Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Dangerous goods are substances or articles that are potentially dangerous to people, property and the environment. They include materials that are:

• explosive
• flammable
• spontaneously combustible (burst into flames without being lit
• water reactive (produce flammable or toxic gases if mixed with water)
• oxidising (help a fire to burn more fiercely)
• toxic (poisonous), and
• corrosive.

Some examples of dangerous goods include:

• petroleum
• pool chlorination products
• liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
• ammonium nitrate fertiliser, and
• articles that contain dangerous goods (e.g. car batteries).

The following terms are used to identify dangerous goods and to give information about their hazards:

UN Number: A four-digit number assigned by the United Nations to identify dangerous goods.

Proper Shipping name: A standard name given to dangerous goods for transport purposes.

Class/Division: Dangerous goods are grouped into classes according to the most significant hazard presented by the goods. There are nine classes (numbered 1 - 9), some having divisions according to the nature of the hazard.

Subsidiary risk (sub-risk): Where dangerous goods present more than one hazard, the less significant hazards are termed 'sub-risk'.

Packing group (PG): The degree of danger presented by dangerous goods is signified by Roman numerals as follows:

• Packing Group I - high danger
• Packing Group II - medium danger
• Packing Group III - low danger

For a full and formal discussion on dangerous goods terminology, refer to the Australian Dangerous Goods Code.

Dangerous goods are grouped into different classes according to the most significant risk presented by the goods. There are nine classes (numbered 1 - 9), some having divisions. Each class or division has a unique identifying label (commonly known as a 'diamond').

Diagram: Depicts the different class labels for dangerous goods. Select image to enlarge

Want more information on classes and labels?

When specific dangerous goods have more than one significant hazard, they are assigned a class/division on the basis of the most significant hazard, and are assigned one or more subsidiary risks ('sub-risks') according to the other hazards.

Information on the classification of dangerous goods may be gained from the Australian Dangerous Goods Code (ADG Code) - available from the National Transport Commission (non-Queensland Government link).

Goods too dangerous to transport because of their instability and potential to react violently are listed in the Australian Dangerous Goods (ADG) Code.

Combustible liquids are liquids that burn, but are more difficult to ignite than flammable liquids. They have a flashpoint greater than 60°C and are not classified as dangerous goods whereas liquids with a lower flashpoint are dangerous goods class 3 – (flammable liquids). Combustible liquids are divided into two classes according to flashpoint:

• C1 - flashpoint not greater than 150°C, and
• C2 - flashpoint greater than 150°C.

Information on the classification of flammable and combustible liquids is available in AS 1940 - The storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids. Copies can be obtained from Standards Australia (non-Queensland Government link).

For dangerous goods, this information should be available from the label on the container or from the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS).

In all cases, your supplier should be able to give you the information.

The information should tell you the classification information, that is, the class/division and packing group (PG) of dangerous goods and the type of combustible liquids (C1 or C2).

'Stated dangerous goods' are:

• dangerous goods of class/division 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.1, 8 and 9, and
• goods too dangerous to be transported (GTDTBT).

'Stated combustible liquids' are:

• C1 combustible liquids, and
• C2 combustible liquids stored with fire risk dangerous goods.

Fire-risk dangerous goods are dangerous goods of class/division 2.1, 3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1 or 5.2. These materials may contribute to the risk of fire either by adding to the fuel load or by increasing the ease and rate of combustion.

If you have both combustible liquids and fire-risk dangerous goods at your premises, there exists:

• a fuel load represented by the total of all the flammable or combustible materials present, and/or
• a risk of ignition of the flammable or combustible materials by oxidising agents.

Are the combustible liquids stored with the fire-risk dangerous goods, or not?

To answer this, you should consider the following:

• Is there a potential for interaction between the combustible liquids and the fire-risk dangerous goods?
• If the fire-risk dangerous goods became involved in a fire, could that fire spread to the combustible liquids (or vice-versa)?
• Could the class 5 oxidising agents and the combustible liquids come into contact and start a fire?

If the answer to any of these questions is 'Yes', then you have combustible liquids stored with fire-risk dangerous goods.

While you may have both combustible liquids and fire-risk dangerous goods at your premises, if they are segregated from each other to avoid the potential of interaction between them, it is appropriate to answer 'No' to the questions above.

Segregation of materials may be achieved by distance or barriers or both. Australian Standards dealing with storage of dangerous goods usually provide information about appropriate separation distances or barriers.

To answer these questions adequately, you may need to have conducted a thorough hazard identification process for the premises.

Hazardous materials is an umbrella term used to describe any substance that, because of its chemical, physical or biological properties, can cause harm to people, property or the environment. It is a term that collectively describes substances that are classified according to the hazard they present, including but not limited to 'dangerous goods', 'combustible liquids', and 'hazardous substances'.

Dangerous goods and hazardous substances are classified according to different criteria.

Dangerous goods are classified on the basis of immediate physical or chemical effects such as fire, explosion, corrosion and poisoning that may affect property, people or the environment (e.g. petrol, pool chlorine, and some pesticides).

