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  8. Chemical Hazard Approvals

Chemical Hazard Approvals

You are required to consider health and safety issues related to your research or teaching and comply with work health and safety regulatory requirements. The use of certain hazardous chemicals or engineered nanomaterials, including any highly toxic chemicals that require special precautions to be taken in their use or storage, requires approval from the University Chemical Advisory Safety (UCAS) Committee

Chemicals and nanomaterials meeting the following criteria require approval by the committee:

  • Hazardous chemicals with a Chemwatch hazard rating of 4 for toxicity, reactivity or chronic
  • Cytotoxic drugs
  • Schedule 8 and Schedule 9 Controlled Substances and 17A Controlled Precursors
  •  Restrcited or Prohibited Carcinogens and GHS Carcinogenicity categories 1A, 1B chemicals
  • Reprotoxins (GHS Reproductive toxicity categories 1A, 1B)
  • Regulation 25 Poisons and High-Risk Chemicals of Security Concern
  • Carbon nanotubes or other engineered nanomaterials used or handled as a dry powder or administered to animals/ humans in any form.

Application process

For chemicals and nanomaterials meeting the criteria above, you must gain approval prior to conducting teaching or research involving their use, by completing a Chemical Process Risk Assessment using the Biological, Chemical & Radiation (BCR) Process Risk Assessment module in UniSAfe. The BCR Module can be selected via the Workscapes menu.

Please refer to the user guides available at UniSafe - Safety Management System for information on completing your chemical process risk assessment. If you require further assistance or advice, email: chemsafety@unisa.edu.au

Applicants seeking a renewal of a previously approved application are required to submit a new BCR Process Risk Assessment using the online BCR Process module.

Please note, in the case of regulated drugs and poisons including controlled substances, controlled precursors, chemicals of security concern and prohibited or restricted carcinogens, said chemicals may only be used for genuine research or analysis, and prior approval is needed from the UCAS Committee and the relevant regulatory agency before purchase, storage or use of the chemical. Refer to the Controlled Substances Procedure for further information.

For detailed risk management information on chemicals, including Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) and labelling requirements, use the Chemwatch GoldFFX chemicals management database. Research and teaching activities must comply with advice in SDSs or other relevant guidelines.

Timelines

Once you submit your BCR Process, three members of the UCAS Committee will be nominated to review the chemical process. The comments will be recorded in the online BCR Process module and the University Chemical Officer will review the comments prior to either approving the chemical process or recommending further actions are considered. Feedback will take a minimum of 10 working days. If you have not had a response after this timeframe, please contact chemsafety@unisa.edu.au.

Training

There are several identified risk-based training courses available including:

Please refer to Learnonline Safety and Wellbeing Training for further details.