Jump to Content

Hazardous Substances and Dangerous Goods Management

Purpose

This procedure requires the recording of all substances, non-hazardous, hazardous and dangerous. It outlines the requirements for the management of hazardous substances and dangerous goods in the workplace to minimise affects on health and safety from exposure and to reduce the impact on the environment. The procedure relates to all University staff and to students conducting research with substances.

Definitions

Carcinogenic – capable of causing cancer.

Class label – the label illustrating the class allocated to a substance under the Australian Dangerous Goods (ADG) Code1.

Dangerous Goods – is a hazardous substance that is defined by the Dangerous Substances Act, 1979, to be dangerous. Dangerous goods are classified on the basis of immediate physical or chemical effects that may impact on people, property or the environment – explosive, flammable, corrosive, chemically reactive, highly combustible, acutely toxic, radioactive or infectious.

Dangerous goods class – is the class allocated to a substance under the ADG Code1.

Designated Hazardous Substance – are hazardous substances that are:

  1. listed on Australian Safety and Compensation Council (ASCC) list of Designated Hazardous Substances or
  2. determined to be a hazardous substance by the manufacturer or importer of the substance on the basis of the ASCC Approved Criteria for Classifying Hazardous Substances.

Hazard – is the potential to cause injury or illness.

Hazardous Substance – is a substance that contains ingredients that may be harmful to health in the medium or long term. This includes substances that are lethal and non-lethal - corrosive, toxic, irritant, sensitising, mutagenic, teratogenic or carcinogenic. The concentration level of each ingredient in a mixture is taken into account in determining whether the mixture as a whole is determined to be hazardous.

Label – is a set of information on a container which identifies the substance in the container and identifies whether the substance is hazardous and provides basic information about the safe use and handling of the substance.

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) – are information sheets that provide technical information in relation to substances. These sheets are obtained directly from the manufacturer or through the University ChemWatch MSDS database. Be aware of the possible differences between the manufacturer’s and generic MSDS’s.

Mutagenic – able to produce a mutation (changes to the genetic material).

Risk – the probability (likelihood) of harm or damage occurring from exposure to a hazard, and the likely consequences of that harm or damage.

Teratogenic – able to produce abnormalities in a developing foetus, that is causing birth defects.

Roles and Responsibilities

Line Managers and supervisors are responsible for:

Staff are responsible for:

Students conducting research with substances are responsible for:

Procedure

1. Training

All staff and research students with potential for exposure to hazardous substances or a dangerous goods and those supervising others using hazardous substances or dangerous goods shall as a minimum requirement complete the University’s online learning programs and be provided with the information/instruction as outlined in the standard operating procedure (SOP) for the task or process in which the hazardous substances or dangerous goods are used.

Risk assessments of dangerous goods and hazardous substances are to be carried out by staff trained in hazardous substance management principles.

2. Purchase of Hazardous Substances

Prior to purchasing any hazardous substance or dangerous goods, consideration will be given to the possibility of using a substance with less risk. The Purchasing and OHSW procedure is to be followed prior to any purchase including completion of form OHSW79 - Pre-purchase Checklist, Design, Plant and Substances.

On receipt of any substance staff are to ensure that all measures are in place to control any identified risks.

3. Risk Assessment

For any process using hazardous substances or dangerous goods a risk assessment must be undertaken and recorded prior to the commencement of the hazardous substance process. For a substance to be used form OHSW12 – Chemical Process Risk Identification and Assessment must be completed in consultation with relevant staff. In addition, external experts may be utilised depending on the complexity of the substance and/or the process.

The steps in the risk assessment process are:

  1. Perform a simple and obvious risk assessment on all substances to be used by reviewing the information contained in the MSDS or ChemWatch. This provides information on the handling and use of the particular substance and also identifies whether it is classed as a hazardous substance. If no MSDS is available refer to the list of hazardous substances published by Worksafe Australia.

    If the risk assessment shows that any risk can be, or is already, controlled in accordance with the MSDS (or the equivalent information about precautions for use and safe handling), then the risk assessment is complete and is to be noted in the Substances Register. A more detailed risk assessment is required where the risks are assessed to be significant and require control.
  2. All processes that involve the use of substances are to have a risk assessment, except as outlined below for researchers who maintain laboratory workbooks or similar, form OHSW12 is to be used to assess the risks and any required controls must be based upon the hierarchy of controls in the form. All control measures are to be implemented prior to the process being undertaken.

    Risk assessments are to be reviewed in the event of a change of process, a change to plant or a substance, new information regarding the hazards or inadequate exposure control being identified and new or improved controls becoming reasonably practicable. As a minimum all risk assessments must be reviewed every 5 years.

    Researchers who maintain a workbook or similar, that is periodically reviewed by a supervisor, may do an initial assessment in the workbook based upon form OHSW 12A - Initial Risk Assessment for Laboratory Procedures by Researchers using Substances which is to be attached in the workbook: The assessment must be available for inspection.
  3. All risk assessments are to be provided to the work areas nominated document control person who will update the Substance Register.
  4. Generic risk assessments can be undertaken for processes which are performed on a regular basis using similar substances. These risk assessments are to be kept in a section of the substances register that relate to the work area.

Situations where:

a more detailed risk assessment might involve obtaining additional information about health hazards, a thorough evaluation of the work to determine potential exposures (including monitoring where appropriate), and the examination or testing of existing control measures.

Note: If atmospheric monitoring is required, it must to be carried out by an appropriately qualified person (or competent person depending on the complexity of the task) and the data must be recorded and kept for a period of not less than 30 years.

4. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS’s)

MSDS’s are required for all chemicals that are deemed hazardous by ASCC. MSDS’s must be obtained for all chemicals in use or stored.

