THE AUSTRALIAN Safety and Compensation Council (ASCC) is asking for public feedback on the changes it made to the draft National Standard for the Control of Workplace Hazardous Chemicals.
According to the ASCC, it has been reviewing and revising the frameworks for the control of workplace hazardous substances and dangerous goods. It aims to combine these into a single streamlined framework covering all chemicals in the workplace.
The new standard will use the United Nations’ Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals as the basis for hazard classification and hazard communication.
Since the draft documents were released for public commenting September 2006, the ASCC’s chemicals technical group has met three times to revise the draft Standard, in accordance with the issues raised during that stage.
As the standard near finalisation, a final Regulation Impact Statement is being developed, and is slated to be completed in December 2008 or early 2009.
The ASCC is seeking feedback on the revisions made to the standard since the 2006 release. Comments close 22 October 2008.