Illustration of a small workshop storeroom with paint tins, solvent cans, aerosols and buckets on steel shelving

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Chemical Register, Safety Data Sheets, Manifests and Placards: Which Ones Your NSW Workplace Needs

Any NSW workplace that uses, stores or handles hazardous chemicals needs a hazardous chemicals register with a current safety data sheet for each one, apart from some consumer products and short in-transit stock. Placards apply only once you pass the Schedule 11 placard quantity for that chemical's category, and a manifest and notice to SafeWork NSW only once you pass the higher manifest quantity.

23 October 2026 · Dangerous Goods

Small quantities do not take a chemical store outside the rules. Below the placard and manifest thresholds you still need the register, safety data sheets, labels and spill containment, because only placards and manifests are triggered by the Schedule 11 quantities (general requirements for hazardous chemicals).

For a workshop, cleaning business, pool shop storeroom or small factory, the first job is a hazardous chemicals register with a current safety data sheet (SDS) behind each entry. Signs and emergency paperwork come later, and only if your stock grows past the threshold for that chemical's category.

How much later? Here is our count from Safe Work Australia's placard and manifest threshold quantities, using the eleven categories charted below. In nine of the eleven, the manifest quantity is exactly ten times the placard quantity. Category 3 flammable liquids, for example, are 1,000 L and 10,000 L. The two outliers are the ones a small site is most likely to hold. Flammable gases such as LPG sit at 200 L against 5,000 L, a gap of 25 times. Aerosols sit at 5,000 L against 10,000 L, only double. The manifest quantity is also the point at which you must notify SafeWork NSW. So for most categories you need placards long before you need a manifest or a notification, but a store full of aerosol cans reaches both steps close together.

Those figures come from the national model table. The NSW rules for hazardous chemicals sit in sections 328 to 391 of the WHS Regulation 2025, so check Schedule 11 of the NSW regulation for your own chemical's category before you rely on any number here.

Dangerous Goods Licence Newcastle's advice for a small site: build the register first. Every other record draws on it.

Which record answers which question?

RecordThe question it answersWhen it appliesWhere it livesWho must be able to see it
RegisterWhat hazardous chemicals are here?Any hazardous chemical used, stored or handled, except some consumer products and some in-transit chemicalsAt the workplaceWorkers, anyone affected, emergency services at any time
Safety data sheetHow is this one used, stored and handled safely?Before using any hazardous chemical, except chemicals in transit and consumer products used in household quantity and mannerWith the registerWorkers, emergency services, anyone who asks
PlacardsWhat is stored here, seen from outside?Above the Schedule 11 placard quantity; tanks and IBCs at all times unless confirmed free of hazardous chemicalsEntrances, storage areas, tanksAnyone arriving, especially emergency crews
ManifestWhat, how much and where, for emergency servicesOnly above the Schedule 11 manifest quantityA location agreed with emergency services, shown on the site planEmergency services
NotificationDoes SafeWork NSW know?Above the manifest quantity, and again on significant changesLodged with SafeWork NSWSafeWork NSW
Check Schedule 11 of the NSW WHS Regulation 2025 for your chemical's category.

SafeWork NSW lists the general duties together: keep a register, obtain SDS, keep a manifest if needed, notify, display placards and signs, label correctly, and have spill containment. They are easy to blur together, but each one answers a different question for a different reader.

  • The register tells your workers what is on site.
  • The SDS tells them how to handle each chemical.
  • Placards tell anyone arriving what is stored there.
  • The manifest gives emergency services the quantities and locations.
  • Notification tells the regulator.

What goes on a hazardous chemicals register?

Generic small Australian trade workshop storeroom in daylight: galvanised steel shelving holding paint tins, metal solvent cans, aerosol cans and plastic buckets of pool chlorine, a plain ring binder open on a timber bench beside the doorway
Illustration: a small workshop storeroom with chemicals on steel shelving and a register binder on the bench.

The register must list all hazardous chemicals used, stored and handled at the workplace, apart from certain consumer products and certain chemicals in transit. It must include the current SDS for each chemical listed, and everyone affected must be able to view it.

