Hazardous
Chemicals in the
Workplace
Hazardous Chemicals
Chapter 7, Work Health and Safety (WHS)
Regulations 2012
Topics: hazardous chemicals, duties, labels, GHS, SDS, register of
chemicals, placard and manifest quantities, health monitoring
Chapter 3, WHS Regulations 2012
Topics: Airborne contaminants, Hazardous Atmospheres, Storage of
flammable or combustible substances
Shelley Rowett
Chief Advisor Work Environment
Legislation for Chemicals in South
Australia*
When using chemicals in the workplace, the following legislation applies:
• Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act 2012 and its Regulations
– Chapter 7: Hazardous Chemicals (this adopts the globally harmonised
system requirements and has a 5 year transitional period from 2012)
• Dangerous Substances (DS) Act 1979 and the DS Regulations 2002
• Codes of Practice, e.g. Preparation of Safety Data Sheets for
Hazardous Chemicals; Labelling of Workplace Hazardous Chemicals;
Managing the Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace
* Administered by SafeWork SA
GHS means the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals, Third
revised edition, published by the United Nations as modified under Schedule 6;
Note—The Schedule 6 tables replace some tables in the GHS
Today’s Focus on Chemical Safety
• Gaining an understanding of the hazards associated
with working with chemicals in the workplace
• Being aware of the safety controls required to be
implemented during work or research activities in the
workplace to manage risks associated with the use,
storage, transport, handling and disposal of
hazardous chemicals
What are Hazardous Chemicals?
Most substances and mixtures that are dangerous goods under
the ADG Code are hazardous chemicals, except those that have
only radioactive hazards (class 7 dangerous goods), infectious
substances (division 6.2) and most class 9 (miscellaneous)
dangerous goods
ADG Code means the Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road and Rail,
7th edition, approved by the Australian Transport Council. The ADG Code is accessible at the
National Transport Commission website www.ntc.gov.au
Effects of chemicals
• Nature / Hazards
• Route of Entry / Exposure
• Dose
– Concentration
– Duration
• Characteristics of the person
Chemicals: Hazards
There are two broad types of hazards associated with hazardous
chemicals (1) Health and (2) Physicochemical hazards (many chemicals
have both health and physicochemical hazards)
• Health hazards – These are properties of a chemical that have the
potential to cause adverse health effects
• Adverse health effects can be
– acute (short term) - headaches, nausea or vomiting and skin
corrosion
– chronic (long term) - asthma, dermatitis, nerve damage or cancer
Chemicals: Hazards (cont.)
• Physicochemical hazards – These are physical or chemical
properties of the substance, mixture or article that pose risks to workers
other than health risks, as they do not occur as a consequence of the
biological interaction of the chemical with people
• They arise through inappropriate handling or use and can often result in
injury to people and/or damage to property as a result of the intrinsic
physical hazard
– Examples include flammable, corrosive, explosive, chemically reactive
and oxidising chemicals
Potential Routes of Entry
Chemicals can enter the body and harm us via
the following routes of exposure:
• Inhalation (breathing in)
• Absorption (through skin or eyes)
• Needle-stick (injection)
• Ingestion (eating or swallowing)
The Importance of Dose
• Dose takes into consideration HOW LONG
we are exposed to a chemical and at what
CONCENTRATION
• For example, a very high concentration of
alcohol for a short time might be lethal while
intermittent exposure to lower amounts of
alcohol may do little harm
Where do Chemicals Affect?
Chemicals in the body can be described by which part of the body they affect:
EFFECT
DEFINITION
EXAMPLE
LOCAL
Adverse effects to the particular
tissue
Phenol can severely damage the skin
Ammonia can irritate the respiratory
tract
SYSTEMIC
Adverse effects on one of the
systems of the body
Lead affects the nervous system,
blood, kidneys
Organophosphate pesticides may
affect the nervous system
When do Chemicals Affect the Body?
EFFECT
DEFINITION
EXAMPLE
ACUTE
Short lasting and develop soon
after exposure
Irritant gases immediately irritate the
eyes
Excessive exposure to organic solvents
can induce narcotic effects such as
headaches
Death from high, short term exposure
to carbon monoxide
CHRONIC
Long lasting and sometimes
permanent. Onset may be soon
after exposure or delayed
Leukaemia from benzene exposure
Reduced fertility from lead exposure
Risk Assessment of Chemicals
• A PCBU must manage risks associated with using, handling, generating or
storing of hazardous chemicals at a workplace
• When managing the risks, regard must be had to the following factors:
– the hazardous properties of the hazardous chemical
– any potentially hazardous reaction (chemical or physical) between the
hazardous chemical and another substance or mixture, including a substance
that may be generated by the reaction
– the nature of the work to be carried out with the hazardous chemical
– any structure, plant or system of work that:
•
is used in the use, handling, generation or storage of the hazardous chemical
•
could interact with the hazardous chemical at the workplace.
