How to Generate GHS Secondary Container Labels with SDS Management Software

SDS management software helps generate GHS secondary container labels by pulling the product identifier and hazard information from a stored Safety Data Sheet into a reusable label template. That is faster and less error-prone than retyping the signal word, pictograms, and statements each time someone fills a spray bottle or other workplace container.

Quick answer: Select the chemical in your SDS library, confirm its current Safety Data Sheet, generate the workplace label, and print it on stock suited to the container and exposure. Under 29 CFR 1910.1200(f)(6), employers may use the first five shipped-label elements or an alternative workplace label that identifies the product and communicates its hazards.

Table of contents

• What information do I copy from the SDS onto a label?
• What software helps generate GHS labels?
• How do I go from an SDS to a printed label?
• Where can I get GHS pictogram symbols legally?
• Do I need a color printer for GHS labels?
• Are pre-printed GHS labels or custom printing better?
• What label materials resist chemicals and fading?
• How do I label spray bottles and small containers?
• How Helios Comply helps
• Frequently asked questions
• Sources

What information do I copy from the SDS onto a label?

Start with the product identifier in SDS Section 1 and the label elements in Section 2. OSHA requires six categories of information on shipped-container labels under 1910.1200(f)(1), but workplace containers have separate options under 1910.1200(f)(6). Knowing that distinction keeps an employer from treating every secondary bottle like a supplier shipment.

• Product identifier
• Signal word, either Danger or Warning
• Hazard statements
• Pictograms
• Precautionary statements
• Name, U.S. address, and U.S. telephone number of the responsible party

Label information	Where to verify it	Workplace-label note
Product identifier	SDS Section 1	Required under either 1910.1200(f)(6) option
Signal word, pictograms, hazard statements, precautionary statements	SDS Section 2	Use them when following the full 1910.1200(f)(6)(i) option
Responsible-party contact information	SDS Section 1	Required on shipped labels, but not among the five elements referenced by 1910.1200(f)(6)(i)

The practical choice is to reproduce the first five elements when space allows. OSHA also permits an alternative label with the product identifier plus words, pictures, symbols, or a combination that gives general hazard information and works with information immediately available under the HazCom program. For more detail, see what a GHS secondary container label must include.

What software helps generate GHS labels?

SDS management software is the best fit when the goal is to turn existing SDS data into labels without retyping it. A dedicated label-design program can control layouts and printers, while a generic document or design tool can arrange text. Only an SDS-linked system ties label creation to the chemical record used by the workplace.

Look for software that lets you select a chemical, populate a label from its SDS, choose a supported label size, and give each location access to the same approved format. Also ask how the system handles a revised SDS. Under 1910.1200(f)(11), a party that becomes newly aware of significant hazard information must revise the chemical’s labels within six months. A saved graphic does not tell you that its source has changed.

A QR code can provide quick access to the full SDS, but it does not replace the workplace label information required by 1910.1200(f)(6). Treat it as an access aid.

How do I go from an SDS to a printed label?

Use one controlled process for every transfer. The point is not prettier labels. It is to make the same checks happen before a bottle reaches a work area.

1. Find the exact product in the chemical inventory and confirm that the product identifier matches the current SDS.
2. Review Sections 1 and 2. Do not classify the chemical yourself or borrow hazards from a similar product.
3. Choose the full workplace-label option or a documented alternative labeling system under 1910.1200(f)(6).
4. Generate the label from the SDS record and check the signal word, pictograms, and statements against the source.
5. Select a size that stays legible on the actual container. Use a tag or another suitable format rather than shrinking the text beyond practical use.
6. Print on material tested for the bottle surface and the chemicals, moisture, abrasion, heat, and sunlight it will face.
7. Apply the label to a clean, dry surface, then verify that employees can identify the product and reach the SDS during their shift.

Where can I get GHS pictogram symbols legally?

Use the downloadable pictogram files published by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, which maintains the official GHS material. OSHA’s Pictogram QuickCard, publication 3491, also shows the symbols used in the Hazard Communication Standard.

The GHS set has nine pictograms. OSHA’s QuickCard marks the environment pictogram as non-mandatory because OSHA does not regulate environmental hazards. For a GHS-format pictogram, use a black symbol on a white background inside a red diamond border. Do not substitute clip art, redraw a symbol, or add a pictogram that the chemical’s classification does not call for. See how signal words and hazard statements are assigned before changing any label element.

Do I need a color printer for GHS labels?

Not for every workplace-labeling option. If you use the GHS-style pictograms referenced by 1910.1200(f)(6)(i), the pictogram format includes a red frame. If you use an alternative system under 1910.1200(f)(6)(ii), the rule allows words, pictures, symbols, or a combination rather than requiring a full GHS label.

For consistency with incoming labels and employee training, color printing is the better operating choice when your template uses GHS pictograms. Thermal transfer equipment is useful for durable labels, but buy the printer only after confirming label width, ribbon compatibility, print resolution, and the surface and exposure conditions. A desktop laser printer can work with compatible synthetic sheets in a lighter-duty setting.

Are pre-printed GHS labels or custom printing better?

