Regulation overview
Australia: WHS Regulations and GHS Implementation
In Australia, workplace chemical hazard communication comes from the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulations, which most states and territories have adopted, and which implement the GHS. Suppliers must classify hazardous chemicals, label them and provide a safety data sheet, and businesses must keep sheets accessible, manage risks, keep a register of hazardous chemicals and train workers. Safe Work Australia develops the model laws and codes of practice.
Last updated by SDS Lookup
Who it applies to
The duties fall on persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) that manufacture, import, supply, store, handle or use hazardous chemicals, and on the workers themselves. Safe Work Australia develops the model WHS laws, but each state and territory enacts and enforces its own legislation. Most jurisdictions have adopted the model laws, while Victoria has its own occupational health and safety legislation with similar requirements, so check the law of the jurisdiction where you operate. Industrial chemical introduction and registration is a separate scheme administered by the Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS), which replaced the earlier NICNAS scheme.
What it requires for SDSs and labels
- Classification of chemicals according to the GHS as implemented in the model WHS Regulations. Australia has moved through successive GHS revisions with transitional periods; check which revision applies in your jurisdiction.
- Labels on containers of hazardous chemicals, with product identifier, pictograms, signal word, hazard statements and precautionary statements, plus supplier identification. Labels must be in English.
- Safety data sheets from manufacturers and importers, in the 16-section GHS format, provided to the persons who are supplied with the chemical and kept current. The regulations require manufacturers and importers to review the sheet at least once every five years and amend it whenever necessary to keep the information correct and current.
- Register of hazardous chemicals. The PCBU must keep a register of hazardous chemicals used, handled or stored at the workplace, with the current SDS for each.
- Risk management. Identify hazards, assess risks and apply the hierarchy of control; exposure standards are published by Safe Work Australia. See reading exposure limits.
- Information, training and supervision for workers who handle hazardous chemicals.
Codes of practice, including one on the preparation of safety data sheets and another on the labelling of workplace hazardous chemicals, give practical guidance.
Dangerous goods and transport
Transport of dangerous goods is dealt with in the Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road and Rail (ADG Code), which is based on the UN Model Regulations. Section 14 of the sheet should align with it. See IATA DGR and IMDG for the international modal rules and the US DOT regulations for comparison.
Key differences versus OSHA HazCom
- Structure. Model laws adopted by each state and territory, versus a single federal standard with optional state plans.
- Register. A register of hazardous chemicals with SDSs is an explicit duty, while HazCom requires a list in the written program.
- SDS review. Manufacturers and importers must review sheets at least once every five years; HazCom has no fixed review interval and uses a three-month trigger for new information.
- Environmental classes. The WHS laws focus on workplace health and safety, so environmental hazard classification is outside the scope of the WHS Regulations although SDS Section 12 is still expected on GHS-style sheets.
- Exposure standards. Workplace exposure standards come from Safe Work Australia, which differ from OSHA PELs.
- Category choices. Australia adopted the GHS building blocks it wanted, which differ from OSHA's selection.
Practical points
- Check that the supplier's sheet is an Australian version with local contact details, an emergency number reachable from Australia and Australian regulatory information.
- Keep the register in sync with your inventory.
- Remember that sheets prepared for the US may use OSHA limits; Australian workplace exposure standards apply on Australian sites.
- See UN GHS for the underlying system.
Frequently asked questions
Does Australia use the GHS?
Yes. The model WHS Regulations implement the GHS for workplace hazardous chemicals, with transitional arrangements as new revisions are adopted.
Do Australian SDSs need to be reviewed regularly?
Yes. Manufacturers and importers must review the sheet at least once every five years and amend it whenever necessary to keep it correct and current.
What is a register of hazardous chemicals?
A list kept by the business of hazardous chemicals at the workplace, with the current SDS for each, required under the WHS Regulations.
Who regulates chemicals in Australia?
Safe Work Australia develops the model laws, state and territory WHS regulators enforce them, and AICIS regulates the introduction of industrial chemicals.