A variety of hazardous chemicals are commonly found in the workplace. It's important to understand the substances that fall under this classification, as they can have an adverse effect on human health and cause harm to property and the environment.

Hazardous chemicals

Hazardous chemicals are substances that can cause adverse health effects such as poisoning, breathing problems, skin rashes, allergic reactions, allergic sensitisation, cancer, and other health problems from exposure.

Many hazardous chemicals are also classified as dangerous goods. These can cause fires, explosions, corrosion, and hazardous reactions if not handled safely.

Examples of hazardous chemicals include:

• paints
• drugs
• cosmetics
• cleaning chemicals
• degreasers
• detergents
• gas cylinders
• refrigerant gases
• pesticides
• herbicides
• diesel fuel
• petrol
• liquefied petroleum gas
• welding fumes
• asbestos
• flammable liquids
• gases
• corrosives
• chemically reactive or acutely (highly) toxic substances.

Find out more about the classification of workplace hazardous chemicals.

Also consider...

• Learn about safely managing hazardous chemicals in the workplace.
• Read more about specific hazardous chemicals.
• Find out more about keeping your workplace safe.
• Learn more about workplace hazardous chemicals.
• Read more about Queensland's work health and safety laws.

To keep your workplace safe, it is important that you understand what hazardous chemicals are and how to identify them.

Safety data sheets (SDS) and labels

Manufacturers and importers of hazardous chemicals are responsible for classifying hazardous chemicals and developing the product's container label and safety data sheet (SDS) that comply with the requirements of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.

Find out how to:

• prepare a SDS in the Queensland code of practice for the preparation of safety data sheets for hazardous chemicals 2021 (PDF, 1.8MB)
• prepare a label for a hazardous chemical container in the Queensland code of practice for labelling of workplace hazardous chemicals 2021 (PDF, 1.3MB).

Learn more about your obligations for preparing an SDS and labelling containers.

The SDS is a document that tells you what the chemical and physical properties of a material are. A SDS also provides advice on how to safely store, handle and dispose of hazardous chemicals. Included is information on what protective equipment to wear and what emergency procedures should be followed.

To identify if a substance is hazardous, check the product's container label and/or the SDS which is available from the supplier. If a product is not classified as a hazardous chemical under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, a SDS is not required and therefore may not be available. If you are unsure, always check with the product's supplier. The labels of hazardous chemicals usually contain the words 'danger' or 'warning', along with relevant pictograms and details of hazards.

Request a SDS from a supplier

If you use hazardous chemicals in your workplace, you must ensure a copy of the SDS is readily accessible to workers via a register. If you do not have a copy of the SDS, obtain the SDS from your supplier.

Find out more about labelling and SDS.

Supplier's obligations to prepare a SDS and correctly labelled containers

If you are a supplier of hazardous chemicals, the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 requires that you provide a SDS at first supply of the material, or on request, and ensure containers for hazardous chemical product's are correctly labelled. If you are the manufacturer or importer as well as the supplier, you have specific duties for each undertaking.

Also consider...

• Learn more about keeping your workplace safe.
• Find out more about safely managing hazardous chemicals in the workplace.
• Learn more about Queensland's work health and safety laws.

Once you have identified the hazardous chemicals in your workplace you should assess:

• the risks that may arise from their storage, handling and use
• the extent of the risk.

This will allow you to take appropriate risk control measures.

How to assess the risk of hazardous chemicals

The first step in assessing the risks of hazardous chemicals is to read the safety data sheet (SDS). The SDS provides information about the health hazards if it is breathed in, swallowed, or if there is contact with the skin or eyes. It also provides other hazard information such as whether it is flammable or toxic.

If a product does not have an SDS, and you suspect it is hazardous, you must request an SDS from your supplier.

To properly understand the risks involved with certain hazardous chemicals, you should consult all health and safety resources available to you, including Queensland's Work health, safety and workers' compensation services website.

Find out more about managing risks from hazardous chemicals in the Managing risks of hazardous chemicals in the workplace code of practice 2021 (PDF, 1.3MB).

Assess the extent of the risk and decide how to manage it

Once you have assessed what chemicals pose a safety risk in your workplace, you should:

• consider how significant the risk of exposure is
• check if anyone is being exposed to the hazardous chemical and might be
• • breathing in fumes or dust
  • swallowing them from contaminated hands or face
  • getting them on their skin or in their eyes
• consider how exposure to hazardous chemicals should be controlled
• consider the hazards for storage and handling, and how you might, for example, control ignition sources around flammable substances or ensure reactive chemicals do not interact
• decide if exposure monitoring or health monitoring is needed.

Create a risk management plan

Record your assessment for the risks and develop a risk management plan. Include information on what decisions should be made about the risks, including how they can be avoided and what safety measures should be used. You will need to update this plan regularly and make sure any new chemicals are included.

Find out more about work health and safety risk management, and read the How to manage work health and safety risks code of practice 2021 (PDF, 670KB) for risk management information.

Also consider...

• Learn more about Queensland's work health and safety laws.
• Read about managing hazchem risks.
• Find out more about risk management.
• Learn more about workplace hazardous chemicals on Safe Work Australia's website.

