Use the format your crew can reach when they need it. A digital master with printed working copies can work, if you keep every copy current. Then check the rule for each type of record.
Reviewed October 17, 2026
Know what you are buying
Propane Safety Pro describes the output of its policies manual as print-ready books. Propane Safety Pro policies manual Ask what files you get and how you plan to use them. Do not assume an employee portal, mobile reader or document-control service comes with the order.
For your own system, decide who keeps the master and who swaps printed pages. Test access with the people who work the shift, not just the person who placed the order.
Match the access rule to the document
OSHA allows electronic access to safety data sheets when it creates no barriers to immediate employee access in each workplace. OSHA Hazard Communication standard That is an SDS rule. It does not make every safety document digital-only.
Where another OSHA standard requires an emergency action plan, section 1910.38 calls for a written plan kept in the workplace and open to employee review. Employers with 10 or fewer employees may share it orally. OSHA emergency action plan standard
The written hazard communication program has its own rule. It must be available on request to the parties the standard lists. OSHA Hazard Communication standard Review each document you keep. One storage format does not settle all three.
Questions and answers
How can we test our setup?
Ask an employee to find the current procedure and the right SDS on their own, using the access they have on that shift. Treat a miss as a fix to make. Check the applicable requirements with your safety reviewer before you change the system.
About Bill Stomp
Bill Stomp built Propane Safety Pro. He is a war veteran who ran over 87 propane branch offices across 12 states, and he has helped more than 200 propane companies improve their profits, sales, safety and operations.
Next step
Want your procedures in one book your crew can use? See the Policies & Procedures manual for propane companies.
General information, not legal advice.