Safe Work Australia adds where it lives and who it serves. It must be kept at the workplace, readily accessible to workers and anyone likely to be affected, kept up to date, and available to workers and emergency services at any time.

In practice that means a binder or tablet near the store, not a file on the owner's laptop at home. Safe Work Australia offers a register template. It is optional, and any format that meets the requirements above will do.

Which chemicals can stay off the hazardous chemicals register?

Decision flow. Is the chemical classified as hazardous? No: not required on the register. Yes: is it a consumer product bought or used where no SDS is required? Yes: not required on the register. No: is it in transit, unopened, unused and stored for 5 days or less? Yes: may be left off, but large amounts or frequent storage may still need listing. No: list it, with its current SDS. Across every branch: leaving it off the register does not remove the duty to give people safety information on use, handling and storage, hazardous or not.Is the chemicalclassified ashazardous?NoNot requiredon theregisterYesIs it a consumerproduct bought orused where no SDS isrequired?YesNot requiredon theregisterNoIs it in transit,unopened, unused andstored for 5 days orless?YesMay be leftoff, but:Large amountsor frequentstorage maystill needlistingNoList it, with itscurrent SDS.Leaving it off the register does notremove the duty to give people safetyinformation on use, handling and storage,hazardous or not.

Source: Safe Work Australia

Three groups can be left off. Safe Work Australia names them as chemicals not classified as hazardous, consumer products bought or used where no SDS is required, and hazardous chemicals "in transit and are unopened, unused and stored for 5 days or less".

The in-transit exception has a limit. Chemicals passing through may still need listing if they are in large amounts or stored frequently.

The consumer-product exception has a limit too. A household-size bottle of cleaner used the way a household would use it is one thing. The same product bought by the drum for a cleaning crew is another.

Leaving a chemical off the register does not remove your duty to tell people about it, because the register does not replace or fulfil the duty to give safety information on use, handling and storage for hazardous and non-hazardous chemicals alike.

How do you get and keep a current safety data sheet?

Loop diagram of a safety data sheet's life on site. 1, get it from the manufacturer's website, or ask the manufacturer, supplier or importer. 2, have it before first use, and when first supplied where you can. 3, file it with the chemical's register entry. 4, give the information to workers, emergency services and anyone who asks. 5, swap in the updated SDS when one is issued, then back to step 3. Note on the loop: manufacturers and importers check the SDS at least every 5 years. No SDS duty: chemicals in transit; a retailer supplying a consumer product unopened; a consumer product used in household quantity and manner.1Get it from the manufacturer'swebsite, or ask the manufacturer,supplier or importer2Have it before first use (and whenfirst supplied, where you can)3File it with the chemical'sregister entry4Give the information to workers,emergency services, anyone whoasks5Swap in the updated SDS when oneis issuedManufacturers and importers check the SDSat least every 5 years.No SDS duty:chemicals in transita retailer supplying a consumer productunopeneda consumer product used in householdquantity and manner

Source: SafeWork NSW, Safe Work Australia

Get a current SDS before you use any hazardous chemical and, where you can, when it is first supplied. When an updated SDS comes out, obtain it. Provide the information to workers, emergency services personnel or anyone who asks.

The SDS comes from the manufacturer's website, or ask the manufacturer, supplier or importer. Manufacturers and importers must check the SDS at least every 5 years. If the sheet in your binder is older than that, it is worth asking the supplier whether a newer one exists.

Some situations carry no SDS duty: chemicals in transit, a retailer supplying a consumer product without opening it on the premises, and a consumer product used in household-consistent quantities and manner. Even then, an SDS may still be offered as part of the duty to keep workers safe.

While you have the SDS binder open: Safe Work Australia says employers must keep complying with the workplace exposure standards until 1 December 2026, when workplace exposure limits replace them. That change affects airborne exposure limits only. It does not change your register, placards or storage. Pool chemical and solvent users should note that nine chemicals keep their current limits past that date pending further analysis, including chlorine, benzene and formaldehyde.

When do placards, a manifest and notification apply?

