SECTION 04
Chemical safety
More than half of North American workers handle hazardous chemicals
Chemical handling has seen one of the biggest year-on-year shifts in the entire dataset. In 2026, 53% of North American workers report handling chemicals at work that require a safety data sheet (USA 56%, Canada 48%). This is up from 44% in 2025, a 9-percentage-point jump that moves chemical safety from a significant concern to an unavoidable operational reality.
As in previous years, manufacturing workers accounted for the largest proportion of those handling chemicals across the region (72%), compared with construction (67%) and utilities (57%).
What is a safety data sheet?
A safety data sheet (SDS) is a standardized document that communicates how hazardous chemical substances and mixtures can be safely handled, used, stored, and disposed of. In the USA, OSHA requires SDSs for all hazardous chemicals under its Hazard Communication Standard (HazCom). In Canada, the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) imposes equivalent obligations under federal and provincial legislation.
The majority of North American workers know where to find safety data sheets
Among those who handle chemicals, 77% of North American workers know how to locate the relevant safety data sheets (USA 79%, Canada 71%). These figures represent a solid baseline of SDS awareness across the region. The gap between the two countries bears monitoring, as unfamiliarity with SDSs in Canada may create compliance risk, particularly under WHMIS obligations.
North America is leading in chemical safety digitization
North America is well above global benchmarks when it comes to digitizing access to chemical safety information. Among chemical handlers:
70%
agree that everyone at their workplace has access to chemical safety information through a digital system (USA 70%, Canada 69%), compared to a global average of 62%.
65%
have access to a digital chemical management system (66 USA, Canada 64%), compared to a global average of 54% (and notably above the Nordics at 48%).
72%
can access safety data sheets by scanning a QR code (USA 77%, Canada 61%). This figure has increased significantly from 60% North American average in 2025, and is above the current global average of 58%.
The QR code figure tells an interesting story at the country level. The USA jumped from 59% access in 2025 to 77% in 2026, an 18-point increase in a single year, while Canada held steady at 61%. The reasons behind Canada's slower uptake may include differences in mobile network coverage across a more geographically dispersed population and industrial base, but the gap is significant enough that it warrants attention from organizations operating across both markets.
Efforts to substitute hazardous chemicals remain flat, and Canada is falling behind
Despite strong digital access scores, the substitution of hazardous chemicals (the process of proactively replacing dangerous products with safer alternatives) is an area of concern. Across North America, 61% of chemical handlers agree that their company is making ongoing efforts to phase out hazardous chemicals (USA 63%, Canada 58%), down from 62% in 2025 (USA 2025 60%, Canada 2025 64%).
Canada's score has declined compared to 2025, widening the gap with the USA. The overall picture for chemical safety is one of improving visibility and access but stalling on the harder work of removing risk at source.
