Chemicals that do not meet the definition of “hazardous chemical” are not covered by the Hazard Communication standard; therefore, SDSs are not required for chemicals that do not meet that definition. The Standard defines hazardous chemical as “any chemical which is classified as a physical hazard or a health hazard, a simple asphyxiant, combustible dust, or hazard not otherwise classified.” Since OSHA does not require employers to maintain SDSs for chemicals that do not meet that definition, an employer is free to discard SDSs for those chemicals.
However, the employer will want to look at section 2 of the SDS to see if hazards are listed that qualify the chemical as an OSHA hazardous chemical, by definition.