Horizontal paired bar chart on a logarithmic scale. Placard quantity, then manifest quantity, which is also the point for SafeWork NSW notification. Flammable gases Cat 1A/1B: 200 L and 5,000 L; Flammable liquids Cat 1: 50 L and 500 L; Flammable liquids Cat 2: 250 L and 2,500 L; Flammable liquids Cat 3: 1,000 L and 10,000 L; Flammable liquids Cat 4 (e.g. diesel): 10,000 L and 100,000 L; Aerosols Cat 1 to 3: 5,000 L and 10,000 L; Gases under pressure not specified elsewhere: 1,000 L and 10,000 L; Skin corrosion Cat 1A: 50 kg or L and 500 kg or L; Skin corrosion Cat 1B: 250 kg or L and 2,500 kg or L; Skin corrosion Cat 1C: 1,000 kg or L and 10,000 kg or L; Oxidisers Cat 3: 1,000 kg or L and 10,000 kg or L.Placard quantityManifest quantity: manifest + SafeWork NSW notification101001,00010,000100,000Flammable gases Cat 1A/1B200 L5,000 LFlammable liquids Cat 150 L500 LFlammable liquids Cat 2250 L2,500 LFlammable liquids Cat 31,000 L10,000 LFlammable liquids Cat 4 (e.g.diesel)10,000 L100,000 LAerosols Cat 1 to 35,000 L10,000 LGases under pressure notspecified elsewhere1,000 L10,000 LSkin corrosion Cat 1A50 kg or L500 kg or LSkin corrosion Cat 1B250 kg or L2,500 kg or LSkin corrosion Cat 1C1,000 kg or L10,000 kg or LOxidisers Cat 31,000 kg or L10,000 kg or LQuantity, logarithmic scale Horizontal paired bar chart on a logarithmic scale. Placard quantity, then manifest quantity, which is also the point for SafeWork NSW notification. Flammable gases Cat 1A/1B: 200 L and 5,000 L; Flammable liquids Cat 1: 50 L and 500 L; Flammable liquids Cat 2: 250 L and 2,500 L; Flammable liquids Cat 3: 1,000 L and 10,000 L; Flammable liquids Cat 4 (e.g. diesel): 10,000 L and 100,000 L; Aerosols Cat 1 to 3: 5,000 L and 10,000 L; Gases under pressure not specified elsewhere: 1,000 L and 10,000 L; Skin corrosion Cat 1A: 50 kg or L and 500 kg or L; Skin corrosion Cat 1B: 250 kg or L and 2,500 kg or L; Skin corrosion Cat 1C: 1,000 kg or L and 10,000 kg or L; Oxidisers Cat 3: 1,000 kg or L and 10,000 kg or L.Placard quantityManifest quantity:manifest + SafeWork NSW notification101001,00010,000100,000Flammable gases Cat 1A/1B200 L5,000 LFlammable liquids Cat 150 L500 LFlammable liquids Cat 2250 L2,500 LFlammable liquids Cat 31,000 L10,000 LFlammable liquids Cat 4 (e.g. diesel)10,000 L100,000 LAerosols Cat 1 to 35,000 L10,000 LGases under pressure not specifiedelsewhere1,000 L10,000 LSkin corrosion Cat 1A50 kg or L500 kg or LSkin corrosion Cat 1B250 kg or L2,500 kg or LSkin corrosion Cat 1C1,000 kg or L10,000 kg or LOxidisers Cat 31,000 kg or L10,000 kg or LQuantity, logarithmic scale

Thresholds vary by category. Check Schedule 11 of the NSW WHS Regulation 2025 for your chemical.

Source: Safe Work Australia, SafeWork NSW

These three are triggered by quantity, and the quantity depends on the chemical's category. Your SDS lists each product's hazard classification. Match that classification against Schedule 11.

A few of the thresholds in Safe Work Australia's threshold table show how wide the range is:

  • Category 1 flammable liquids: placard at 50 L, manifest at 500 L.
  • Category 4 flammable liquids such as diesel: placard at 10,000 L, manifest at 100,000 L.
  • Category 1A skin corrosives: placard at 50 kg or L, manifest at 500 kg or L.