Hazardous substances are classified only on the basis of health effects - both medium and long term - particularly in relation to workplaces.

Many materials are both dangerous goods and hazardous substances.

Dangerous goods and hazardous substances are covered by separate but complementary legislation, namely the:

• Dangerous Goods Safety Management Act 2001 and Regulation; and
• Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 and Part 16 of the Workplace Health and Safety Regulation 2008.
  
  

The Dangerous Goods Safety Management Act 2001 creates safety obligations for everyone who, as a result of the storage and handling of hazardous materials at a place, may harm people, property or the environment.

The following people have specific obligations under the Act:

• Occupiers of places where dangerous goods are stored or handled.
• Employees or other persons at places where dangerous goods are stored or handled.
• Manufacturers, importers and suppliers of dangerous goods.
• Designers, manufacturers, importers, suppliers and installers of storage and handling systems.

In particular, the following materials are affected by the legislation:

• Dangerous goods (especially classes/division 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.1, 8 and 9).
• Goods too dangerous to be transported (GTDTBT).
• Combustible liquids.

The Dangerous Goods Safety Management Act 2001 does not apply in the following circumstances:

• Activities pertaining to mining on a mining tenure.
• Land that is used for obtaining, mining or transporting petroleum under the Petroleum Act 1923.
• Gas distribution pipelines under the Gas Act 1965 (other than pipes within the boundaries of a Major Hazard Facility or Dangerous Goods Location).
  
  

'Package' means:

1. for class 2 dangerous goods, a container having a capacity of not more than 500 L water capacity, or
2. for other classes of dangerous goods or combustible liquids, a container with a capacity of not more than 450 L and a net mass of not more than 400 kg.

'Tank' means a container with a capacity larger than the upper limits set for packages.

Note that this terminology differs from that in the ADG Code.

The Dangerous Goods Safety Management legislation establishes a hierarchy of premises types according to the quantity of dangerous goods and combustible liquids stored at the premises. The requirements of the legislation increase as the quantities of dangerous goods and combustible liquids increases. Premises are classified into one of four categories, as follows:

• very large quantities - Major Hazard Facilities (MHFs)
• large quantities - Large Dangerous Goods Locations (Large DGLs)
• medium quantities - Dangerous Goods Locations (DGLs)
• small quantities - Minor storage workplace*

* 'Minor storage workplace' is the term used for a workplace where stated dangerous goods or combustible liquids are stored or handled in quantities less than the prescribed quantities for a Dangerous Goods Location.

The prescribed quantities by which premises are classified as DGLs and Large DGLs are specified in Schedule 1 of the Dangerous Goods Safety Management Regulation 2001. The prescribed quantities for Major Hazard Facilities are set out in Schedule 2 of the Regulation. These prescribed quantities are often referred to as thresholds.

All the requirements that apply to DGLs also apply to Large DGLs. Most of the requirements that apply to Large DGLs apply to MHFs.

The hierarchy is illustrated in the figure below.

Diagram: Hierarchy of premises types

Occupiers of premises that are Large DGLs or possible Major Hazard Facilities must notify the Department of Justice and Attorney-General of the existence of their premises on the approved form. This notification provides a basic level of information about the hazardous materials stored at the premises. Notification must be renewed every two years.

The table below shows the typical classification of fuels as dangerous goods or combustible liquids. This information should be used when completing the notification form.

A register of dangerous goods is required for all workplaces that store or handle stated dangerous goods or combustible liquids. A dangerous goods register is a list of all stated dangerous goods and combustible liquids stored at, or likely to be stored at, any premises, accompanied, where required, by a current Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for each of the dangerous goods.

The register is not required to include stated dangerous goods and combustible liquids that are:

• received in packages not large enough to require marking under the Australian Dangerous Goods Code, or
• in transit.
  
  

Two or more dangerous goods are deemed compatible if their interaction does not result in a reaction that may give rise to a fire, explosion, harmful reaction, or the evolution of flammable, toxic, or corrosive vapours. If goods are not compatible then they must not be stored together in a manner that will allow them to come into contact.

Compatibility charts can be used as an aid in determining if two classes of dangerous goods are compatible. Australian Standard AS 3833:2007 'The storage and handling of mixed classes of dangerous goods, in packages and intermediate bulk containers' contains a useful compatibility chart.

A hazardous area is defined as an area in which an explosive atmosphere is present, or may be expected to be present, in quantities such as to require special precautions for the construction, installation and use of potential ignition sources. It is defined in AS 2430 'Classification of hazardous areas'. In this definition, an area may include a 3-dimensional region or space. Examples of ignition sources may include electrical equipment, naked flames, sparks from grinding and welding activities and hot surfaces. For information on hazardous areas, refer to the Australian Standards series AS 60079 and AS 2340.

More detailed information about storage and handling of dangerous goods can be found in:

• Safe Storage and Handling of Dangerous Goods: Guidelines for Industry (PDF, 530 kB)
• DGSM Information Paper No. 1 - Placarding for Dangerous Goods Storage (PDF, 190 kB)
• DGSM Information Paper No. 2 - Manifests for Dangerous Goods Storage (PDF, 840 kB)

In most cases, a licence is not required for storage of stated dangerous goods.

