1. Managing Risks with Chemicals

2. Chemicals can be divided into hazardous chemicals and non-hazardous chemicals:
Hazardous chemicals is a term that collectively describes substances, mixtures or articles which are classified according to the hazard they present.
A chemical’s hazardous nature is stated on its label and safety data sheet.
Specific legislation applies to hazardous chemicals but all chemicals need to be managed safely at your workplace.
Non-hazardous chemicals generally do not represent a threat to the health and safety of employees if used correctly and safely.
Chemical is a general term that includes substances, products, mixtures and preparations composed of elements, compounds or mixtures. Chemicals may exist as solids, liquid or gases. Such chemical products may be classed as hazardous or non-hazardous, or as dangerous goods depending on their potential to cause harm to workers, the environment or property.
What are hazardous chemicals? A hazardous chemical (also known as a hazardous substance) is a substance, mixture or article that satisfies the criteria for a hazard class within either the AC Classification system (the original system in the OSH regulations 1996) or the Globally Harmonised System for Classification and Labelling of Chemicals 3rd revised edition (GHS). Hazardous chemical classes are listed in Schedule 11 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011.
What are non-hazardous chemicals? Chemicals that are not classified as hazardous chemicals are referred to as non-hazardous chemicals. Non-hazardous chemicals generally do not represent a threat to the health and safety of employees and others provided that they are used for the purpose specified and in the manner specified. Nevertheless, there is still a duty for the safe management of non-hazardous chemicals in the workplace under the WHS Regulation 2011.

3. Dangerous Goods
Hazardous chemicals are those that, following worker exposure, can have an adverse effect on health.
They are classified according to the nature of the hazard into nine classes (Explosives, Gases, Flammable Liquids, Flammable Solids, Oxidizing Substances, Toxic & Infectious Substances, Radioactive Material, Corrosives, Miscellaneous Dangerous Goods), some of which are divided into sub-classes. These classes are denoted by specific labels (or diamonds).
What are dangerous goods? Dangerous goods describe certain substances, mixtures or articles that present a risk during transport, either through their physical and chemical (physicochemical) hazards, acute toxicity or hazards to the environment. They are classified on the basis of immediate physical or chemical risk and usually present an immediate hazard to people, property or the environmentdue to the possibility of fire, explosion, chemical reaction or release of toxic, flammable or corrosive materials during storage or handling.
In Australia and Queensland prior to 2012 chemicals were classified as hazardous chemicals or dangerous goods according to different criteria. About 95% of chemicals were classified as both dangerous goods and hazardous chemicals and were subject to both sets of laws wherever there was an overlap between the two groups.
Under new Queensland laws (the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011), chemicals are now classified as hazardous chemicals in line with the GHS. Further to this, the Dangerous Goods Safety Management Act 2001 has been repealed and is now covered in Chapter 7 of the WHS Regulation Dangerous goods classifications now apply to the transport, placarding and segregation of chemicals only.

4. Responsibilities- Officer in Charge
Officers in charge are to ensure that:
Risks of exposure to chemicals are controlled
Information, instruction and training are provided – and records kept
Resources and time are provided to support the safe management of chemicals
Safe work practices are developed and implemented
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are made available to users
A register of hazardous chemicals is maintained
Risk assessments on hazardous chemicals are recorded and reviewed
Hazardous chemicals are labelled
Prohibited chemicals are not purchased or used
Departmental supervisors and managers have duties to ensure that the health and safety of themselves, their staff and any other persons (such as students and volunteers) is not affected by the use of hazardous chemicals in the workplace.

5. Responsibilities – Workers & Others
As a worker you are required to:
Follow health and safety instructions
Follow safe work practices
Take reasonable care for your own health and safety
Take reasonable care that your actions do not adversely affect the health and safety of others
Participate in training
Assist in identifying, assessing and managing risks
Use appropriate equipment and personal protective equipment
Not purchase or use prohibited chemicals.
Workers at a workplace have responsibilities to comply with any reasonable instruction and co-operate with any reasonable policy or procedure relating to health and safety in the workplace with respect to hazardous chemicals.
Contractors, visitors and students also have workplace health and safety responsibilities with respect to hazardous chemicals.

6. Implementation Locate chemicals in your workplace:
Determine if they are ‘hazardous’ or ‘non-hazardous’
by accessing the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and labels
For ALL chemicals –
ensure correct labelling
follow safety instructions on label and MSDS
inform users of correct use, storage and disposal
In addition, for hazardous chemicals –
ensure the MSDS is accessible
add details of the hazardous chemicals to the register
complete and record a risk assessment
Provide information and training to ensure safe practice
Keep records of training, register, risk assessments.
Labelling of chemicals is a critical issue because it is the most visible hazard communication tool. The label is often the first source of information alerting users to the inherent hazards of a chemical and any instructions for its safe storage, handling and use.
In the workplace, you must:
ensure that any hazardous chemical that is used, handled or stored at the workplace is correctly labelled (i.e. a label, so far as reasonably practicable, accurately reflects the hazardous contents is fixed to the container);
ensure that a hazardous chemical is correctly labelled if the chemical is ‘manufactured’ at the workplace (a dilution or reactant); or transferred or decanted from the chemical’s original container at the workplace; and
ensure that containers that are labelled for holding a hazardous chemical are used only for the use, handling or storage of the hazardous chemical.
Specific labelling requirements for decanted and transferred chemicals, research chemicals, small containers, and waste are discussed in detail in Chapter 4 of the Guideline.