SafeWork NSW notes that placard quantities for flammable gases (LPG, acetylene) were cut from 500L to 200L. Industrial gases such as nitrogen, argon and oxygen sit at 1000L. Class 9 is no longer in the Schedule 11 table.

How do you count part-used tins and LPG cylinders?

Generic outdoor scene behind a small Australian commercial building: a row of LPG cylinders of different sizes standing upright in a ventilated galvanised steel mesh cage on a concrete slab, a stack of metal tins on a bunded pallet nearby, in eucalypt shade
Illustration: LPG cylinders in a mesh cage, with metal tins on a bunded pallet.

Two counting rules catch people out. First, count every package as full, even if it isn't. Second, for gas cylinders use the water capacity (the "WC" stamp), not the mass of gas inside.

Our example shows the first rule only. A store holds 60 tins of 20 L each of a Category 3 flammable liquid. That counts as 1,200 L even if half the tins are part-used, which is over the 1,000 L Category 3 placard quantity in the threshold table.

For LPG, add up the WC figures stamped on every cylinder and compare the total with the 200 L flammable gas placard quantity. Do not add up the kilograms of gas.

Where do placards go, and what does each one look like?

The path a fire crew walks from your gate to your chemicals.

Top-down site plan of a small workplace: a street, a front gate and a side gate, a building with a main entry and a chemical storeroom inside, and an outdoor tank and IBC. A dotted line traces a fire crew's route from the front gate past the manifest and through the main entry to the storeroom door, and from the side gate to the IBC and tank. Numbered stops: 1 at each gate, 2 at the manifest, 3 at the main entry, 4 at the storeroom door, 5 at the tank and the IBC.StreetFront gateSide gateBuildingMain entryChemicalstoreroomTankIBCManifest1123455
  1. Every entrance emergency services may use: HAZCHEM outer warning placard, separate from other signs.
  2. Manifest at the location agreed with emergency services, marked on the site plan (only above the manifest quantity).
  3. Main building entry: information placard.
  4. Storeroom door or beside the goods: information placard with ADG Code class diamonds.
  5. Tank and IBC: tank placard showing shipping name, UN number, HAZCHEM code and class label.
What each placard looks like. Stop 1, outer warning placard: a white rectangle with red HAZCHEM lettering at least 100 mm high. Stop 4, information placard: class diamonds with class numbers, at least 100 mm per side, no GHS pictograms, no HAZCHEM code needed. Stop 5, tank placard: shipping name, UN number, HAZCHEM code and class label.1Outer warning placardHAZCHEM≥100 mm4Information placard38≥100 mmper sideno GHS pictogramsno HAZCHEM code needed5Tank placardShipping nameUN numberHAZCHEM code3class label

Stops 1, 3 and 4 apply once a placard quantity is exceeded; stop 5 applies at all times unless the tank is confirmed free of hazardous chemicals. Keep every placard legible and unobstructed.

Source: SafeWork NSW, Safe Work Australia

Picture the path a fire crew walks from your gate to your chemicals. Each placard sits on that path.

At the entrance. A HAZCHEM outer warning placard is needed at the workplace entrance when a placard quantity in Schedule 11 is exceeded. The lettering is red, at least 100mm high, on white or silver. It goes at every entrance emergency services may use, separate from other signs.

At the store. Once placard quantities are exceeded, each storage area for packaged chemicals needs an information placard. It uses ADG Code class diamonds at least 100mm per side, and GHS pictograms are not used. The package placard does not need the HAZCHEM code. Indoors, information placards go at the main building entry and at each storage room entry or next to the goods.

Keep every placard legible and unobstructed. A placard behind a stacked pallet does a fire crew no good.

Which placard rules apply to tanks, IBCs, diesel and fuel retailers?

SituationWhat the placarding guide says
Tanks, including IBCsTank placard with shipping name, UN number, HAZCHEM code and class label at all times, unless confirmed free of hazardous chemicals.
BulkA container over 500 L or 500 kg.
Combustible liquids such as diesel (Category 4)"COMBUSTIBLE LIQUID" placard, but a Class 3 label if stored with flammable liquids.
Fuel retailersExempt from the outer placard and underground flammable-liquid tank placards. The exemption does not cover LPG, or depots and distributors.