Implementing Control Measures to
Minimise the Risk
When controlling chemical hazards, the hierarchy of control should be followed:
• Elimination of the chemical/process
• Substitution of chemical or process e.g. asbestos with glass wool, benzene with
xylene, changing from a dry process to wet, dipping instead of spraying
• Engineering (ventilation) e.g. fumehoods, canopy hoods, filtration systems
• Engineering (isolation) e.g. a glove box for handling toxics, remote controls,
performing certain work after hours
• Administrative e.g. modifying work schedules, air monitoring, training, work methods,
signage, health monitoring
• Personal Protective Equipment e.g. gloves, respirators, goggles, lab coats,
enclosed footwear
Prohibited and restricted hazardous
chemicals
• The WHS Regulations prohibit or restrict the use, storage or handling of
certain hazardous chemicals in certain situations.
– substances containing arsenic must not be used in spray painting or abrasive
blasting
– a number of carcinogens such as 4-nitrodiphenyls are prohibited from all uses
except for genuine research or analysis authorised by the regulator
– certain chemicals can be used, handled or stored in the workplace after
receiving authorisation from the regulator. Eg cyclophosphamide in
therapeutic use in hospitals
– Schedule 10 of the WHS Regulations provides further information on the
hazardous chemicals that are restricted or prohibited for use
Health and Safety Duties in Relation
to Hazardous Chemicals
• Designers, manufacturers, importers and suppliers of substances must
ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the substance they design,
manufacture, import or supply is without risks to health and safety. Under
the WHS Regulations, manufacturers and importers must:
•
correctly classify hazardous chemicals.
• prepare safety data sheets (SDS), the disclosure of ingredients, packing,
labelling and supply of hazardous chemicals
Health and Safety Duties in Relation
to Hazardous Chemicals
• The WHS Regulations include specific duties for a person conducting a
business or undertaking (PCBU) to manage the risks to health and safety
associated with using, handling, generating and storing hazardous chemicals at
a workplace
• Officers, such as company directors, have a duty to exercise due diligence to
ensure that the business or undertaking complies with the WHS Act and
Regulations. This includes taking reasonable steps to ensure that the business
or undertaking has and uses appropriate resources and processes to eliminate
or minimise risks that arise from hazardous chemicals at the workplace.
Duties: Officers
The duties include:
•
maintaining a register of hazardous chemicals
•
identifying risk of physical or chemical reaction of hazardous chemicals and ensuring
the stability of hazardous chemicals
•
ensuring that exposure standards are not exceeded
•
provision of health monitoring to workers if required
•
Provision of information, training, instruction and supervision to workers – and
records kept
•
provision of spill containment system for hazardous chemicals if necessary
•
obtaining the current Safety Data Sheet (SDS) from the manufacturer, importer or
supplier of the chemical
Duties: Officers (cont.)
•
ensuring chemicals are correctly labelled (remain labelled)
•
controlling ignition sources and accumulation of flammable and combustible
substances
•
provision and availability of fire protection, fire fighting equipment and emergency
and safety equipment
•
preparing an emergency plan if the quantity of a class of hazardous chemical at a
workplace exceeds the manifest quantity for that hazardous chemical
•
stability and support of containers for bulk hazardous chemicals including pipework
and attachments
•
decommissioning of underground storage and handling systems, and notifying the
regulator as soon as practicable of abandoned tanks in certain circumstances
Duties: Workers
Workers have a duty to:
• Follow health and safety instructions
• Follow safe work practices
• Take reasonable care for their own health and safety
• Take reasonable care that their actions do not adversely affect the health and
safety of others
• Participate in training and/or inductions
• Assist in identifying, assessing and managing risks
• Use appropriate safety systems, equipment and personal protective equipment
as required
Hazard Pictograms & Dangerous
Goods Class Labels
• There are 9 hazard pictograms in the GHS which represent the
physical, health and environmental hazards.
• When to use Hazard Pictograms or DG Class Labels?
– All decanted substances should have GHS hazard pictograms on label
– All transported substances (e.g. air, road, rail) must have DG Class Labels
• Users of chemicals must ensure they understand the meaning and use
of the GHS Hazard Pictograms and the DG Class labels.
