Hazardous chemicals
There are several kinds of potential health hazard associated with chemicals. They can include skin irritants, carcinogens and respiratory sensitisers. These hazards can affect a worker’s health through direct contact with or exposure to a chemical, whether by inhalation, skin contact or ingestion.
Physicochemical hazards arise from a substance’s physical and chemical properties – for example, flammable, corrosive, oxidising or explosive substances.
Legally, a person conducting a business or undertaking (a PCBU) must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the health and safety of workers and other people are not put at risk from the business’s use, handling or storage of hazardous chemicals.
The NSW Work Health and Safety Regulation implements a system of chemical hazard classification, labelling and safety data sheet (SDS) requirements based on the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS).
Dangerous goods
Dangerous goods are substances, mixtures or articles that, because of their physical, chemical (physicochemical) or acute toxicity properties, present an immediate hazard to people, property or the environment.
Substances classified as dangerous goods include, but are not limited to:
- explosives
- flammable liquids and gases
- corrosives
- chemically reactive or acutely (highly) toxic substances.
The specific criteria used to determine whether a substance is classified as dangerous goods are set out in the Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road and Rail (the ADG Code), which also contains a list of flammable and combustible liquids.
Your duties under the Work Health and Safety Regulation
Under the NSW Work Health and Safety Regulation, persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) have specific duties to manage the risks to health and safety when using, handling, generating and storing hazardous chemicals at a workplace. These duties include:
- correctly labelling containers and pipework, and displaying warning placards, outer warning placards and safety signs
- maintaining a register, and a manifest where relevant, of hazardous chemicals
- identifying the risk of physical or chemical reactions between hazardous chemicals, and ensuring their stability
- ensuring that workplace exposure standards (becoming workplace exposure limits from December 2026) are not exceeded
- providing health monitoring to workers where required
- providing information, training, instruction and supervision to workers.
A chemical is “hazardous” for these purposes if it meets the criteria of one or more GHS hazard classes, including a classification in Schedule 6 of the Regulation.
How Airsafe can help
Identifying, evaluating and controlling the hazards associated with hazardous chemicals and dangerous goods is a complex process, and difficult to do without expert help. Airsafe’s occupational hygiene team can help you navigate it and make sure you’re complying with the law. We help you work out which substances on your site are hazardous chemicals or dangerous goods, what your obligations are, and what you actually need to do to meet them.
That can include:
- assessing the chemical hazards across your workplace and how workers are exposed to them
- air monitoring against the relevant exposure standards – whatever the standards, our reports give you a definitive answer about whether they’re being exceeded (see our dust, silica, welding fume, VOC and dangerous-gas monitoring pages for specific contaminants)
- advice on classification, labelling, safety data sheets, and the safe use, storage, handling and transport of dangerous goods
- help setting up and reviewing the management framework – registers, manifests, placarding and control measures
- practical recommendations for reducing risk, which follow the standard hierarchy of controls.
Where hazardous or chemical waste needs to be disposed of, or a contaminated area cleaned up, we don’t do the removal ourselves – we work out the scope of the job, put it out to tender to licensed contractors, oversee and monitor the work, and verify it’s been dealt with properly once it’s done. And because we don’t sell the removal, there’s no conflict of interest and no incentive to do more work than the job needs.
For the classification of soil, spoil or excavated material for disposal, see our Waste & VENM Assessment service – that’s a different framework and a different service.
Why choose Airsafe?
We’ve been helping businesses identify, assess and control workplace hazards since 1988, across manufacturing, industrial sites, warehousing and logistics, laboratories, trades and government. Whether you’re a contractor, building occupier or business owner, our fully qualified, insured and accredited hygienists and consultants offer expert advice, rapid response and cost-effective solutions tailored to your needs.
Hazardous chemicals rarely sit in isolation – they come bundled with dust, fumes, gases and other airborne contaminants. With our holistic approach to occupational hygiene, the same team can assess the lot in one engagement, monitor what needs monitoring, and give you one clear, practical report rather than a stack of disconnected ones.
