Hazardous substances at work in New Zealand: HSWA and the EPA
Hazardous substances are one of the few areas of New Zealand health and safety governed by two regimes at once: the Environmental Protection Authority sets the intrinsic rules for substances under HSNO, while WorkSafe enforces their safe use in the workplace under the Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017.
What you must hold
If you use, handle or store hazardous substances you need an up-to-date inventory of what's on site, the current Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for each, and the controls the SDS and regulations require — labelling, segregation, ventilation and secure storage.
Certified handlers and locations
Some higher-hazard substances require a certified handler and, above certain quantities, an approved location and emergency response plan. Which substances trigger these depends on their HSNO classification, so the inventory and SDS do real work here.
Keep it live
Substances come and go, and SDS are reissued. An inventory and SDS set that's actually current — not a folder last updated three years ago — is both the legal requirement and what protects the people handling them.
Questions, answered
Who regulates hazardous substances — WorkSafe or the EPA?
Both. The EPA classifies and approves substances under HSNO; WorkSafe regulates their safe use in workplaces under HSWA. Businesses need to satisfy the workplace requirements WorkSafe enforces.
Do I need a certified handler?
For some higher-hazard substances, yes — and above certain quantities you may also need an approved location and an emergency response plan. Your inventory and each substance's SDS/HSNO classification determine what applies.
Keep your substances register current
Complys keeps your hazardous substances inventory, SDS and certified-handler records in one place with reminders — free for 90 days.
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