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Hazardous chemicals

Hazardous chemicals and lead

Hazardous substances (Workplace Health and Safety Regulation 2008) and dangerous goods (Dangerous Goods Safety Management Act 2001) will now be covered in the new Regulation under 'Hazardous chemicals'.

The licences that are currently issued by local governments for flammable and combustible liquids (PDF, 116 kB) will be abolished from 1 January 2012.

Person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must manage the risk associated with using, handling, generating or storing a hazardous chemical at the workplace (risks from contaminants, hazardous atmospheres and exposure standards).

Requirements are consistent in terms of Safety Data Sheet (SDS), registers, labelling, training, restricted chemicals and health monitoring.

No requirement for a risk assessment or documentation of a risk assessment.

A PCBU at a workplace which stores, handles or processes hazardous chemicals above the manifest quantity in Schedule 11 must:

• notify the regulator
• prepare a manifest of hazardous chemicals
• make the manifest available to an inspector and the emergency service organisation.

The regulation now:

• adopts globally harmonised system requirements and is consistent with current WHS Regulation amendments in 2010, but will have a 5 year transitional period
• prohibits a person below the age of 16 from supplying a hazardous chemical that is a flammable gas or flammable liquid e.g. refuelling a car
• no longer exempts rural workplaces which use, handle or store hazardous chemicals above threshold quantities from notification to the regulator.

Lead

The level that you have to start monitoring for lead in the system has been halved and which will increase safety because monitoring commences at a lower level.

Consistent with current lead regulations except for:

• no requirement for a risk assessment
• adopts a lower blood lead monitoring level than in Queensland which will deliver higher protection for workers in lead processing (e.g. females — 20 μg/dL (0.97 μmol/L) down to 10 μg/dL (0.48 μmol/L)
• doesn't require a worker that is pregnant or breastfeeding to tell the employer – due to privacy issues
• duty to give information about risk of lead process – before person is engaged and before the person commences the lead process.

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