The Department of Mines and Petroleum has developed a summary of the top 10 non-compliances identified during safety inspections in WA in 2015-16.
Dangerous Goods Officers travel across Western Australia to ensure dangerous goods are stored handled and transported safely.
Following the program of inspections carried out in 2015-16, the department has developed a summary of the top 10 non-compliances to help educate dangerous goods sites and raise compliance levels.
10. Wrong Information on Licence (Regulation 44)
Circumstances that may require a change to the licence could include a change of business name, change of quantity of dangerous goods stored on site or additional types of dangerous goods stored on site.
For further information please see Notifying change of details for dangerous goods licences.
9. Notification to Neighbours (Regulation 76A)
Licenced dangerous goods sites are required to provide information to adjacent sites if the risks in relation to the dangerous goods could extend to that neighbouring site. Some examples of dangerous goods that can impact neighbours include toxic gases, such as ammonia and chlorine, and large flammable liquid storage facilities.
For further information please refer to Regulation 76A of the Dangerous Goods Safety (Storage and Handling of Non-explosives) Regulations 2007.
8. Dangerous Goods Register (Regulation 77)
Sites are required to have a dangerous goods register that lists relevant dangerous goods stored and handled at the site.
For further information please see chapter 3 of the Code of practice – Storage and handling of dangerous goods.
7. Material Safety Data Sheets (Various Regulations)
Material safety data sheets (MSDS) should be kept for all dangerous goods on site and they must be current.
For further information please see chapter 3 of the Code of practice – Storage and handling of dangerous goods.
6. Segregation (Regulation 52)
Segregation is another important risk control measure to ensure safety on sites with dangerous goods. Seek specialist advice if you are in doubt about which dangerous goods require segregation.
For further information please see chapter 6.9 of the Code of practice – Storage and handling of dangerous goods.
5. Induction/Training/Supervision (Regulation 81)
It is a legal requirement that an operator of a dangerous goods site provides training to personnel on site handling dangerous goods and maintains a record of the training performed.
For further information please see chapter 15 of the Code of practice – Storage and handling of dangerous goods.
4. Control of Fire Hazards (Regulation 67)
It is a requirement that where reasonably practicable all steps are taken to control any potential fire hazards near dangerous goods storage areas.
For further information please see chapter 4.4 of the Code of practice – Storage and handling of dangerous goods.
3. Emergency Plan (Regulation 75)
The procedures should be prepared for the likely scenarios that could occur on site such as fires, spills, burns, etc. In addition the emergency plan should include contact details for any person that could be required in an incident, such as managers, emergency services and utility providers.
For further information please see Emergency Plans.
2. Risk Assessment (Regulation 48)
Dangerous goods sites must have a risk assessment for goods stored and handled on site. A risk assessment can be in the form of a compliance check against an appropriate approved code of practice such as an Australian Standard.
For further information please see Risk assessment for dangerous goods – guidance note.
1. Manifest/Site Plan (Regulation 78)
A dangerous goods site must have a manifest and site plan. It is important to get the site plan and manifest right as the Department of Fire and Emergency Services relies on this information when responding to dangerous goods incidents at a site.
For further information please see Manifest and site plan requirements for dangerous goods sites – guidance note.
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