And because Airsafe is an independent consultancy – we assess, monitor and advise, but we don’t sell removal or disposal – the advice you get is about what your workplace actually needs.
4.9 stars from over 640 Google reviews and counting, from manufacturers, builders, contractors and industrial clients across Australia.
“AIRSAFE has become our go-to company for all air monitoring needs. Working for a large paint company, we’ve found their service not only exceptional but also backed by valuable advice. They are consistently reliable, flexible, and a pleasure to work with. These qualities made it an easy decision to choose them as our preferred supplier.”
Nik Pappas, November 2025
“We recently appointed Airsafe to undertake air monitoring and reporting at a brownfield development site during the demolition stage. Their proactive, professional and cost and time-efficient approach and implementation were excellent.”
Carl O. Peterson, December 2021
“I use Airsafe on a regular basis for commercial construction. Liam Matthews and the Airsafe team always get the job done professionally, safely, and in a prompt manner as required. If only I could give more stars.”
Jordan Kissane, September 2021
Frequently asked questions
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They overlap, but they’re classified for different reasons. “Hazardous chemical” is a Work Health and Safety term – it covers substances that pose a health hazard (like skin irritants, carcinogens or respiratory sensitisers) or a physicochemical hazard (like flammable, corrosive or oxidising substances). “Dangerous goods” is a transport and storage classification under the Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road and Rail – it covers substances that present an immediate hazard, such as explosives, flammable liquids and gases, corrosives and acutely toxic substances. Plenty of substances are both. Airsafe can help you work out which categories apply to what you have on site, and what each one obliges you to do.
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Under the NSW Work Health and Safety Regulation, if you run a workplace that uses, handles, generates or stores hazardous chemicals you have to manage the risks – so far as is reasonably practicable. In practice that means labelling containers and pipework correctly, displaying the right placards and signs, keeping a register (and a manifest where relevant), making sure incompatible chemicals can’t react dangerously, keeping exposures below the workplace exposure standards, providing health monitoring where it’s required, and giving workers proper information, training and supervision. Airsafe can assess where you stand against all of that and help you close the gaps.
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Yes – measuring airborne exposure against the relevant exposure standards is core occupational hygiene work, and it’s often the only way to actually prove whether you’re compliant. Depending on the substance, that might be dust, silica, welding fume, VOC, or dangerous-gas monitoring; we have dedicated pages for each. We measure, compare the results against the standard (note the workplace exposure standards become workplace exposure limits from December 2026), and report clearly on what, if anything, needs to change.
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No. Airsafe is an independent consultancy – we assess, monitor and advise, but we don’t remove, dispose of or remediate anything, and that independence is deliberate. What we can do is project-manage the job for you: write the specification, tender it to licensed removal or disposal contractors, supervise the work, monitor it, and issue an independent clearance report. Because we don’t profit from the removal, our advice is about what your site actually needs – nothing more. Just call us on 1300 888 338 to talk it through.
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Yes, and it’s usually the sensible way to do it. Chemical hazards rarely turn up on their own – they come with dust, fumes, gases and sometimes noise or confined-space risks. With our holistic approach to occupational hygiene, the same team can assess all of them in one go, so you’re not coordinating several consultants for one site. Just call us on 1300 888 338 to talk through what your workplace needs.
Contact us about hazardous chemicals
If you use, store, handle or generate hazardous chemicals or dangerous goods, getting the assessment and the paperwork right protects your workers and keeps you compliant. Airsafe can help you understand your obligations and meet them – practically, and without overcomplicating it – so you can get on with the job with the peace of mind that you’re across it.
We work across Sydney, NSW and Australia, with travel built into our quotes for sites further afield.
Contact us for a fast quote on a chemical hazard and safety assessment, or call Airsafe on 1300 888 338.
Last updated: July 2026
