SWA Amends WHS Regulations Ahead of GHS Transition

Safe Work Australia (SWA) has updated the national model WHS Amendment Regulations made for the transition to GHS 7.

The changes correct an error that could have required businesses to relabel old stock of hazardous chemicals in some circumstances.

These updated amendments will be inserted into the model WHS Regulations from 1 January 2021 – when Australia will begin a two-year transition to GHS 7.

Duty holders who that have downloaded previous versions of the Amendment Regulations and their explanatory statement should download the updated versions:

• Model Work Health and Safety Regulations (Hazardous Chemicals) Amendment 2020
• Model Work Health and Safety Regulations (Hazardous Chemicals) Amendment 2020 – explanatory statement.

SWA noted that the amendments to the do not automatically apply in a jurisdiction. For the model WHS Regulations, including any amendments, to have effect in a jurisdiction, they must be made in that jurisdiction.

Employers are urged to review the WHS laws in their jurisdiction and contact their WHS regulator for more information.

To further help businesses understand the changes required under GHS 7, SWA has published a dedicated GHS 7 web page and suite of information sheets found here.

The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals Revision 7 (GHS 7) is a global method of classifying chemicals and preparing labels and safety data sheets (SDS).

The new system was due to commence in Australia on July 1, 2020, but was postponed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Australian businesses (see related article).