What are hazardous substances?
Hazardous substances are substances that have the potential to harm people’s health. They can be solids, liquids or gases, and when used in the workplace, they are often in the form of fumes, dusts, mists and vapours.
Examples of hazardous substances include:
- acute toxins such as cyanide,
- substances harmful after repeated or prolonged exposure such as mercury and silica,
- corrosives such as sulphuric acid and caustic soda,
- irritants such as ammonia,
- sensitising agents such as isocyanates, and
- carcinogens (cancer causing substances) such as benzene and vinyl chloride.
A substance is defined as hazardous if:
- it is listed on the national Hazardous Substances Information System and the concentration of the substance or its ingredients equals or exceeds the listed concentration cut-off levels, or
- it meets the criteria set out in the national Approved Criteria for Classifying Hazardous Substances.
Carcinogenic substances
Carcinogenic substances are hazardous substances that can cause cancer.
View the scheduled carcinogenic substances under the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2007
