Worksafe Amendments - Notification for Dangerous Goods (Summary)

Worksafe Victoria has released a Memo that may affect duty holders/occupiers where dangerous goods are stored.

Under the existing Victorian Dangerous Good (Storage and Handling) Regulations 2012, one of the duties imposed on occupiers of premises, where quantities of dangerous goods are stored and handled above certain prescribed quantities, is to notify WorkSafe of the presence of those goods and provide certain information about the premises, the business and the dangerous goods.

Some of the key amendments include:

• Introduction of a new definition of ‘notifiable goods’;

• Requirement for additional information for each notification;

• Reduction of the current five-year period for providing further notification to two-years (where none of the specified changes in circumstance occur);

• Requirement to provide further notification within three business days of a specified change in circumstance occurring.

• Reduction in the timeframe for notifications from 14 days to within three business days of the obligation to notify arising

• Requirement for the occupier to display the Authority's acknowledgement of notification at the premises.

What is required?

If you are an occupier of premises that store and handle dangerous goods in quantities that exceed those specified in the column headed ‘Manifest Quantity’ in the table in Schedule 2 of the Victorian Dangerous Goods (Storage and Handling) Regulations 2012, you will need to change the frequency of notification to WorkSafe and provide additional information.

Duty holders will have six months from 1 July 2021 to submit a notification that complies with the new requirements or until one of the specified changes in circumstance occurs (whichever is earlier). New duty holders will be required to notify in accordance with the Amendment Regulations from their commencement.

Additional Information can be obtained from:

https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/dangerous-goods-act-and-regulations

https://content.legislation.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-05/21-049sra%20authorised.pdf

https://www.myworksafe.vic.gov.au/s/landing-page-main?PageType=DG&_ga=2.18909179.294353197.1622000342-1435859623.1467941857