Managing hazardous substances

If your business uses or produces hazardous substances there are a number of legal requirements you may need to comply with.

You are required to identify where your activities pose an imminent threat to the environment or where actual environmental damage has occurred. Where damage has already occurred you must take remedial action to repair the damage.

If you use substances that pose a risk to human health, you must make sure you control exposure to these substances.

If you use hazardous substances such as solvents you may require a pollution prevention and control permit. This permit will contain conditions that control your use of hazardous substances.

Separate rules still apply to specific substances:

• If you manufacture, use or recover chemicals you must comply with the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) regime.
• If you store oil you may need to comply with oil storage regulations.
• If you produce electrical and electronic products you must ensure they comply with limits on certain hazardous substances.
• If you use ozone-depleting substances or fluorinated greenhouse gases such as solvents, refrigerants and foam-blowing agents you must be qualified to do so, handle them appropriately and comply with any phase-out dates that apply.
• If you produce, sell or use pest control products you must make sure they are approved and comply with certain legal requirements.
• If you use or design packaging, you must make sure it doesn't exceed 100 parts per million of lead, cadmium, mercury and hexavalent chromium.
• If your business is involved in managing radioactive substances.

Separate rules also apply when disposing of hazardous substances.