Hazardous chemicals

All workplaces must manage health and safety risks associated with the use, storage and handling of hazardous chemicals.

For mine and petroleum sites, hazardous chemicals are regulated under provisions outlined in Chapter 7 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017, in addition to the Work Health and Safety (Mines and Petroleum Sites) Act 2013 and the Work Health and Safety (Mines and Petroleum Sites) Regulation 2025.

Duties relating to hazardous chemicals

Some of the duties relating to hazardous chemicals include:

• ensuring all hazardous chemicals are labelled and classified under the Globally Harmonised System (GHS)
• obtaining current safety data sheets prior to use of the hazardous chemical and providing them to workers, emergency services personnel or anyone who requests the information
• ensuring the chemical is always labelled correctly, including if it is in pipework or decanted
• keeping an accessible, up-to-date register that lists all hazardous chemicals used, stored or handled onsite
• if required under Schedule 11, keeping a manifest of hazardous chemicals including the type, quantity and location of chemicals, in addition to a site plan and contact details for emergency services. For further information please see Schedule 12 and the Fire and Rescue NSW website
• submitting emergency plans to the primary emergency services organisation (Fire and Rescue NSW) where manifest quantities of hazardous chemicals are stored at the mine
• written notification to the Resources Regulator where a quantity of a Schedule 11 hazardous chemical, or group of Schedule 11 hazardous chemicals, exceeds the manifest quantity. This notification must be made via the NSW Resources Portal
• display of placards and warning signs if hazardous chemicals exceed the placard quantity
• management of risks to health and safety associated with handling, generating or storing hazardous chemicals
• identifying potential physical or chemical reactions and ensure chemical stability to reduce the risk of hazards arising from changes
• protecting hazardous chemicals and infrastructure from damage and management of spills and leaks
• the provision of emergency equipment and plans are risk-appropriate, maintained, and immediately accessible the provision of fire protection systems that are designed and built for site specific hazardous chemicals, tested regularly, and kept fully operational implementation of dedicated storage and handling systems and associated relevant training  
• ensuring stable foundations for chemical infrastructure, secured supports, and prevention of movement or damage and appropriate decommissioning of unused infrastructure
• health monitoring by a registered medical practitioner for workers exposed to certain hazardous chemicals (Schedule 14), and reporting of results
• appropriate supervision for anyone likely to be exposed to hazardous chemicals.

Schedule 11 notifications

Schedule 11 hazardous chemicals notifications must be completed on the NSW Resources Portal. The fact sheet outlines how and when a notification must be made and what information must be submitted with the notification.

Further information and codes of practice

Further information on duties relating to hazardous chemicals, including specific codes of practice, is available from the SafeWork NSW website.

Emergency plans

For mines and petroleum sites storing in excess of the manifest quantities in Schedule 11 of the WHS Regulation 2025, emergency information must be kept in a place determined in agreement with the primary emergency service organisation (Fire and Rescue NSW) at the site, and a copy of the emergency plan must also be submitted.  

See the Fire Rescue NSW website for more details, including guidelines for: 

• hazardous materials manifest
• emergency services information packages and tactical fire plans.