The manufacturer and importer of a hazardous chemical must ensure it is correctly labelled as soon as practicable after manufacturing or importing the hazardous chemical.

The supplier of a hazardous chemical must not supply the chemical to another workplace if they know or ought reasonably to know that the hazardous chemical is not correctly labelled.

As a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU), you must ensure that hazardous chemicals, the containers of hazardous chemicals or hazardous chemicals in pipe work are correctly labelled.

Some labels do not contain all hazard information, for example, on some consumer product labels, some agricultural and veterinary chemical products, where the label is too small to fit all relevant hazard information, or when hazardous chemicals that are dangerous goods are labelled to meet transport requirements. You should refer to the SDS when reading a label to ensure all chemical hazards are identified.

The Table below shows examples of elements on a label that indicate the type of hazard and the severity of the hazard.

Incorrectly labelled or unlabelled containers

If you find a container that does not have a label or is incorrectly labelled, action must be taken to correctly label the container. Containers that have had chemicals transferred into them (decanted) in the workplace, and containers of chemical wastes must be labelled correctly.

If the contents of the container are not known, this should be clearly marked on the container, for example, ‘Caution—do not use: unknown substance’. Such a container should be stored in isolation until its contents can be identified and, if it is then found to be hazardous, the container can be appropriately labelled.

If the contents cannot be identified, they should be disposed of in accordance with relevant local waste management requirements.

An Extract from

Managing risks of hazardous chemicals in the workplace

Published by Safe Work Australia July 2020

 If you need any advice on how Lupin Technology can effectively manage chemicals in your workplace contact Kristy Titus  at Lupin Systems on 0460 775 591.