October 17, 2002
If you work with dangerous goods or toxic substances in your organisation or industry, you will be interested in this!
Class 3 (flammable liquids), Class 4 (flammable solids) and Class 5 (oxidisers) substances in common use are being transferred from the existing regime (essentially the Dangerous Goods Act and regulations) to the framework of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act.
The Scheduled Toxic Substances are being transferred from the Toxic Substances Act and regulations to the HSNO framework.
A major part of this transfer process involves consultation with industry on the classifications and the proposed controls for using, handling, storing, tracking or disposing of these substances. This is your opportunity to comment on these proposals.
The six-week consultation period on Dangerous Goods (Class 3, 4 and 5) has started and will end on Friday, 15 November 2002.
The six-week consultation period for Scheduled Toxic Substances will begin on Monday, 11 November 2002 and end on Monday, 23 December 2002.
The Dangerous Goods (Class 3, 4 and 5) that will be transferred under this process are those that were lawfully used in New Zealand upon commencement of the HSNO Act. The list is based on substances in the second schedule to the Dangerous Goods Act 1974 and the Class 3, 4 and 5 dangerous goods listed in the United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods Model Regulations (twelfth revised edition). It has been cross-referenced with information obtained from industry representatives (May 1999).
The Scheduled Toxic Substances that will be transferred under this process are those that were lawfully present in New Zealand on the commencement date of the HSNO Act, July 1 2001. Substances to be transferred are single component substances which are listed in the schedules to the Toxic Substances Act. Two groups of substances which are excluded from being consulted on in this group includes the complex mixtures listed in the Act which will be transferred as part of the notified toxic substances [NOTS] and the scheduled toxic substances which are also pesticide active ingredients will be transferred as part of the pesticides transfer project.
Media Contact:
Uma Cannon,
Public Awareness Advisor.
Tel: +64 4 918 4865