Restaurant chemical inventory and SDS binder index (free template)
Count the bottles in a small café: dish detergent, rinse aid, sanitizer, a degreaser, oven cleaner, espresso machine cleaner, descaler, glass cleaner, floor cleaner, drain cleaner, hand soap. That's a dozen chemicals before anyone opens the janitor's closet. OSHA expects you to know what each one is, keep its safety data sheet (SDS) where staff can reach it, and label every container. The inspector expects none of it stored above food.
This post is the paperwork: a chemical inventory list, an SDS binder index that matches it, a one-page written program and a quarterly audit. Training the people who use the chemicals is covered in our dishwasher and porter hiring and safety training post.
This is general information, not legal advice. Some states run their own OSHA-approved plans with their own rules; check yours.
What the rules ask for
OSHA's Hazard Communication standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200, has four pieces that matter to a restaurant:
- A written program with a list. Employers "shall develop, implement, and maintain at each workplace, a written hazard communication program" that includes "A list of the hazardous chemicals known to be present using a product identifier that is referenced on the appropriate safety data sheet" (1910.1200(e)(1)(i)). The list can cover the whole workplace or each work area.
- An SDS for each one, reachable on every shift. "Employers shall have a safety data sheet in the workplace for each hazardous chemical which they use" (1910.1200(g)(1)), and must "ensure that they are readily accessible during each work shift to employees when they are in their work area(s)" (1910.1200(g)(8)). Electronic access is allowed "as long as no barriers to immediate employee access in each workplace are created by such options".
- Labels on containers. Each container of a hazardous chemical in the workplace is labeled, tagged or marked (1910.1200(f)(6)). The exception is a portable container "intended only for the immediate use of the employee who performs the transfer" (1910.1200(f)(8)). A spray bottle that sits on the line all day isn't that.
- Training when someone starts and whenever a new hazard comes in (1910.1200(h)(1)).
Some products are exempt. The standard doesn't cover a consumer product used "for the purpose intended by the chemical manufacturer or importer of the product" where the exposure is no greater than "the range of exposures that could reasonably be experienced by consumers when used for the purpose intended" (1910.1200(b)(6)(ix)). A bottle of glass cleaner used now and then might qualify. Dish machine chemicals used all day don't look like consumer use. When in doubt, put it on the list and keep the SDS.
A date to know: November 20, 2026. OSHA updated the standard in 2024. For single substances, employers update workplace labels, the program and training "as necessary" for newly identified hazards "no later than November 20, 2026" (1910.1200(j)(2)(ii)). For mixtures, which is most cleaning products, the employer date is May 19, 2028 (1910.1200(j)(3)(ii)). In practice: when a supplier sends a revised SDS, swap it into the binder and check whether the hazards changed.
The FDA Food Code adds the food safety side (2022 edition):
- Chemicals "shall be stored so they can not contaminate food, equipment, utensils, linens, and single-service and single-use articles", by spacing or partitioning and by not storing them above those things (§7-201.11). Cleaners and sanitizers kept in the dish area for convenience are the exception, if they're stored so they can't contaminate anything.
- Working containers filled from bulk supplies "shall be clearly and individually identified with the common name of the material" (§7-102.11).
- Only chemicals "required for the operation and maintenance" of the restaurant are allowed in it (§7-202.11(A)). The personal bottle of bleach from home doesn't belong.
The 2026 Food Code keeps the same rules.
Template 1: the chemical inventory list
This is the list the written program requires. Number each line; the number is the tab in the binder.
# | Product name, exactly as on the SDS | Manufacturer or supplier | Used for | Work area | Stored where | Secondary containers (spray bottles, buckets) | SDS revision date | PPE from SDS Section 8 | Added | Removed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dish machine detergent | Dish | Under dish table, low shelf | None | ||||||
2 | Sanitizer | Dish, line, bar | Chemical shelf | Red buckets, labeled | ||||||
3 | Degreaser | Line | Chemical shelf | Spray bottle, labeled | ||||||
4 | Oven cleaner | Line | Chemical shelf | None | ||||||
5 | Espresso machine cleaner | Bar | Chemical shelf, not the cabinet above the cups | None | ||||||
6 | Descaler | Bar | Chemical shelf | None | ||||||
7 | Floor cleaner | All | Janitor's closet | Mop bucket | ||||||
8 | Drain cleaner | Dish | Janitor's closet | None |
How to fill it in, fast: walk every shelf, under every sink and into the janitor's closet with a phone. Photograph each label. Write down the product name exactly as printed, since 1910.1200 says the identifier must cross-reference the list, the label and the SDS. Then ask each supplier for the current SDS of everything they sell you; most post them online or email a set on request.
