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Chemical

Overview

Chemicals may be classified as either:

  • hazardous substances, and / or
  • dangerous goods.

If you handle chemicals then you should be aware of your duties under the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001 (NSW), in particular:

The terms hazardous substance and dangerous good are defined by the Regulation.

Risk management

Supervisors of staff using hazardous substances or dangerous goods are required by law to:

The UTS online chemical inventory can be used to assist.

Step 1: Identify the hazard

Ways to identify chemicals

  • Safety data sheet (SDS)

    A safety data sheet (SDS) must be provided by the supplier of a chemical substance to the purchaser.

    Always request a SDS from the supplier or manufacturer whenever you purchase any chemical or mixture of substances for the first time.

    The SDS provides hazard information on the substance. Check the SDS to see if the chemical substance is a 'hazardous chemical' (previously 'hazardous substances' and 'dangerous goods').

    SDSs must be replaced after 5 years from the date of issue.

    It is the responsibility of the purchaser of a hazardous chemical to make sure that an SDS is available to others using the chemical.

    Store a collection of SDSs in the workplace together with a list of the names of those substances. Keep the folder of SDSs somewhere accessible to all those who use the substances. Make sure everyone working in the area is aware of the SDSs and the information they contain.

    It is not a requirement to produce an SDS for hazardous substances produced and then subsequently used within the workplace; however, it is good practice.

  • Dangerous goods classes

    Dangerous goods are substances and items that can cause immediate harm to people and property.

    They are classified into groups, each with a different coloured diamond. There are further details on the different dangerous goods classes, including labelling details.

    The law requires that risk assessments be performed for use and storage of dangerous goods.

  • Chemwatch

    Chemwatch is an intranet database that provides chemical safety information on a large range of chemical substances. It also contains physico-chemical properties of substances and produces labels and generic SDSs.

    Further information on Chemwatch is available.

  • Hazardous Substances Information System

    Safe Work Australia's Hazardous Substances Information System (HSIS) database can be used to check if a substance is hazardous - for each substance it can be used to find risk and safety phrases, and cut-off concentration values.

    Access HSIS at:
    http://hsis.ascc.gov.au/

Inventory

Managers of laboratories, workshops and chemical stores must maintain an inventory of hazardous chemicals.

This can be achieved using either a:

Notification

If you intend to use:

Step 2: Assess risk

A chemical risk assessment, for the use of hazardous substances or dangerous goods, must be completed by anyone who intends to put such a chemical to use. This includes:

  • Supervisors of persons who use hazardous substances or dangerous goods as part of their work e.g. in maintenance or construction.
  • Academics or researchers who design an activity that uses a hazardous substance or dangerous good. e.g. student laboratory work or work on a research project.
  • Managers of laboratories, workshops and chemical stores for activities of their staff or activities in the facility under their control that involve a hazardous substance or dangerous good. e.g. preparation of substances for teaching or maintenance of chemical stocks.

Risk assessments must be done in consultation with staff who will be working with the chemical.

Risk control measures identified by the risk assessment must be communicated to staff who will be working with the chemical.

All laboratory workers are responsible for ensuring that their work with hazardous substances or dangerous goods has been formally assessed for risk and follows all control measures described on the risk assessment.

In a chemical risk assessment, the risk level depends on:

  • degree of exposure
    to the substance - exposure is dependent on frequency of exposure, duration of exposure and intensity of exposure (e.g. concentration in breathing air).
  • severity of the hazardous nature
    of the substance - inherent to the substance itself, severity of the hazardous nature can be found in the MSDS.

If the risk is "not significant", this fact should be recorded and no other action need be taken.

To assist in conducting the risk assessment use the:

Keep a printout of the risk assessment an easily accessible folder together with the MSDSs.

Each assessment should be reviewed at least every five years, or whenever the use of the substance is changed, or whenever new information about the substance comes to hand.

Control

Ways to control chemical risk include:

  • Chemical risk assessment

    The risk assessment will identify the best way to work safely with the substance.

    Persons using hazardous substances or dangerous goods must follow the recommendations of the risk assessment.

  • Labelling of chemicals

    Correct labelling:

    Containers of substances purchased from the supplier will already have the correct labels.

    Any container which you decant a hazardous substance into, which is not used immediately, persons who decant substances must label the new container appropriately.

  • Storage of chemicals

    Chemicals which react with each other must be segregated. All staff and students handling chemicals must be made aware of the incompatibilities of these chemicals with other chemicals and must take any special precautions. Refer to the MSDS for storage requirements and incompatibilities.

    Store infrequently used chemical stock in the appropriate chemical store rather than the laboratory or workshop. Post the inventory of the stock added to the store on the inside of the store door, so that it can be added to the UTS chemical database.

    Use sparkproof refrigerators for storing flammable liquids. Otherwise, a violent explosion can occur.

    All gas cylinders must be secured to a bench or wall to prevent them from falling.

  • Induction and training

    Staff and students dealing with hazardous substances and dangerous goods must be trained in the safe use of these chemicals. Records must be kept of this training. Training should cover:

    • How to label chemical containers.
    • How to access and interpret MSDS.
    • Hazards of specific chemicals to which the staff and students may be exposed.
    • How staff can contribute to creating risk assessments and access the risk assessments.
    • Safe work practices e.g. storage, transport, disposal.
    • Use of safety equipment.
    • Use of spill kit and emergency response procedures.

  • Personal protective equipment

    Make sure that gloves used are impermeable to the solvent you are handling. Check the manufacturers permeability chart to decide which type of glove is most appropriate. e.g. use PVA gloves when handling chlorinated hydrocarbons, not latex gloves.

    There is further information on the use of personal protective equipment.

  • Waste disposal

    There is further information on the method for disposal of hazardous, including chemical, waste at UTS.

The Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001 (NSW) (opens an external site) clearly defines that:

Dangerous goods are identified by a statement of classification on the material safety data sheet (MSDS).
They are also identified by the dangerous goods class label found on the container.

Hazardous substances are identified by a statement of hazardous nature on the material safety data sheet (MSDS), or
by the presence of risk and safety phrases on the container label.