Pre-printed labels suit a short, stable chemical list. On-demand printing is better when products change, formulations are revised, or several sites need the same current label. Decision rule: if the SDS library changes more often than the label stock turns over, print on demand.

Pre-printing reduces equipment needs, but obsolete stock can keep old hazard information in circulation. An on-demand process has printer and supply costs, yet it lets a location generate the next label from the current record. That matters for multi-site manufacturing operations, where separate local templates can drift.

What label materials resist chemicals and fading?

Choose a synthetic facestock and ribbon as a tested system, then match the adhesive to the container. Polyester is a strong starting point for moisture, abrasion, chemical contact, and higher temperatures. Polypropylene may suit less demanding bottles, but the supplier’s data sheet and an application test should decide.

Material choice	Reasonable use	What to verify
Paper	Dry, short-life indoor use	Moisture and abrasion exposure
Polypropylene film	General-purpose bottles with moderate exposure	Chemical compatibility and adhesion to the bottle
Polyester film with resin ribbon	Harsh chemical areas, heat, or longer service	Exact chemical, temperature, printer, ribbon, and adhesive combination

3M’s technical data for its 7871, 7872, and 7873 thermal-transfer polyester materials reports moisture resistance, chemical-resistant acrylic adhesive, and a service-temperature range of -40°F to 300°F. It recommends resin ribbons for optimum durability. Those results apply to the named materials and test conditions, not every polyester label. For outdoor or washdown use, ask the supplier whether a tested overlaminate or UV-resistant construction is needed.

Material rule: specify against the exposure, not the word “waterproof” on a package.

How do I label spray bottles and small containers?

Use a wraparound label, two-panel layout, or attached tag that remains legible and identifies the product. Do not shrink the required information until workers cannot read it. For cleaning crews working from spray bottles, standardizing one bottle and label size per chemical is usually more reliable than handwritten improvisation.

The portable-container exception in 1910.1200(f)(8) is narrow. It applies when the chemical is transferred from a labeled container for the immediate use of the employee who made the transfer. OSHA guidance defines immediate use as use under that employee’s control and within the same work shift. A bottle left for the next shift or handed to another employee needs a label. Review the labeling mistakes inspectors cite most before relying on the exception.

If an employer uses an abbreviated workplace label, the supporting hazard information must be immediately available. Keep the SDS accessible throughout each shift, not locked in an office. A QR code can help, but the access method needs a workable backup where connectivity or devices could fail.

How Helios Comply helps

Helios Comply generates GHS secondary container labels from the SDS records in its cloud library. Its AI-assisted SDS digitization can turn uploaded documents into structured records, and multi-location support gives branches access to the same chemical information. QR-code and offline SDS access help employees reach the source information after the label is applied.

Software does not choose your HazCom program, train employees, or guarantee compliance. The employer still owns the chemical inventory, workplace-labeling method, training, and employee access. Helios reduces the manual copying and version-control work that makes those duties harder for a small team.

Start a free trial of Helios Comply, or call (855) 920-5202 for hands-on setup help.

Frequently asked questions

What software helps generate GHS labels?

SDS management software can populate a label from a stored SDS. Label-design software controls layouts and printers, but it may require manual entry unless it is connected to the SDS record.

Do secondary containers need all six shipped-label elements?

No. Under 1910.1200(f)(6), an employer may use the first five elements listed in 1910.1200(f)(1), or an alternative workplace label that identifies the product and communicates its hazards with supporting information immediately available.

Can a QR code replace a secondary container label?

No. A QR code can speed access to the SDS, but the workplace container still needs the applicable label information unless the narrow immediate-use exception applies.

Are GHS pictogram files available from an official source?

Yes. UNECE provides downloadable GHS pictogram files, and OSHA publication 3491 shows the pictograms and associated hazards used under HazCom.

Must workplace labels be printed in color?

A full GHS-style pictogram uses a red border. OSHA’s alternative workplace-labeling option does not require every container to reproduce a full GHS label, but the chosen system must communicate the hazards and be understood by trained employees.

What label stock works for chemical bottles?

Start with a synthetic facestock and test the full construction against the chemical, container surface, moisture, abrasion, heat, and sunlight. Polyester paired with a compatible resin ribbon is a strong option for demanding conditions.

When can a transferred chemical remain unlabeled?

Only when it is in a portable container intended for the immediate use of the employee who performed the transfer. OSHA guidance ties immediate use to that employee’s control and the same work shift.

Sources

• Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 29 CFR 1910.1200, Hazard Communication
• OSHA, Labeling of Secondary Containers, standard interpretation
• OSHA Brief 3514, Hazard Communication Standard: Safety Data Sheets
• OSHA 3491, Hazard Communication Standard Pictogram QuickCard
• UNECE, GHS pictograms
• 3M, Thermal Transfer Polyester Label Material 7871, 7872, and 7873 Technical Data
• OSHA, Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards for Fiscal Year 2025

Hazard Communication, 29 CFR 1910.1200, ranked second on federal OSHA’s list of the ten most frequently cited standards for fiscal year 2025. The list covers citations following federal OSHA inspections across all industries, so it is context for prioritizing HazCom work, not proof that a specific labeling choice will draw a citation.