The MSDS’s must:

A manufacturer’s copy of the MSDS is held by ChemWatch, it provides a more detailed MSDS. Where the ChemWatch program is not immediately accessible, it is required that hard copy MSDS’s are available.

Where hard copy MSDS’s are used the ChemWatch program encompasses a “sort” facility that enables MSDS’s to be printed on coloured paper to indicated the degree of hazard (most hazardous RED - ORANGE -YELLOW - BLUE least hazardous).

The manufacturer’s MSDS must be updated every five years and is obtained from the supplier. ChemWatch provides an update service every three months. The manufacturer’s copy of the MSDS is held on file by ChemWatch and can be provided by OHSW Services.

Contracts for the supply of hazardous substances to the University must include provision for the supplier to supply the appropriate MSDS and must notify the University of any changes in the formulation of the product.

5. Substances Register

All University workplaces are to maintain substance registers for all hazardous and non-hazardous substances used or produced in any process including closed systems by using form OHSW10 - Substances Register or similar. If the ChemWatch program is not readily accessible the local work area must maintain a current hard copy of all relevant MSDS’s.

This register should include the dangerous goods by class as well as the maximum quantities and the location where the goods will be stored.

The register must be current at all times and must be updated when new substances are introduced.

6. Emergency Dangerous Goods Manifest

The principal purpose of form OHSW78 - Emergency Dangerous Goods Manifest, is to provide emergency services with information about the quantity, type and location of dangerous goods stored and handled on premises. This enables emergency services to respond appropriately if called to an emergency.

The manifest should be located within ready access of emergency personnel taking into account that they should not be in an area which may become inaccessible due to the associated risk.

7. Labelling

All containers containing any substance must be labelled appropriately. MSDS’s will provide the information required for labelling and ChemWatch will produce a range of labels suitable for drums, winchesters and small bottles. When a substance is not covered by an up-to-date risk assessment in the process in which it is to be used, then it is to be labelled ‘prohibited for use’ and stored appropriately until a risk assessment is completed and any risk control measures implemented.

Below are the general guidelines as per the Approved Code of Practice for the Labelling of Workplace Substances

The label on a hazardous substance should draw the attention of an employee, who is handling or using the substance, to the significant hazards involved. It should take into account all the hazards which are likely to occur during the use of the substance.

7.1 Containers with a capacity of more than 500 ml(g)

Labels on workplace hazardous substance containers of more than 500 ml(g) capacity should include the following:

  • signal word(s) and/or dangerous goods Class and subsidiary risk label(s) (where applicable);
    • identification information:
    • product name,
    • chemical name,
    • United Nations (UN) Number (where required by the ADG Code1), and
    • ingredients and formulation details (where relevant);
  • risk phrase(s);
  • directions for use (where appropriate);
  • safety phrase(s);
  • first aid procedures;
  • emergency procedures;
  • details of manufacturer or importer;
  • expiry date (where relevant); and
  • reference to the MSDS.

7.2 Containers with a capacity of 500 ml(g) or less

If the container has insufficient space to include all the relevant information needed and for it to remain distinguishable the following guidelines apply.

Labels on workplace hazardous substance containers of 500 ml(g) capacity or less should include the following:

  • signal word(s) and/or dangerous goods Class and subsidiary risk label(s) (where applicable);
  • product name;
  • chemical name;
  • risk phrase(s) (at least the most significant phrase(s));
  • safety phrase(s) (at least the most significant phrase(s));
  • first aid procedures;
  • details of manufacturer or importer; and
  • reference to the MSDS.

Where a container of a hazardous substance is so small that this information cannot be provided on the actual container, the container should be labelled with at least:

  • signal word(s) and/or the dangerous goods Class and subsidiary risk label(s) (where applicable);
  • the product name; and
  • details of the manufacturer or importer.

In these circumstances, consideration should be given to other methods of providing additional information, such as on outer packaging or on leaflets. Alternative packaging can be used to give maximum clarity to the information and allow the full set of information to be supplied.

8. Transportation

Hazardous substances and dangerous goods that are to be transported must comply with containment and packaging guidelines laid down in the Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road & Rail and, where applicable, IATA Regulations this code only applies if Dangerous goods are moved outside of the premises. Winchesters must be transported around the University in a carrier or foam box.

9. Storage

All hazardous substances and dangerous goods must be kept in secure storage facilities. The doors are to be kept locked except when there is a staff member present who has been assigned the responsibility of accessing this facility. Any substance to be removed from this facility is to undergo a simple risk assessment, taking into consideration information regarding the safe use and handling of the substance.

Additional information on chemical storage is available on form OHSW11 - Guide for Storage of Hazardous Substances. Further information is also available at the University Research Ethics and Safety website.

10. Disposal

Information contained within MSDS’s are to be referred to and considered when determining the most appropriate means of disposal. All substances no longer required are to be removed from the workplace by a licensed operator for disposal, as per Environment Protection Authority (EPA) guidelines. http://www.epa.sa.gov.au/

11. Research with Biohazardous Chemicals/Agents

The use of all hazardous substances and dangerous goods used for research must be assessed to identify potential hazards to health and safety.

University Research Policy RES-5.1 requires that research involving the use of toxic substances or potential biological hazards must be approved by the University Chemical and Biological hazards Committee for work involving:

All research applications involving chemicals and processes must include a full risk assessment using form OHSW12– Chemical Process Risk Identification and Assessment

Performance Measures

Additional Information

The following documents, including Australian Standards and Regulations provide additional and specific information. These should be accessed as appropriate to determine control measures:

Australian/New Zealand Standards -Safety in laboratories series

Documents/Forms

References

Revised: 1 June 2007

Download Adobe Reader

top^