try to understand the functionality behind each category. that will helps you to take a decision, whether sap standard categories can be suffice your requirement (or) new categories has to be created.
This is just differentiation/categorizatoin of the data.
SPRO > Environment, Health & Safety > Basic Data and Tools > Specification Management > Specification Master > Specify Specification Types.
you can find the settings, how each specification type categorized.
for ex - REAL_SUB & LIST_SUB
REAL_SUB is the one, which is physically present in your premises.....hence it can be categorized as substance (to capture some properties like physical & chemical, color, pH,flash point etc.,).
the same can be categorized under Hazard (can be maintain the hazardous properties).
LIST_SUB refer to the listed substance, which does have some literature.
You can understand the functionality more, by going thru the documentation. help.sap.com verymuch sufficient to be in right track.
EH&S use the term "specification". in the links shows above tow "subtopics" are "explained".
One is the specification category; the othe ris the specificaton type. The list of "specifications categories" is provided by SAP and can/should nto be changed/enlarged etc.
SAP provides a list of specification types (which have reference to at least one specification category). In contrast to the specification category you can add further specification types based on your needs.
As explained in the link above and in this more "recent" link:
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