Management of hazardous chemicals in the education industry

27 June 2024

WorkSafe ACT has continued its intelligence-led campaign targeting the mechanisms of serious workers’ compensation claims in the ACT, this time with a focus on the education industry.

Since May this year, WorkSafe ACT inspectors have visited 24 education institutions around the ACT making enquiries about identified high risk hazards such as role overload, occupational violence and aggression, musculoskeletal injuries and hazardous chemicals.

This campaign has so far seen 22 improvement notices and one prohibition notice being issued.

Managing Safety Data Sheets

40% of the improvement notices were issued against Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulation 344 relating to safety data sheets for hazardous chemicals.

Under the WHS Regulation, Persons Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBUs) must obtain the current safety data sheet for every hazardous chemical present in their workplace and ensure that it is readily accessible to any worker, emergency service workers and anyone else who is likely to be exposed to the chemical at the workplace.

To comply a safety data sheet must:

have been prepared in the last five years
contain a manufacturer or supplier’s Australian address
be organised into 16 standard headings, and
Include classification of the chemical against Australian Regulations.

Additional Resources

For more information on the risk management process visit:

For more information on maintaining safety data sheets visit:

Stay up to Date

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