Chemical Registers

It is important for workplaces to know the types of chemicals that are located on their premises, as well as the quantities present and where they are stored. Chemical registers and manifests are required to assist workplaces to monitor and manage these chemicals. You are correct that it is the quantities of certain chemicals that determine whether a register or manifest is required. Safe Work Australia have produced a very helpful factsheet concerning this topic see http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/SWA/about/Publications/Documen...

Chemical Register:

A chemical register is an inventory of hazardous chemicals that are used, handled and stored at a workplace. In order to produce a chemical register, a chemical stocktake is usually carried out in all areas of the workplace. The Work Health and Safety Act and Regulations 2011 states that a hazardous chemical register needs to be produced and kept up to date. It must be readily accessible to all staff and be available in the event of an emergency. The minimum information that a chemical register should contain according to the WHS Regulation is a list of all the hazardous substances in a workplace and SDSs for all the hazardous substances listed.

Chemical Manifest:

A manifest is more detailed than a chemical register and is only required where hazardous chemicals, that are also classified as dangerous goods^##, are present at the workplace and where their quantities exceed certain amounts. You must prepare a manifest if 'any Schedule 11 hazardous chemicals are above the prescribed limits’ (see Appendix D of the Safe Work Australia ‘Managing risks of hazardous chemicals in the workplace – Code of Practice’, July 2014²). In the event of an emergency at a workplace, manifests are intended to inform emergency services personnel of the amount, location and types of chemicals that they may be dealing with. Compared with the requirements for a register, a manifest will contain additional information such as the Australian Dangerous Goods (ADG) classes, ADG packing group, size of containers and the location on the worksite.

Recommendations for school science areas

It is a legal requirement for all workplaces, including schools, to produce a hazardous chemical register, which is reviewed annually and is available to all staff. It is also a legal requirement that your school should have a chemical manifest, if your school has hazardous chemicals that exceed the specified limits. This requirement can also be used to determine if a licence is required to hold the hazardous chemicals in the exceeded limits.

The majority of schools do not store anywhere near the quantity of dangerous goods requiring a chemical manifest. Exceptions may be schools with large quantities of dangerous goods, for example schools with LPG tanks with a capacity of 5000 L or more, or manifest quantities of other hazardous chemicals, such as swimming pool chlorine.

Science ASSIST recommends for school science areas, that the chemical register contains a complete list of all the chemicals that are stored and used. This is a good source of information for science staff and is helpful for the management of the chemicals.

When producing a chemical register Science ASSIST recommends the following information is included:

Items to include	Reason for inclusion
Chemical name	required by WHS Regulations
Manufacturer/supplier	to know where to source the Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
SDS available and date issued	required by WHS Regulations
Hazardous nature of the chemical Yes/No	to indicate its hazardous nature
A note that a risk assessment is available	required by some jurisdictions**
Location of each chemical	to know where it is stored
Quantity of each chemical	to know how much you have for stocktake/security purposes
ADG class(es)	to help with storage and segregation required by some jurisdictions**
Packing Group	required by some jurisdictions**
Poison schedule	required by some jurisdictions**
GHS classification	to help with GHS labelling requirements
Signal word	to help with GHS labelling requirements
Additional optional inclusions
CAS Number	For unambiguous identification of the chemical Recommended by some jurisdictions
UN number	Useful for when labelling chemical waste Recommended by some jurisdictions
Chemical formula
Size of container
Date of purchase

This register will then provide:

documentation that is required by law;
a check of the type and quantity of all chemicals stored;
a check that a current SDS is available for each chemical;
a check that chemicals are stored and segregated properly;
a check that chemicals are labelled correctly.

As part of a chemical management system, the register can be produced and maintained as an electronic spreadsheet (e.g. MS Excel or by using an online chemical inventory database such as Chemwatch Gold FFX or ChemAlert). Additional information may be included, but may make the spreadsheet difficult to manage.

It is also a good idea to keep a printed copy in the area where the chemicals are generally used.

A good source of information that may help in the development of a chemical register is the Science ASSIST List of recommended chemicals for science in Australian schools resource.

The chemical register should be:

updated when new chemicals are purchased or disposed of, or their location changes; and
reviewed annually to ensure all information is current.

State specific information

**Notes for jurisdictions not under the WHS:

It is important to confirm with your jurisdiction the requirements for your chemical registers.

Both Victoria and WA have a requirement to note the hazardous nature of the chemical as well as the provision of a risk assessment.

For some state-specific information see the following links.

Qld: See https://education.qld.gov.au/health/pdfs/healthsafety/navigating-chemical-guideline.pdf andhttp://ppr.det.qld.gov.au/corp/hr/workplace/Pages/Managing-Risks-with-Ch...(DETE)-Workplaces.aspx [updated link 14 June 2019]

SA: See https://myintranet.learnlink.sa.edu.au/library/document-library/procedure/hr/health-and-safety/hazards/hazardous-chemicals.pdf (login required)

Vic: See http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/management/Pages/chemica...

WA: See http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/worksafe/hazardous-substances-faqs

^## Dangerous goods are substances that have been classified as dangerous goods in the Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road and Rail (ADG Code). For more information on dangerous goods see http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/swa/whs-information/hazardous-chemicals/dangerous-goods/pages/hazardous-substances and https://infrastructure.gov.au/transport/australia/dangerous/dg_code_7e.aspx

References:

¹ NSW Department of Education and Communities ‘Chemical Safety in Schools (CSIS)’ resource package. NSW DEC website https://education.nsw.gov.au/ DEC Intranet, login required.

² Safe Work Australia ‘Managing risks of hazardous chemicals in the workplace – Code of Practice’, July 2014, NSW WorkCover website http://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/52155/SW08838... (link changed April 2018)

‘Hazardous chemicals register fact sheet’ Safe Work Australia website. http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/SWA/about/Publications/Documen... (Accessed August 2015)

WorkCover NSW http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/

Work Health and Safety Act 2011: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2014C00471

Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2015C00519

Work Health and Safety Codes of Practice 2011: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2011L02804