However, a licence may be required if you store flammable liquids (i.e. class 3 dangerous goods) or combustible liquids (e.g. diesel fuel) in quantities above the 'minor storage' quantities in Table 2.1 of the AS 1940 - Storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids. Your Local Government is responsible for licensing of flammable and combustible liquids storage. The requirements for a licence are prescribed in Part 4 of the Dangerous Goods Safety Management Regulation 2001.

You may also wish to consult chapter 5 of the publication Safe Storage and Handling of Dangerous Goods: Guidelines for Industry (PDF, 840 kB).

An occupier of a place that stores or handles dangerous goods has a general obligation for safety under Section 16 of the Dangerous Goods Safety Management Act 2001.

If the property has an area of 5 ha or more, is used for agricultural, horticultural, floricultural, aquacultural or pastoral purposes, and does not store stated dangerous goods or combustible liquids for resale, it is a 'rural place'. Many farms would meet this definition.

A rural place cannot be classified as a Dangerous Goods Location and is only subject to the 'minor storage' requirements of the Regulation (Division 4 of Part 3). The occupier of a rural place needs to comply with Sections 63-77 of Part 3 of the Dangerous Goods Safety Management Regulation 2001, which provide simplified, common sense obligations to dangerous goods management. The requirements include:

• identifying hazards
• assessing and minimising risk
• keeping a register of dangerous goods and combustible liquids
• keeping a copy of each Material Safety Data Sheet for each category of dangerous goods
• providing induction, information, education, training and supervision
• providing personal protective equipment and safety equipment for workers
• securing dangerous goods from unauthorised access
• preventing incompatible goods from coming into contact with one another to cause a dangerous situation
• preventing contamination of food stuffs and personal products with stated dangerous goods or combustible liquids
• eliminating ignition sources in 'hazardous areas'
• spill containment
• cleaning up spills or leaks of dangerous goods immediately
• clearing of decommissioned storage or handling systems
• marking (labelling) of packages of stated dangerous goods, and
• ensuring that tanks of stated dangerous goods or combustible liquids are placarded.

Rural places are also exempt from the requirement to hold a flammable and combustible liquids licence from their Local Government authority.

Full requirements for placarding and details on their form (e.g. size, content and layout) and location, are outlined in Sections 49-55 and Schedule 3 of the Dangerous Goods Safety Management Regulation 2001. Schedule 1 of the Regulation sets out the prescribed quantities ('thresholds') of stated dangerous goods and combustible liquids above which placards must be displayed. In general, placarding in the appropriate form is required where the quantities on site exceed any of the quantities listed in Column 3 of Schedule 1 of the Regulation.

An information paper on placarding (PDF, 530 kB) summarises the requirements and provides practical guidance on determining your placarding needs.

An EIP is a placard (sign) of specified format used to identify dangerous goods when transported in tanks. A modified EIP is required as a placard for tanks that store dangerous goods.

The HAZCHEM Code is an alphanumeric code of 2 or 3 digits which provides initial emergency response information about dangerous goods to the emergency services when responding to an incident involving those goods. A summary of the rules for interpreting the code is given below.

Outer warning signs and information placards can be obtained from most reputable safety sign suppliers. Safety sign suppliers can be found in the Yellow Pages (non-Queensland Government link) under 'Safety equipment and accessories'.

An emergency manifest is required for large dangerous goods locations and major hazard facilities.

The requirements for manifests are set out in Sections 58-60 and Schedule 4 of the Dangerous Goods Safety Management Regulation 2001 and the information paper on manifests summarises the requirements.

Service stations are highly likely to be classified as large dangerous goods locations, which are required to maintain a manifest. A copy of the manifest must be kept inside a red weatherproof container which is often called a 'hazmat box'. The 'hazmat box' must be located on the inside of the entrance to the property.

Service stations vary widely in site attributes such as land area, street access, number of driveways, entrances and exits, and arrangement of storage tanks both above ground and underground. Only one manifest box is required and should be located at the boundary adjacent to the most used entrance. If a service station is located on the corner of an intersection for two busy roads, select the entrance on the road which is used for the street address.

The function of the 'HAZMAT Box' is to ensure that Queensland Fire and Rescue Service personnel can retrieve the manifest information safely during a fire, spill or other emergency. It is therefore not appropriate to place the manifest container near bowsers, or close to tanks of LPG, flammable or combustible liquids.

The 'L 003' series lock and key are used on commercial fire alarm control system panels and are commonly used on HAZMAT boxes used to contain site manifests. The 'L 003' series key is held by Queensland Fire and Rescue Service officers around the state to allow them access to HAZMAT boxes and fire alarm control systems.

The keys and locks should be available from any reputable locksmith. The padlocks (manufactured by Lockwood) for HAZMAT boxes can be obtained by asking a locksmith to cut an 'L 003' series key and have a Lockwood padlock 'keyed' accordingly. Suppliers of fire control systems will also be able to direct you to providers of 'L 003' series locks and keys. Copies of the 'L 003' series keys are unrestricted and readily available for copying.