In three months the new Hazardous Substances Regulations will come into force. In this issue we talk about applying risk management practices and the importance of training and informing all workers who use hazardous substances. We explain how the system for handling hazardous substances will be stronger and outline what’s changing for people who test and inspect gas cylinders. You’ll also find information about storing and tracking hazardous substances.

To help you find information we have set up the Hazardous Substances Regulations FAQ page on our website.

When reviewing your processes and looking at what you need to do to comply, remember that the fundamental intent of the Regulations is to keep people safe when working with hazardous substances.

We encourage you to always consider, ‘what can I do to keep myself, my workers, my customers and visitors safe at my workplace?’.

Risk management is important for all work-related health and safety. For hazardous substances this means knowing what substances you’ve got in your workplace (and how much), understanding the risks, taking appropriate measures to manage those risks and reviewing them regularly.

Workers need to understand the risks posed by hazardous substances and how to keep safe around them.

This means they need the right information, instruction, training and supervision. Our website outlines what a business or undertaking needs to do to ensure that every worker who uses, handles, manufactures or stores a hazardous substance has the knowledge and practical experience to do so safely.

Gas cylinders must be regularly inspected and tested to make sure they are safe for use. Currently this is done by individual periodic testers.

From 1 December organisations involved in inspecting and testing gas cylinders, rather than individual workers, will need to be authorised and will be known as test stations. A test station’s authorisation will cover all the suitably skilled testers working for it.

There are two key dates:

• From 1 December 2017, to continue testing and inspecting gas cylinders, organisations must be authorised by WorkSafe as a test station. The test station authorisation will be valid from 1 December, until then you will still need to be approved as a periodic tester.
• Applications for authorisation of test stations can be made from 1 September 2017. 

Find out more about what’s changing for periodic testers and how to make an application to us.

Certified handlers (currently called approved handlers) are people certified to handle very hazardous substances in the workplace. Under the new Regulations there are fewer substances that will require a certified handler than under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act.

Read about how the system for people handling hazardous substances will be significantly stronger.

Storing hazardous substances safely is an important part of protecting you and your workers. This includes storing only what you need, ensuring that incompatible substances are not stored together, and that decanted substances are stored in the right type of container and correctly labelled.

Some substances are so hazardous they must be tracked at all times. This means a record of what happens to them must be kept, from the date of their manufacture or importation into New Zealand, through to their end use or disposal. Find out more about tracking hazardous substances – what needs to be tracked, how, and who is responsible.

Every hazardous substance must have a HSNO approval before it is manufactured or imported into New Zealand. The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is responsible for issuing approvals and group standards for all hazardous substances. Group standards provide a framework that allows certain hazardous substances to be imported or manufactured in New Zealand, provided those substances fit the scope of the standard.

The EPA is updating the group standards so that they refer to the EPA Notices and no longer refer to the workplace hazardous substance rules that are moving to the Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substance) Regulations 2017. By 1 December the EPA plans to have all of the group standards updated and published. 

The updated group standards will have the same:

• name, but updated year (with one exception)
• approval number
• classifications currently covered by the group standard
• scope restrictions currently in each group standard.

Hazardous substances covered under group standards will have four years to comply with the Labelling, Safety Data Sheet and Packaging Notices.

The EPA plans to publish a sample of draft group standards for viewing to allow you to familiarise yourself with what the changes or updates look like on Monday 11 September.

The draft group standards will be published on the reform page on the EPA website under the heading latest update. If you have any questions or comments about the sample group standards when they are released please email hsreform@epa.govt.nz