Keep the "Removed" column. When you stop using a product, date the line rather than delete it, and move its SDS to an "archived" tab.
Template 2: the SDS binder index
The binder's first page is this index. It mirrors the list, grouped by work area so a dishwasher can find their tab in seconds.
Tab | Product | Work area | Main hazard (SDS Section 2) | First aid in brief (Section 4) | Spill or leak (Section 6) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dish | ||||
2 | Dish, line, bar | ||||
3 | Line |
Behind the index, put a one-page guide to the 16 sections. 1910.1200(g)(2) fixes their order, from "Section 1, Identification" to "Section 16, Other information, including date of preparation or last revision". The ones staff need in a hurry:
Section | What it tells you | When you'll need it |
|---|---|---|
2, Hazard(s) identification | What it can do to you | Before using it |
4, First-aid measures | What to do if it's splashed, breathed or swallowed | Right now |
6, Accidental release measures | How to clean up a spill | A broken jug on the floor |
7, Handling and storage | What it can't be stored next to | Setting up the shelf |
8, Exposure controls/personal protection | Gloves, goggles | Every use |
16, Other information | Revision date | Your quarterly audit |
Where the binder lives: in one fixed place every shift can reach, like the wall by the dish pit, and named in the written program. A copy on the phone is great, but OSHA's test for electronic access is "no barriers". A dead battery, a locked office or a Wi-Fi outage are barriers. Keep the paper binder too.
Template 3: the one-page written program
Most small restaurants' written program fits on one page. Fill in the blanks:
Section | Your answer |
|---|---|
Who's responsible for the program | Name, role |
Where the chemical list and SDS binder are | |
How we label | Original labels stay on; secondary containers get a label with the product name and its hazard words or pictograms; no unlabeled bottles |
How staff are trained | On the first shift, before using any chemical, and when a new product comes in |
Non-routine tasks | Oven and hood cleaning, drain treatments, descaling: who does them, which SDS to read first |
Contractors | Pest control, hood cleaning, dish machine service: how we share our SDS with them and get theirs |
How we keep it current | Quarterly audit (below); new products added before first use |
The contractors line comes from the standard: where another employer's workers may be exposed, the program covers how you give them access to your SDS and tell them about precautions and your labeling system (1910.1200(e)(2)). The pest control operator also brings chemicals in, so ask for theirs; our pest control log has a place for the service reports.
Template 4: the quarterly chemical audit
Check | OK | Fix needed |
|---|---|---|
Every product on the shelves is on the list | ||
Every product on the list has an SDS in the binder | ||
Newest SDS revision date checked for each supplier's products | ||
Every spray bottle and bucket labeled with the product name | ||
No chemicals above food, equipment, linens or single-use items | ||
No personal or unneeded chemicals on site | ||
Binder in its place, index current | ||
New hires since the last audit trained on the chemicals in their area | ||
PPE from Section 8 stocked: gloves, goggles |
Where Mays fits
- The SDS folder on every phone. In Knowledge Base, create a folder (say Safety data sheets), share it with the location, and upload each SDS. PDFs and images up to 50 MB each are accepted, and staff read them in the Knowledge tab of the app. See Your knowledge base and Sharing and visibility.
- The quarterly audit as a checklist. Build Template 4 under Tasks → Templates with the Quarterly frequency, a Photo answer for the chemical shelf and a Checkbox for the rest. See Creating a checklist template.
- The training. Turn the binder guide into a short learning module and assign it to new hires. See Assigning training.
What Mays doesn't do: there's no chemical list or HazCom program screen, so the inventory list stays a document in the folder, and there's no sign-off showing who read which SDS. And the phone isn't a replacement for the paper binder.
One list, one binder, one shelf
Walk the building, write down every product exactly as it's labeled, get the SDS for each, and check it four times a year. When a splash happens at 9 pm, the answer is one tab away.
Start your free trial: 30 days, every module, no card needed. Or book a walkthrough and we'll set up your SDS folder and audit checklist with you.