Once you have identified hazardous chemicals and assessed the risks, you must put controls in place to manage health and safety risks.

Eliminating and minimising risks

When controlling the risks of hazardous chemicals, your first strategy must always be to eliminate the hazard and associated risk. If this is not reasonably practicable, the risk must be minimised by using one or more of the following approaches:

• substitution
• isolation
• engineering controls.

Using administrative controls

If a risk still remains, it must be minimised with administrative controls (e.g. procedures, employee training, and signs and warning labels), so far as is reasonably practicable. Any remaining risk must be minimised with suitable personal protective equipment (PPE).

Administrative control measures and PPE rely on human behaviour and supervision and, when used on their own, tend to be the least effective ways of minimising risks.

Find out about the model code of practice for managing risks of hazardous chemical in the workplace.

Safety training

You have certain legal obligations when training your staff. Information on safety training should be included in any risk management plan that you develop.

Read Workplace Health and Safety Queensland's codes of practice for information on safety training practices for hazardous chemicals.

Also consider...

• Learn more about risk management.
• Find out more about keeping your workplace safe.
• Find out more about safely managing hazardous chemicals in the workplace.
• Learn more about workplace hazardous chemicals on the Safe Work Australia website.
• Read more about preparing and reporting workplace incidents.
• Get an overview of Queensland's work health and safety laws.

Emergencies and incidents

Find out what to do in an emergency and check if you need to report an incident.

Preventing emergencies

Preventing emergencies at your workplace caused by hazardous chemicals requires you to first control the associated risks.

You should also have an emergency plan in place, as not all emergencies can be predicted or prevented. An emergency plan will help you minimise the effects of an emergency by dealing with it quickly and strategically.

Develop an emergency plan

Knowing what to do in an emergency is an important aspect of any risk management plan. If your workplace has any hazardous chemicals, an emergency plan is vital - especially if it contains flammable chemicals and/or gas.

Developing an emergency plan includes preparing an incident response plan, developing evacuation plans/routes and testing your plan (e.g. with fire drills).

Find out more about emergency planning for hazardous chemicals.

Storage and transport

Remember that you should also include information about any storage or transport requirements for hazardous chemicals in your emergency plan.

Also consider...

• Learn more about risk management.
• Find out more about keeping your workplace safe.
• Find out more about safely managing hazardous chemicals in the workplace.
• Read more about preparing and reporting workplace incidents.
• Learn more about workplace hazardous chemicals on the Safe Work Australia website.
• Get an overview of Queensland's work health and safety laws.

Hazardous chemicals must be stored and transported carefully according to specific regulatory requirements covered by transport legislation, and work health and safety (WHS) legislation.

Employees and employers must understand these regulatory requirements, as they are both responsible for storing and transporting chemicals safely.

Storing hazardous chemicals

If hazardous chemicals are not stored correctly, they can lead to contamination, fires, spills, gas releases, and toxic exposures. Information for storing any hazardous material can be found on its safety data sheet (SDS). You must store the products in a location that incorporates the appropriate risk control measures.

While the SDS will provide information on the safe storage of the product, specific details on the layout, design and construction of a suitable storage system is available in relevant Australian Standards.

Storing hazardous chemicals safely

A number of general principles for the safe storage of hazardous chemicals include (but are not limited to):

• ensuring safe design, location and installation of storage and handling systems (e.g. racking systems, tanks)
• separate incompatible substances to prevent reactive chemicals interacting
• control potential ignition sources around flammable substances
• have appropriate safety signage and placards
• be prepared for spill containment and have clean up systems
• have emergency plans in place to deal with an incident involving the hazardous chemicals
• have the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and store it correctly (e.g. respirators sealed)
• have fire-fighting equipment that is easily accessible
• secure chemicals from unauthorised access.

Find out more about Managing risks of hazardous chemicals in the workplace – code of practice 2021 (PDF, 1.3MB) and managing hazardous chemical risks.

Transporting hazardous chemicals

Many chemicals are both hazardous chemicals under the WHS regulations and dangerous goods under the transport regulations, particularly those with acute physical hazards. The Australian dangerous goods code provides the necessary information on transporting hazardous chemicals and dangerous goods for all states and territories in Australia (except the Northern Territory).

Read more about the relationship between hazardous chemicals and dangerous goods and about transporting dangerous goods in Queensland.

Checklist for transporting hazardous chemicals

When transporting chemicals:

• avoid transporting with food, water or other reactive chemicals
• follow the separation and segregation rules for transporting mixed classes of hazardous chemicals (those classified as dangerous goods)
• secure hazardous chemicals on the vehicle so they can't move or fall
• keep a record of the chemicals you are carrying
• separate foodstuffs from chemicals
• make sure you have the required signs and equipment for the vehicle
• make sure the driver of the vehicle has the correct licence and is trained in emergency procedures.

Also consider...

• Learn more about transporting dangerous goods.
• Get an overview of Queensland's work health and safety laws.
• Read more about submitting notifications when using, handling or storing hazardous chemicals.