Dangerous Goods & Hazardous Substances

As the phrase indicates, dangerous goods and hazardous substances are materials that can cause serious harm to the health of humans and can cause property damage. Consequently their use is controlled through legislation, regulations and codes of practice. In fact there are some materials that are so risky that they are completely banned from any DEECD workplace.

Hazardous substances are classified on the basis of their health effects, both short and long term. They can enter the human body in a number of ways including through inhalation, skin contact or absorption. The level of subsequent risk depends upon both the substance itself and the nature of the work being done with it.

Dangerous goods can cause events such as explosion, fire, radiation, corrosion and toxicity in persons. They are easily recognisable by the diamond shaped sign displayed on the substance label. They are designated into nine categories according to their immediate physical or chemical effects.

All dangerous goods and hazardous substances must be accompanied by a Material Data Safety Sheet (MSDS) in order to understand how to manage the risks associated with their use. The MSDS will also provide:

fire fighting information;
storage requirements;

handling guidelines; and

spill management responses.

MSDSs can be obtained from the supplier of the material upon request or from the DEECD’s subscription to ChemWatch. The use and storage on site of hazardous substances or dangerous goods must be seriously considered through a structured and systematic risk assessment process which must be reviewed every five years or immediately following an incident.

The systematic risk assessment process considers such things as:

whether the material needs to be used at all;
the training needs of employees using the substances; and
the type of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as gloves, glasses, face masks etc may be required; storage requirements and spill management responses.

Where would these issues be relevant?

The kinds of DEECD locations and venues where hazardous substances and dangerous may be found can include:

Laboratories and photography dark rooms
Cleaner’s storeroom and maintenance sheds/rooms
Kitchen cupboards
Gas tanks
Art classes and store rooms
Technical class rooms

Please note that not all products used in the workplace would be classed as a hazardous substance. If you are unsure you can visit the Hazardous Substances Information System (HSIS) webpage. A comprehensive list of hazardous substances can be found in the List of Designated Hazardous Substances.

Examples of types of hazardous substances (depending on their concentration) include:

Acids
Caustic substances
Disinfectants
Agricultural type products
Solvents and thinners

What do you need to do?

Identify all dangerous goods and hazardous substances in the workplace in consultation with Health and Safety Representatives (HSR) and employees
Obtain and review MSDSs for each substance to determine the risk posed to employees
Refer to the OHS Risk Management Procedure and reduce risks to employees as far as possible
Record all such substances on the Dangerous Goods and Hazardous Substances Register and make the register available to all employees
Refer to the Segregation of Dangerous Goods chart to make sure safe storage of particular combinations of substances
Make sure emergency evacuation, safe containment and management procedures are in place for any dangerous goods stored and used on site
Develop safe working procedures and provide the necessary training for employees to comply with them
Investigate incidents, review risk controls and keep records of process for 5 years
Monitor and review the safety systems to make sure the risk is being adequately managed