Bulk means a container over 500L or 500kg. Tanks, including IBCs, need a tank placard showing the shipping name, UN number, HAZCHEM code and class label at all times, unless confirmed free of hazardous chemicals.

Diesel and other Category 4 combustible liquids need a "COMBUSTIBLE LIQUID" placard. If they are stored with flammable liquids, a Class 3 label is used instead.

Fuel retailers are exempt from the outer placard and from underground flammable-liquid tank placards. The exemption does not cover LPG, or depots and distributors.

What does the manifest hold, and when must you notify SafeWork NSW?

A manifest shows

Notify SafeWork NSW when

A manifest is needed only when the quantity at the workplace exceeds the Schedule 11 manifest quantity. It shows the quantity, classification and location of the chemicals, site plans and emergency contact details.

The manifest is not a bigger version of your register: it is a separate summary for emergency services, kept at a location agreed with them and shown on the site plan.

The same threshold brings in notification. If you store, handle or process Schedule 11 chemicals above the manifest quantity, you must notify SafeWork NSW. You supply a notification form, a list for each storage area, a site plan and an emergency plan lodged with Fire and Rescue NSW.

Notification is not a one-off. You also notify on a significant change in quantity, location or storage method, when you stop storing, when your contact details or ownership change, or when the acknowledgement is lost.

Labels, spill containment and health monitoring: the duties that never switch off

Generic scene in a small Australian workshop: gloved hands (no face shown) pouring liquid from a blue plastic drum into a smaller plastic container over a yellow spill tray, a wheelie-bin style spill kit against the wall and a sink behind
Illustration: decanting from a drum over a spill tray, with a spill kit nearby.

The jobs most often skipped on a small site are the ones done by hand. SafeWork NSW lists them: label decanted containers and clean emptied ones, and have spill and leak containment ready.

That pool chlorine poured into an unmarked bucket, or the solvent in a recycled drink bottle, is exactly what the labelling duty is aimed at. For what happens when a spill gets onto the road, see our guide to dangerous goods spills on the road.

Workers regularly exposed to certain chemicals may need health monitoring, and those records are kept for 30 years.

What changed with the WHS Regulation 2025?

Timeline. 22 August 2025: WHS Regulation 2025 commenced; 25,000 kg or more of lithium batteries now needs an emergency plan lodged with Fire and Rescue NSW. 1 July 2026: New duty to comply with approved codes of practice. 1 December 2026: Workplace exposure limits replace workplace exposure standards (exposure limits only, not storage or placarding).22 August 2025WHS Regulation 2025commenced; 25,000 kg ormore of lithium batteriesnow needs an emergencyplan lodged with Fire andRescue NSW1 July 2026New duty to comply withapproved codes of practice1 December 2026Workplace exposure limitsreplace workplace exposurestandards (exposure limitsonly, not storage orplacarding) Timeline. 22 August 2025: WHS Regulation 2025 commenced; 25,000 kg or more of lithium batteries now needs an emergency plan lodged with Fire and Rescue NSW. 1 July 2026: New duty to comply with approved codes of practice. 1 December 2026: Workplace exposure limits replace workplace exposure standards (exposure limits only, not storage or placarding).22 August 2025WHS Regulation 2025 commenced; 25,000 kgor more of lithium batteries now needsan emergency plan lodged with Fire andRescue NSW1 July 2026New duty to comply with approved codesof practice1 December 2026Workplace exposure limits replaceworkplace exposure standards (exposurelimits only, not storage or placarding)

Source: SafeWork NSW, Safe Work Australia

The WHS Regulation 2025 commenced on 22 August 2025. Workplaces holding 25,000kg or more of lithium batteries must now lodge an emergency plan with Fire and Rescue NSW. The same SafeWork NSW page lists a new duty to comply with approved codes of practice from 1 July 2026.

The codes SafeWork NSW cites for hazardous chemicals cover managing risks, labelling and preparing SDS. They are worth a read if you are setting up a store for the first time.

