Managing hazardous substances

The rules around managing hazardous substances in the workplace are changing. Every year between 600 to 900 people die prematurely from workplace-related disease, including from exposure to hazardous substances – if you use, store or handle hazardous substances, you need to know how to manage the risks associated with them

Around 150,000 workplaces throughout New Zealand use hazardous substances. Common hazardous substances such as commercial cleaning products, paints, adhesives, acids, bases and solvents can cause serious harm when they aren’t used safely.

A substance that has one or more of the following properties is defined as hazardous:

• Explosiveness.
• Flammability.
• Ability to accelerate a fire.
• Toxic to humans (acute or chronic).
• Corrosiveness (to human tissue or metal).
• Harmful to the environment (eg, pesticides).
• A substance that could develop one or more of the properties listed when exposed to air or water.

From December 1 this year, the regulations around hazardous substances in the workplace will be transferred from the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 and Regulations to the Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations.

WorkSafe advises that if you are complying with the current hazardous substances law, then you may not need to change a lot. However, it is a good time for all businesses to review their processes for keeping people safe around hazardous substances.

Key changes

Outlined below are the some of the key changes that are being introduced with the new legislation.

Inventory:

There is a new mandatory requirement to keep an inventory of all hazardous substances used, handled, manufactured or stored in the workplace – including hazardous waste.

Safety Data Sheets:

Safety Data Sheets are a key source of information for managing hazardous substances. You must have a Safety Data Sheet for all hazardous substances in your workplace, regardless of the quantity you hold (some exceptions

apply). If you are a supplier, manufacturer or importer, go to the EPA website to find out more about Safety Data Sheets.

Information, instruction, training and supervision:

The new regulations have specific requirements around providing information, instruction, supervision and training to make sure workers know how to safely use, handle and store hazardous substances.

Emergency preparation:

You should be managing your risks to avoid an emergency, but it’s equally important to plan for one. The regulations set out specific requirements for this – including understanding procedures to deal with emergencies.

Labelling containers of hazardous substances (including hazardous waste):

There are new requirements for making sure that hazardous substance containers in the workplace are labelled, including process vessels, as well as maintaining the labels on hazardous substances supplied to you.

Signs:

These continue to be an important part of hazardous substances management, as they warn other people in the workplace and emergency services that hazardous substances are on site.

Focus on risk assessment and elimination or minimisation:

It is important to manage the risks associated with hazardous substances and to review what you have in place to keep people healthy and safe. Eliminate risks if reasonably practicable and minimise risk where elimination is not possible.

When are the changes happening?

Most requirements under the Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations come into force on 1 December.

However, there are some exceptions:

• Later start dates for some specific regulations means you have longer to comply.
• Rules that allow existing approvals and test certificates issued under the old regulations to continue until they expire.

To confirm these dates, and for more information on the changes, refer to the WorkSafe website ‘Guidance by Industry’ section.

If you deal with hazardous substances, consider enrolling your workers in Site Safe’s Passport Plus – Worker Health course, a four-hour course that covers how hazardous substances, noise and behaviour can have a serious impact on health.