7. What is a MSDS? A Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS):
identifies if the product is classified as ‘hazardous’ or ‘non-hazardous’
helps make an assessment of the risk to the health of people at your workplace from chemical exposure
provides safe use advice including recommended control options
provides emergency information including first aid advice and spills treatment
A Safety Data Sheet (SDS; previously known as a material safety data sheet (MSDS)), is a document that provides information on the properties of a chemical. If a chemical’s hazards and consequences of exposure are known and understood, then appropriate measures can be taken so they can be stored, handled and used safely.
If an SDS identifies a chemical as ‘hazardous’ then risk assessments and registers are to be completed and maintained
An SDS therefore helps you to safely manage hazardous chemicals in the workplace.
An SDS must:
be written in English
contain measurements in Australian legal units (e.g. mL, L, cm3)
state the date it was last reviewed, or if it has not been reviewed, the date it was prepared.
state the name, Australian address and business telephone number of (i) the manufacturer or (ii) the importer
SDS formats are standardised to communicate hazard information in a structured way. An SDS must contain the following information about the chemical:
Section 1 - Identification- Product identifier and chemical identity
Section 2 - Hazard(s) identification
Section 3 - Composition and information on ingredients
Section 4 - First-aid measures
Section 5 - Fire-fighting measures
Section 6 - Accidental release measures
Section 7 - Handling and storage, including how the chemical may be safely used
Section 8 - Exposure controls and personal protection
Section 9 - Physical and chemical properties
Section 10 - Stability and reactivity
Section 11 - Toxicological information
Section 12 - Ecological information
Section 13 - Disposal considerations
Section 14 - Transport information
Section 15 - Regulatory information
Section 16 - Any other relevant information

8. What is GHS?
The Globally Harmonized System (GHS) is an international approach to chemical labels and safety data sheets (SDS).
OSHA’s Hazard Communication standard has adopted the GHS to improve safety and health of workers through more effective communications on chemical hazards.

9. Labeling
Every container of hazardous chemicals is labeled by the manufacturer.
Labels make it easy to find at a glance the chemical’s possible hazards and basic steps to take to protect yourself against those risks.

10. Requirements of a GHS Label

11. Pictograms
A symbol plus a red diamond border intended to convey specific information about the hazards of a chemical.
4 Health Hazard Pictograms
5 Physical Hazard Pictograms

12. Health Hazard Pictogram- Corrosion
Skin Corrosion/Burns
Eye Damage

13. Health Hazard Pictogram- Exclamation Mark
Irritant (skin and eye)
Skin Sensitizer
Acute Toxicity
Narcotic Effects
Respiratory Tract Irritant
Hazardous to Ozone Layer (non-mandatory)

14. Health Hazard Pictogram- Health Hazard
Carcinogen
Mutagen
Reproductive Toxicity
Respiratory Sensitizer
Target Organ Toxicity
Aspiration Toxicity

15. Health Hazard Pictogram- Skull & Crossbones
Acute Toxicity (fatal or toxic)

16. Physical Hazard Pictogram- Flame
Flammables
Pyrophorics
Self-Heating
Emits Flammable Gas
Self-Reactives
Organic Peroxides

17. Physical Hazard Pictogram- Flame Over Circle
Oxidizer –
a substance that is not necessarily combustible, but may, generally by yielding oxygen, cause or contribute to the combustion of other material

18. Physical Hazard Pictogram- Gas Cylinder
Gases under pressure

19. Physical Hazard Pictogram- Exploding Bomb
Explosives
Self-Reactives
Organic Peroxides

20. Physical Hazard Pictogram- Corrosion
Corrosive to Metals

21. Non-mandatory Pictogram- Environment
Aquatic Toxicity

22. Signal Words “Danger” – more severe hazards
“Warning” – less severe hazards

23. HMIS/NFPA Labeling Systems
Blue - Health
Red – Flammability
Yellow – Reactivity
White – Protective Equipment and Other
Scale 0-4
0 = no danger
4 = highest danger

24. Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
SDS are multi-page documents that contain more detailed information about a chemical than the container label.
The revised HazCom standard requires that the information on the SDS is presented using consistent headings in a specific order.

25. Safety Data Sheets
Detailed information sheet prepared by manufacturer or importer
Available for every hazardous chemical or substance
Contains information that:
Enables you to prepare for safe day-to-day use
Enables you to respond in emergencies

26. 16-Section SDS Format Identification Hazard(s) Identification
Composition/Information on Ingredients
First-Aid Measures
Fire-Fighting Measures
Accidental Release Measures
Handling and Storage
Exposure Controls/Personal Protection

27. 16-Section SDS Format Physical and Chemical Properties
Stability and Reactivity
Toxicological Information
Ecological Information
Disposal Considerations
Transport Information
Regulatory Information
Other Information

28. Location of SDS In your work area
Your supervisor will inform you of the specific location
Office of Environmental Safety and Health

29. Some effective controls
We can eliminate or minimise the risk of injury or illness by preventing chemicals entering our body or reducing our exposure:
Chemicals can only enter our body by
Effective controls
Inhalation
e.g. breathing in vapours, particles or gases
Good ventilation, face masks
Ingestion
e.g. swallowing residues after failing to wash hands after using chemicals and before eating
Wash hands after use, gloves
Absorption
e.g. through the skin or eyes
Good ventilation, eye protection and other PPE
Injection
e.g. unintentional skin penetration by needles or other sharp objects
Use tongs, gloves, handle items with care
More information about chemical exposure can be found in Appendix 2a of the Guideline