Comparison of hazard pictograms
from the GHS & the corresponding
ADG Code class labels
Labels
• All chemical packages, containers, tanks or bulk stores must be clearly labelled
with the following information:
• The product identifier
• Proper shipping name and UN number (if chemical is dangerous goods)
• The contact details of manufacturer or importer
• Identity and proportion of each ingredient
• Any hazard pictogram or a dangerous goods class label (for transport)
• Any hazard statement, signal word and precautionary statement
• Any information about the hazards, first aid and emergency procedures
• Expiry date
Example of GHS labels
Product identifier
Ingredient proportions
Signal word
Hazard pictograms
Hazard statements
Precautionary statements
Supplier information
Labelling – Decanted Substances
• When a substance is decanted from the
original container and not used
immediately (or given to someone else),
the decanted container must have a
label which states:
– the product identifier (name)
– hazard pictogram or hazard statement
Labelling – Consumer Products
•
•
A hazardous chemical does not need to meet the labelling requirements under
the WHS Regulations if the chemical is a consumer product with the original label
on its container and if it is reasonably foreseeable that the hazardous chemical will
be used in the workplace only:
•
in a quantity that is consistent with consumer household use
•
in a way that is consistent with consumer household use, and
•
in a way that is incidental to the nature of the work carried out by a worker using
the chemical
Consumer products which do not meet the definition of a workplace hazardous
chemical and are covered by the SUSMP must comply with SUSMP labelling
requirements
SUSMP means the Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons, published by
the National Drugs and Poisons Schedule Committee as amended from time to time.
Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
• A Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is a chemical information sheet
provided by the manufacturer or supplier of chemicals
• It describes the identity, properties, uses, precautions for use
and safe handling procedures of a hazardous chemical
• A SDS must be readily available at each location where the
chemical is used
Safety Data Sheets (cont.)
• The supplier must provide the current safety data sheet for the
hazardous chemical when the chemical is first supplied to the
workplace and if the SDS is amended, when the hazardous chemical is
first supplied to the workplace after the SDS is amended
• A PCBU must obtain the safety data sheet (and any amended version)
for a hazardous chemical from the manufacturer, importer or supplier
no later than when the chemical is first supplied at the workplace or as
soon as practicable after it is first supplied but before it is used at the
workplace
Preparing a Register
• The register is a list of the product names of all hazardous chemicals
used, handled or stored at the workplace accompanied by the current SDS
(one that is not more than five years old) for each hazardous chemical
listed. It must be updated as new hazardous chemicals are introduced to
the workplace or when the use of a particular hazardous chemical is
discontinued.
• A PCBU must ensure that a register of hazardous chemicals at the
workplace is prepared and kept up-to-date. The register must be readily
accessible to workers involved in using, handling or storing
hazardous chemicals and to anyone else who is likely to be affected by a
hazardous chemical at the workplace.
Emergency Plan
• If the quantity of a Schedule 11 hazardous chemical used, handled,
generated or stored at a workplace exceeds the manifest quantity for
that hazardous chemical:
– the PCBU at the workplace must give a copy of an emergency plan in
relation to the workplace to a primary emergency service organisation
(SAMFS)
• If the primary emergency service organisation gives the person a written
recommendation about the content or effectiveness of the emergency
plan, the person must revise the plan in accordance with the
recommendation
http://www.mfs.sa.gov.au/site/community_safety/commercial/hazardous_chemicals_emergency_planning.jsp
www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/SWA/about/Publications/Documents/681/Placa
rd_manifest_requirements_WHS_Regs.pdf
Empty / Uncleaned containers
• If a container is not cleaned to a condition as if it had never
contained the hazardous chemical, then the container must be
labelled
• Any uncleaned containers must be included when calculating
placard and manifest quantities (mostly in the case of a liquid) –
quantity means the net capacity in litres of the container
Health Monitoring
Regs 368, 370 and 406, Schedule 14
• Health Monitoring is required to be performed if workers have a
significant risk health from ongoing exposure to any of the following
substances:
– MOCA, Acrylonitrile, Asbestos, Benzene, Cadmium, Creosote, Crystalline
Silica, Inorganic Arsenic, Inorganic Chromium, Inorganic Mercury,
Isocyanates, Organophosphate Pesticides, Lead, Polycyclic Aromatic
Hydrocarbons (PAH), Pentachlorophenol (PCP), Vinyl Chloride, Thallium
• Prohibited and Restricted Carcinogens if a valid technique is available.
Further help?
•
www.safework.sa.gov.au
•
ADG Code, class labels and publication information
www.ntc.gov.au/heavy-vehicles/safety/australian-dangerous-goods-code/
•
Labelling of Workplace Hazardous Chemicals Code of Practice
www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/swa/about/publications/pages/labelling-hazardous-chemicals-cop
•
Model Code of Practice: Preparation of Safety Data Sheets
www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/swa/about/publications/pages/safety-data-sheets-hazardous-chemicals-cop
•
Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice
http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/swa/about/publications/pages/managing-risks-of-hazardous-chemicalsin-the-workplace
•
GHS hazard pictograms for download
www.unece.org/trans/danger/publi/ghs/pictograms.html
•
GHS revision 3 – Official text and corrigenda:
www.unece.org/trans/danger/publi/ghs/ghs_welcome_e.html