Dangerous goods and chemicals of high consequence or concern

Holdings of Chemicals of security concern, including Ammonium Nitrate fertilisers, must be secured, and stocks regularly reconciled to detect theft or diversion. Refer to WA Department of Mines: Ammonium nitrate.

The UWA Carcinogenic and Mutagenic Substances Committee and State Government's WorkSafe must approve the use of substances listed in schedules 5.4, 5.5 and 5.6 of the Occupational Safety Health Regulations 1996

List of carcinogenic and mutagenic substances

This list of substances does not comprehensively cover potential or known carcinogens, and the onus is on the individual researchers to do thorough risk assessments and treat all chemicals with caution. For guidance, see the ChemAlert, Material Safety Data Sheet(s) for the chemical(s) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer

Schedule 5.4 Carcinogenic substances to be used only for bona fide research [Regulation 5.28] 

Note: The number in square brackets is the substance's chemical abstract number. 

• 2-Acetylaminofluorene [53 96 3] 

• Aflatoxins 

• 4-Aminodiphenyl [92 67 1] 

• Benzidine [92 87 5] and its salts (including benzidine dihydrochloride [531 85 1]) 

• bis(chloromethyl) ether [542 88 1] 

• Chloromethyl methyl ether [107 30 2] (technical grade containing bis(chloromethyl) ether) 

• 4-Dimethylaminoazobenzene [60 11 7] 

• 2-Naphthylamine [91 59 8] and its salts 

• 4-Nitrodiphenyl [92 93 3] 

Schedule 5.4 amended in Gazette 30 Dec 2003 p. 5743. 

Schedule 5.5 Carcinogenic substances to be used only for purposes approved by the Commissioner [Regulation 5.28] 

Note: The substance's chemical abstract number appears in square brackets. 

• Acrylonitrile [107 13 1] 

• Benzene [71 43 2] when used as a feedstock and containing more than 50 per cent of benzene by volume 

• Cyclophosphamide [50 18 0] (cytotoxic drug) when used in preparation for therapeutic use in hospitals and oncological treatment facilities and in manufacturing operations 

• 3,3-Dichlorobenzidine [91 94 1] and its salts (including 3,3-dichlorobenzidine dihydrochloride [612 83 9] 

• Diethyl sulfate [64 67 5] 

• Dimethyl sulfate [77 78 1] 

• Ethylene dibromide [106 93 4] when used as a fumigant 

• 4,4³ Methylene bis(2-chloroaniline) [101 14 4] MOCA 

• Beta-Propiolactone [57 57 8] (2-propiolactone) 

• o-Toluidine [95 53 4] and o-Toluidine hydrochloride [636 21 5] 

• Vinyl chloride monomer [75 01 4] 

Schedule 5.5 amended in Gazette 30 Dec 2003 p. 5743. 

Schedule 5.6 Carcinogenic substances asbestos [Regulation 5.28] 

Note: The number in square brackets is the substance's chemical abstract number. 

• Actinolite asbestos [77536 66 5] 

• Amosite [12172 73 5] (brown asbestos) 

• Anthophyllite asbestos [77536 67 5] 

• Crocidolite [12001 28 4] (blue asbestos) 

• Chrysotile [12001 29 5] (white asbestos) 

• Tremolite asbestos [77536 68 6] 

Schedule 5.6 inserted in Gazette 30 Dec 2003 p. 5743. 

Assessing risk and ensuring safety

Chief investigators must gain approval to use carcinogenic substances listed in the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations in research. 

Responsibility for the health and safety aspects of a research project rests with the project's chief investigator, who must ensure that comprehensive risk assessments are performed, adequate facilities are available and suitable procedures are adopted to conduct the research in a safe manner. 

Alternatives to the use of potent carcinogens, mutagens or teratogens should always be considered in the first instance. Safety and Health is happy to provide advice on the use of carcinogenic substances and possible alternatives. 

Seek approval for use

Scheduled Carcinogens, Mutagens and Teratogens

Before purchasing reagents, the use, storage, handling, biomonitoring and disposal of  scheduled carcinogens, mutagens and teratogens requires approval from the UWA Carcinogenic and Mutagenic Substances Committee and WorkSafe.

Refer to Seek approval for carcinogen, mutagen or teratogen use.

Non-scheduled Carcinogens

Although approval is not required for the use of non-scheduled carcinogens, we recommend that you complete the form as part of the risk assessment. 

Monitor your health

Refer to the section above on Chemical Management: Risk Management and Emergencies.  

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) are a group of very stable chemicals which resist change from ageing, wide temperature variation and influence of acids and alkalis. 

To prevent exposure to PCBs from leaking capacitors, all leaking capacitors must be removed and replaced with non-PCB capacitors. 

Various groups within the University use potable ethanol for scientific and technical purposes, and this ethanol would normally be subject to excise and duty as drinkable alcohol. 

UWA, however, holds a permit to purchase and use concessional ethanol (alcohol purchased free of duty and excise). This exemption is based on the premise that the ethanol will not be used for human consumption. 

A key condition of this permit is that all use of concessional ethanol within UWA must be accounted for and recorded. The resulting records must be retained for audit purposes. There are separate permits for the main Crawley Campus and the Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre site. 

