WHAT IS A HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE?

A hazardous substance is a defined mixture of elements or compounds either

naturally occurring or produced synthetically. Such substances can readily
explode, burn, oxidise (accelerate the combustion of other material) or
corrode (metals or biological tissue), and/or be toxic to people and
ecosystems.

WHAT SUBSTANCES ARE HAZARDOUS?

Hazardous Substances Regulations apply to substances that have health effects as listed below.
The regulations apply to those hazardous substances that are used or produced in a work activity.
Hazardous substances may be:

very toxic toxic

harmful corrosive
irritant sensitising
carcinogenic mutagenic
toxic to reproduction

Often hazardous substances will be industrial chemicals. However, they maybe pesticides,paints,
drugs, cosmetics, a food product or any other substance that is hazardous to health and is used
or produced in a work activity. Hazardous substances include some 'dangerous goods' (ie,
substances covered by the Dangerous Substances legislation). However, these are only included
as hazardous substances if they have health effects because the Hazardous Substances

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Regulations focus on controlling risks to health. Radioactive and infectious substances are not
included.

EXAMPLES OF PRODUCT COMPONENTS CONTAINING RESTRICTED

SUBSTANCES
Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (ROHS) restricted substances have been used in a
broad array of consumer electronics products. Examples of leaded components include:

paints and pigments

PVC (vinyl) cables as a stabilizer (e.g., power cords, USB cables)

solders

printed circuit board finishes, leads, internal and external interconnects

glass in television and photographic products (e.g., CRT television screens and camera
lenses)

metal parts

lamps and bulbs

batteries

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HAZARDOUS PROPERTIES
A substance is hazardous if it exceeds the threshold for one or more hazardous properties. Most
hazardous substances will have more than one hazardous property, for example petrol is
flammable, toxic and ecotoxic.
The hazardous properties are:

Explosive (Class 1)

Flammable (Classes 2, 3, 4)

Oxidising (Class 5)

Toxic (Class 6)

Corrosive (Class 8)

Ecotoxic (Class 9).

Each of the above properties has different levels of hazard from the least to
the most hazardous.

HOW TO FIND OUT WHETHER A SUBSTANCE IS HAZARDOUS

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Manufacturers and importers must determine whether substances are hazardous to health by
referring to the NOHSC List of Designated Hazardous Substances or the NOHSC Approved
Criteria for Classifying Hazardous Substances. If a substance is hazardous it must be
appropriately labelled and a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) must be provided. The MSDS
contains information on the hazards of the substance and how these can be managed.

For users, the easiest way to determine if a substance is hazardous,is to look on the label for the
words 'hazardous', 'caution', 'poison','dangerous poison', 'harmful', or 'corrosive', or other advice
about specific health effects.

The supplier of a hazardous substance (except a retailer) must provide an MSDS which can also
be checked for information about the health hazards. (If a substance is purchased from a retailer
an MSDS can be requested from the manufacturer or importer.)

For substances produced in the workplace, eg, by-products or emissions for which there is no
label or MSDS, the employer will need to identify the substance and check the NOHSC List of
Designated Hazardous Substances and other resources to find out if it is hazardous.
As a general indication, there are some types of substances that are usually hazardous. These
include solvents, pesticides, paints, adhesives, petroleum products, heavy metals and industrial
chemicals.

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HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES LABELS

Class 1 : Explosives

Hazardous
Materials
Class 1:
Explosives

Class 2 : Gases
Hazardous
Materials
Class 2.1:
Flammable
Gas

Class 3 : Flammable Liquids

Hazardous
Materials
Class 3:
Flammable

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Liquids

Class 4 : Flammable Solids

Hazardous
Materials
Class 4.1:
Flammable
Solids

Class 5 : Oxidizing Agents and Organic Peroxides

Hazardou
s
Materials
Class 5.1:
Oxidizing
Agen

Class 6 : Toxic and Infectious Substances

Hazardous
Materials
Class 6.1:
Poison

Class 7 : Radioactive Substances

Hazardous
Materials

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Class 7:
Radioactive

Class 8 : Corrosive Substances

Hazardous
Materials
Class 8:
Corrosive

Class 9 : Miscellaneous

Hazardous
Materials
Class 9:
Miscellaneou
s

MATERIALS NOT DEFINED AS HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

Certain hazardous materials were already subject to regulation, policies or directives before the
adoption of the Hazardous Materials Regulation. Thus, in cases where the existing framework
has proven adequate, these materials have been excluded from the concept of hazardous material.
These are:

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contaminated soil (however, soil having more than 50 mg of PCBs per kilogram of soil
may not be placed in final deposit);

demolition materials (except for materials classified as hazardous);

scrap metal (except for materials classified as hazardous);

fabrics, except absorbent fabrics used during hazardous material recovery operations;

biomedical waste;

waste from pulp and paper mills;

pesticides;

spray formulations and rinsings (pesticides);

wastewater (except wastewater from pipeless rinsing baths used for surface treatment
operations);

mine tailings;

materials from dredging operations;

collected snow;

certain radioactive materials; bituminous concrete, asphalt shingles, plastic, rubber and
asbestos;

sludge from a septic tank or from a municipal water treatment plant;

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residue from an underground access manhole or sump;

manure and liquid manure;

treated wood;

material from the shredding of automobile hulks (fluff);

smoke detectors.

CONCLUSION
The new management framework for hazardous materials makes it possible
to better protect the health and safety of the people and bring about
substantial environmental gains, since it makes it possible to deal with all
hazardous materials, whether new or residual. This reform also constitutes
an economic stimulus by promoting, within a perspective of sustainable
development, the reduction, reuse and recycling of residual hazardous
materials while updating administrative procedures

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