The key figures in one view

Key figures. 5 days or less: in-transit chemicals that are unopened and unused may stay off the register (unless large amounts or stored frequently) (Safe Work Australia register page). At least every 5 years: manufacturers and importers check the SDS (Safe Work Australia SDS page). 200 L: flammable gas (LPG, acetylene) placard quantity, cut from 500 L; measured by cylinder water capacity (SafeWork NSW placarding page). Over 500 L or 500 kg: a bulk container (SafeWork NSW placarding page). 100 mm: minimum HAZCHEM lettering height and class diamond side (SafeWork NSW placarding page). 30 years: health monitoring records kept (SafeWork NSW general requirements). 25,000 kg: lithium batteries that need an emergency plan lodged with Fire and Rescue NSW (SafeWork NSW legislation page).5 days or lessin-transit chemicals thatare unopened and unusedmay stay off the register(unless large amounts orstored frequently)Safe Work Australiaregister pageAt least every5 yearsmanufacturers andimporters check the SDSSafe Work Australia SDSpage200 Lflammable gas (LPG,acetylene) placardquantity, cut from 500 L;measured by cylinderwater capacitySafeWork NSW placardingpageOver 500 L or500 kga bulk containerSafeWork NSW placardingpage100 mmminimum HAZCHEM letteringheight and class diamondsideSafeWork NSW placardingpage30 yearshealth monitoring recordskeptSafeWork NSW generalrequirements25,000 kglithium batteries that need an emergency plan lodged with Fire and Rescue NSWSafeWork NSW legislation page Key figures. 5 days or less: in-transit chemicals that are unopened and unused may stay off the register (unless large amounts or stored frequently) (Safe Work Australia register page). At least every 5 years: manufacturers and importers check the SDS (Safe Work Australia SDS page). 200 L: flammable gas (LPG, acetylene) placard quantity, cut from 500 L; measured by cylinder water capacity (SafeWork NSW placarding page). Over 500 L or 500 kg: a bulk container (SafeWork NSW placarding page). 100 mm: minimum HAZCHEM lettering height and class diamond side (SafeWork NSW placarding page). 30 years: health monitoring records kept (SafeWork NSW general requirements). 25,000 kg: lithium batteries that need an emergency plan lodged with Fire and Rescue NSW (SafeWork NSW legislation page).5 days or lessin-transit chemicals that are unopened andunused may stay off the register (unlesslarge amounts or stored frequently)Safe Work Australia register pageAt least every 5 yearsmanufacturers and importers check the SDSSafe Work Australia SDS page200 Lflammable gas (LPG, acetylene) placardquantity, cut from 500 L; measured bycylinder water capacitySafeWork NSW placarding pageOver 500 L or 500 kga bulk containerSafeWork NSW placarding page100 mmminimum HAZCHEM lettering height and classdiamond sideSafeWork NSW placarding page30 yearshealth monitoring records keptSafeWork NSW general requirements25,000 kglithium batteries that need an emergencyplan lodged with Fire and Rescue NSWSafeWork NSW legislation page

Source: Safe Work Australia, SafeWork NSW

These are the fixed numbers worth keeping on the wall of the store. The in-transit window is 5 days or less. Manufacturers and importers check the SDS at least every 5 years. Bulk means over 500L or 500kg, and HAZCHEM lettering and class diamonds are at least 100mm. Health monitoring records are kept 30 years. The placard and manifest quantities themselves depend on your chemical's category, so check those against Schedule 11 every time.

Does a dangerous goods licence cover any of this?

No. The register, SDS, placards, manifest and notification are workplace storage duties under the WHS Regulation. A dangerous goods licence is about moving goods by road. Our page on the driver licence and vehicle licence explains that side. Holding a driver licence, or sending staff through an awareness course, does not meet any of the storage duties above.

Your next step is to walk your own store with the SDS binder in hand. Check each chemical's category, count every container as full, and compare the totals with Schedule 11. Where a question is about your particular site, SafeWork NSW's general requirements page is the place to start.

If your team also loads, carts or receives dangerous goods, our comparison of licence and awareness courses sets out the options. To talk through which training fits your people, send Dangerous Goods Licence Newcastle a message through our contact page.

Sources

Pictures in this guide are illustrations, not photos of our jobs.

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