One means of complying with the documentation requirements (Level 2) for Emergency Management is a Safety Data Sheet. These must be available for each substance held at a place of work when in excess of the trigger quantities in Schedule 2 of the Hazardous Substances (Emergency Management) Regulations.
What information is required?
Safety Data Sheets must provide information about:
- emergency preparations
- special training or equipment needed for emergencies
- actions to reduce or eliminate danger in an emergency
- actions to be taken to restore adequate control of the substance after an emergency.
Safety Data Sheets must be available to a person handling the substance within 10 minutes. While there may be other means to provide such documentation, Safety Data Sheets are a very practical way of meeting these requirements.
A Code of Practice for Safety Data Sheets has been prepared by the NZ Chemical Industry Council for approval by ERMA New Zealand. See the Code of Practice page for an update on this code.
Who is responsible for Safety Data Sheets requirements?
Suppliers must provide Safety Data Sheets the first time they sell a hazardous substance to a person and on request thereafter.
The Person in Charge of the place of work must ensure that Safety Data Sheets are present and available (to workers) where the trigger quantities are exceeded.