Hazardous Substances Management

Know Your Hazards. Control Your Risks. Protect Your People and Your Licence.

Hazardous substances – chemicals, materials and compounds that have the potential to cause harm to human health through exposure – are present in virtually every industrial and commercial workplace.

Managing them effectively requires more than a Safety Data Sheet folder and a chemical register. It demands systematic identification, rigorous assessment of exposure potential, evidence-based control selection and documented compliance with an increasingly complex regulatory framework.

RED OHMS Group provides hazardous substances management services that span the full lifecycle of chemical hazard management – from identifying what is present and assessing who may be exposed, to preparing regulatory-compliant Safety Data Sheets and developing management plans that satisfy both your internal governance requirements and the expectations of DEMIRS, WorkSafe WA and other regulators.

Our hygienists are experienced across the full range of hazardous substances encountered in mining, processing, manufacturing and industrial settings – from process chemicals and reagents to legacy contamination, fuel and lubricant stores and the complex mixture of agents present in maintenance and engineering environments.

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Capabilities

Systematic walkthrough surveys of your facility to identify and document hazardous substances in use, including assessment of storage arrangements, labelling compliance, SDS currency and the adequacy of existing controls. Includes identification of legacy or unlabelled materials.

Assessment of potential chemical contamination of site water sources and soils, including sampling and laboratory analysis, health risk characterisation and recommendations for remediation or management where contamination is identified.

Preparation and review of SDSs to the requirements of the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) as adopted in Australia. Includes mixtures, proprietary formulations and legacy products without current documentation.

Personal air sampling and biological monitoring programmes to quantify worker exposures to specific hazardous substances, interpreted against applicable workplace exposure standards and health-based guidance values.

Regulatory Landscape

The regulation of hazardous chemicals in Australian workplaces is governed by the WHS Regulations – specifically Schedule 7 (hazardous chemicals), Schedule 14 (prohibited and restricted carcinogens) and the associated codes of practice.

Obligations include maintaining a hazardous chemicals register, ensuring current SDSs are accessible, conducting exposure assessments where exposures may be significant and implementing the hierarchy of controls. For certain substances – classified carcinogens, reproductive toxins and chemicals with very low occupational exposure limits – additional obligations apply.

RED OHMS Group keeps pace with regulatory developments, including the ongoing revision of workplace exposure standards by Safe Work Australia, the implementation of GHS classification updates and state-specific requirements. We help you maintain a hazardous substances management programme that remains current, compliant and proportionate to your actual risk profile.

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FAQs

Under Australian WHS Regulations, an SDS must be the most current version available from the manufacturer or importer and must be in the current GHS format. SDSs that are more than five years old should be treated with caution, as classification criteria and health information may have changed. RED OHMS can conduct an SDS audit to identify documents requiring update or replacement.

Not necessarily. Exposure assessment priority should be based on hazard (the intrinsic toxicity of the substance) and exposure potential (how much workers are likely to be exposed to and for how long). RED OHMS uses a tiered risk-based approach to prioritise exposure assessment activity, focusing resources on the substances that present the greatest potential health risk.

Health surveillance is required for workers who are routinely exposed to substances listed in Schedule 14 of the WHS Regulations – certain carcinogens and hazardous chemicals with demonstrated health effects. It is also required where a risk assessment indicates a significant risk of harm. RED OHMS can advise on whether your workforce triggers health surveillance requirements and assist with programme design and implementation.