Requirements of the permit

Use of concessional ethanol under the relevant permit is subject to periodic audit by personnel from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), acting on behalf of the Australian Customs Service. The permits outline a maximum quantity of ethanol permitted to be purchased from nominated suppliers in any 12-month period. The nominated suppliers are also given authorisation by the ATO to provide no more than the stipulated maximum quantity of ethanol to UWA users in any 12-month period. 

The two UWA permits (Crawley Campus and QEII) specify total annual allocations of ethanol for the entire University. These allocations arose by consolidating individual allocations for various purchasing centres across the University that identified a need to use concessional ethanol when the permit was obtained. 

Each of these users identified one or more nominated suppliers, to whom any orders would be limited for the period of validity of the permit. For each supplier, a maximum supply quantity was also stipulated. These allocations are fixed until the next permit renewal (usually every three years). 

Each purchasing centre is limited to the allocation of ethanol they nominated at the time of renewal of the permit, from the suppliers they nominated. Ordering of ethanol in excess of these limits or from other suppliers will see one purchasing centre consuming ethanol allocated for another area, and ultimately other areas will be denied the right to purchase ethanol until 12 months have expired. 

Record keeping and form

Meticulous records must be maintained for a minimum of five years for all use of concessional ethanol. If use is not recorded and significant anomalies are found during audits by the ATO, duty and excise can be charged for the entire UWA consumption for the previous five years, at a rate of $74.72 per litre (as at February 2012). Thousands of litres are used annually within the University, so this represents a significant financial penalty. 

The information required to be recorded and maintained in records is: 

• the quantity of ethanol taken/used* 

• the name of person using ethanol 

• the purpose of use (solvent, sterilisation) 

• date 

• signature. 

*Signatures must be collected for the final use of the ethanol. Generally this translates to signing for laboratory-sized containers such as lab bottles or Winchesters at a maximum. Where larger stocks of ethanol (20 L for example) are purchased (for example, from the Chemistry Store where allocations have been arranged), the purchasing person must sign for the 20 L from the store, but the recipient area must then maintain its own records for the use of that 20 L of ethanol as it is consumed by various users within that area. 

The easiest way to maintain records for the purpose of auditing is to retain a copy of all invoices for ethanol purchased (or T forms for internal transactions) along with the associated records sheets for the consumption of each invoice quantity. The records then constitute a self-contained audit trail, with each invoice (or T form) accounted for through the attached usage records. 

Concessional ethanol use record sheet [DOC]

Legislation links

• Excise on concessional spirits - Australian Government

Disposal of cytostatic/cytotoxic drugs waste is required on occasion in some research laboratories. 

Many such wastes can be most safely and conveniently destroyed chemically in the laboratory. Destruction of the waste at the point of generation/use eliminates any risk to other personnel (such as those who deal with waste disposal) and helps minimise the quantity of waste generated. Other cytotoxic related waste (such as contaminated sharps) is best sent for incineration. 

General wastes contaminated with cytotoxic substances (gloves, plastic bags, consumables etc) can be disposed of in commercially available cytotoxic waste bins, through licensed waste disposal contractors. These bins are collected periodically and the contents incinerated. 

Illicit drugs and substances and materials which may be used in the production of illicit drugs are subject to statutory controls in WA which are intended to prevent the production and supply of these substances for illicit purposes. 

The relevant legislation has been amended to encompass substances and equipment which may be used in the production of drugs for illicit purposes. The legislation includes lists of substances and equipment of interest, and imposes a tiered set of requirements to be met prior to regulated material being supplied to a purchaser. 

Substances and equipment subject to the legislative requirements can only be possessed if there is a lawful authority or purpose for the possession under this or other legislation (such as the Poisons Regulations). 

Requirements for research and teaching use

Tertiary research and teaching uses within the University are subject to an exemption from most the general requirements of the legislation, providing that: 

• the substances and equipment are used for University purposes 

• the materials are ordered on an official order form/purchase order or other official UWA paperwork – phone and internet orders are not acceptable – and go through a formal billing process. 

Note, also, that the regulated materials must be delivered to a recognised UWA address. 

So, for example, phone or internet orders paid for by credit card can’t be processed by a supplier without confirmatory hardcopy paperwork. 

For organisations not subject to the exemption clauses which apply to UWA, detailed paperwork may be required prior to orders being processed. This may require proof of identification, Australian Business Number declarations and other checks. 

In any case, substances and equipment subject to the regulations can not be supplied from UWA to non-UWA personnel or entities without formal notification to WA Police and other authorities as required. Similarly, UWA personnel can not order regulated materials for other organisations. 

In the current climate, with regard to clandestine drug manufacture, and considering the desirability of these materials for such purposes, it is strongly recommended that all scheduled substances and equipment be well secured. 

Legislation links

Anyone who is conducting research using chemicals that are considered illicit drug precursors should familiarise themselves with the relevant schedules (from the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1982). 

Legislation 

• Misuse of drugs act 1981 [PDF] 

• Misuse of drugs regulations 1982 [PDF] 

Illicit drug precursors schedules 

Refer to the Illicit drug precursors schedules  

Understand the procedures below before using pesticides in your workplace.