Chemical

Chemicals are classified as hazardous or non-hazardous in accordance with set criteria by safe work Australia.

Some chemicals can be dangerous goods. That is they poses an immediate physical hazard to health, property and the environment.

A wide range of substances, medicines and poisons are also controlled under the department of health regulations these substances can be found on a poisons list and they are divided into eight different groups called poison schedules. For example, S4 drugs are prescription-only medicines.

Procedures

• HS332 Hazardous Chemicals
• HS301 PCB Spill Response & Disposal
• HS305 Mercury Spills

Guidelines

• HS091 Air Monitoring and Health Surveillance Guideline
• HS429 Labelling of Hazardous Substances Guideline
• HS421 Chemical Spills Guideline
• HS321 Laboratory Hazardous Waste Disposal Guideline

Information

• HS628 List of Schedule 14 chemicals requiring health surveillance
• HS687 List of other chemicals to be considered in a health surveillance program
• HS622 Organic Peroxide forming chemicals
• HS621 List of Common Unstable Chemicals
• HS620 Explosives and SSAN Guide
• Asbestos

Resources

• ChemAlert
• Hazardous Substances Information System (HSIS)
• HS648 How to use the HSIS for concentration cut-offs
• Compatibility Table: Chemical versus Material (Web Resource)

Procedures

• HS333 Placard, Manifest & Notification

Guidelines

• HS404 Dangerous Goods Storage
• HS629 Dangerous Goods Transport by Air

Information

• HS625 Generic Controls for Storage of Dangerous Goods
• HS680 Schedule 11 placard & manifest quantities
• HS619 A list of Dangerous Goods classes with examples
• HS428 At a glance look at Dangerous Goods classes
• HS623 Dangerous Goods Compatibility Matrix
• HS624 Examples of Dangerous Goods that are incompatible with each other

Storage Checklists

• HS605 Dangerous Goods Storage Checklist Template
• HS606 Flammable Liquid Cabinet Storage Checklist
• HS607 Flammable Liquid Roofed Storage Checklist
• HS608 Oxidising Store Cabinet Storage Checklist
• HS609 Corrosive Cabinet Storage Checklist
• HS610 Cryogen Cabinet Storage Checklist
• HS611 Toxic Cabinet Storage Checklist

Information

• HS681 Fact Sheet on the GHS
• HS682 GHS Hazard classess Summary
• HS683 List of Hazard Statements
• HS684 List of Precautionery Statements

Labelling

• HS429 Labelling Guideline
• HS648 How to use the HSIS for concentration cut-offs

Scheduled Drugs

Please see RECS

Carcinogens

• HS335 Prohibited and Restricted Cacinogens
• HS685 List of Prohibited Carcinogens
• HS686 List of Restricted Carcinogens

Useful weblinks

• Link to Australian Standards website: (Link)

• WorkCover NSW: (Link) 

• ChemAlert: (Link)

• Merck Chemicals SDS search page: (link)

• ThermoFisher Scientific online Safety Data sheets (link)

• Model Code of Practice:Labelling of workplace hazardous chemicals (link)

• Model Code of Practice: Preparation of safety data sheets for hazardous chemicals (link) 

• Model Code of Practice: Managing risks of hazardous chemicals in the workplace (link) 

• Model Work Health and Safety Regulations (hazardous chemicals) Amendment 2020 (link)

• UN Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) For GHS Revision 4 classification and criteria (link)

• Safe Work Australia: Hazardous Chemical Information System (HCIS) (link)

• CCID (Chemical Classification and Information Database) : New Zealand: For information on chemicals classified in accordance with the GHS under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) regulations (Link)

• OHSA Occuptional Chemical Database : United States:Hazard data on a large number of chemical substances that may be encountered in industrial hygiene investigations (link)

• eChemPortal : OECD: Information on physical and chemical properties, environmental fate and behaviour, ecotoxicity and toxicity of substances. Classification according to GHS provided when available (link)

• UN Model Regulations (transport of dangerous goods) : UN. For Internationally agreed classification criteria for dangerous goods.  Does not contain information for health hazards except acute toxicity categories 1, 2 and 3 (link)

• Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road & Rail (ADG Code). For Australian classification criteria for dangerous goods.  Does not contain information for health hazards except acute toxicity categories 1, 2 and 3 (link)

• GESTIS – Substance Database : Germany. Information for the safe handling of hazardous chemicals at work (health effects, necessary protective measures, first aid), and on physical and chemical properties (link)

• European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) : EU. For information on how to classify chemicals in accordance with GHS (link)

• GHS Converter website. A European resource which helps translate from existing hazard classifications into the GHS system. (link)