time you use Copy to Register; if the manufacturer updates their SDS, you'll need to re-upload the PDF or edit the entry yourself.
  • No expiry showing? The 5-year expiry only calculates when an SDS Issue Date is set — entries without one won't appear in the expiring/expired filters.
  • Archived isn't deleted — archiving just hides an entry from the general register view; nothing is removed, and you can restore it any time.