News

On 30 April New Zealand will adopt the GHS Classification system in place of the HSNO classification system. Join our Snr Consultant Janet Connochie on 15 April in a webinar that will look at what is changing and why, and more importantly what this means for you right now and in the future.

Find out from one of our licenced asbestos assessors what the most common reasons are for an asbestos clearance inspection to fail.

Taking an asbestos sample doesn't look particularly tricky but there are reasons why you should leave it to the experts.  Find out the 5 reasons you shouldn't collect your own asbestos samples.

At Chemsafety we have extensive experience as an Asbestos Consultancy Company and with our Asbestos Test Laboratory.  Recently we have noticed that some people have doubts in hiring a professional to collect their asbestos samples for them. Lets discuss what some of the benefits are to hiring a professional to collect your asbestos samples.

If you have hazardous substances on site you should be prepared for what happens in an emergency and you should share that plan with Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ).  Find out what five things they'd like to see in your emergency response plan.

Are you testing your emergency response plan enough? 

 If you are required to have an emergency response plan (ERP) under the hazardous substances regulations, you need to test your plan with regard to all emergencies at least once every year.

Monday the 8th is International Women’s Day. For over a century, International Women’s Day has marked a day of advocacy for women’s rights around the world. We want to celebrate Bridgette Jennings who is the Managing Director at Chemsafety.

 In Chemsafety's December 2020 newsletter we cover:

• GHS Classifications
• Asbestos Awareness Week
• Wellington Class 3 Certification
• Exposure Monitoring to Check Control Effectiveness

In our February newsletter learn how heat can be a hazard and read updates on hazardous substance compliance

Janet Connochie our Senior Hazardous Substance Consultant has written a comprehensive paper that takes a look at what has changed for fire ratings, advice on what you need to do for compliance and a look at some common examples such as LPG storage, fire doors and vents

Although its coming to the end of summer, heat stress should be a consideration all year round.  Workers who are exposed to extreme heat or work in hot environments are at risk of heat stress. Some common indoor industries where this could be a factor all year round include, foundries, smelters, bakeries, boilers, and cultured dairy product factories.

Every couple of years the EPA reviews the classifications of hazardous substances when new information has become available. The 2019-2020 Chemical Review is now open for consultation.

WorkSafe have released a position document for those whose hazardous substances separation distances extend over the property boundary, outlining when you need written agreement with your neighbour.

In short, if your hazardous substances

1. require separation from something
   (such as protected places, public places, ignition sources, transfer points or incompatible substance
2. that separation distance extends over your property boundary, and
3. the neighbouring property has on it, anywhere, one of the ‘somethings’ that you need to separate from

It’s coming… GHS is really on the way

You may be aware that the classification system that we use for hazardous substances in New Zealand is changing.

At the moment we use the HSNO classification system, for example:
*    2.1.1A – Extremely flammable gas
*    6.4A – Eye irritant
*    3.1B – Highly flammable liquid

From April 2021 New Zealand will adopt the GHS classification system.  Most of the HSNO classes correlate to the new GHS classifications

Did you know Chemsafety has offices in both Christchurch & Wellington? Our Wellington branch can help with the full range of Occupational Hygiene services including noise, dust and exposure monitoring as well as asbestos surveying and clearances.

Health Monitoring and Exposure Monitoring – Do You Understand the Difference?

These terms are often used interchangeably but they are quite different and both very important to manage the health of your team.

Masks and face coverings are a very topical subject as Auckland moves back up to Level 3 and the rest of New Zealand moves up to Level 2.

We give a reminder on the different types of masks you have seen being used during the pandemic. Ensure you know the limitations on each type before you use them. Chemsafety can help you with respirator selection if needed.

Join us for our free webinar on Wednesday 12 August at 10:00am to learn how to minimise exposure to hazardous substances.

Do you know what to do if the hazardous substance you use and store begin to spill or they leak?  Join us in our free webinar to discover what you should have in your spill kit, what should be in your emergency response plan and what steps you should take in an emergency situation.  This webinar is suited to all those workplaces that hold hazardous substances on site.

From 2020 Chemsafety has been examining in detail the evidence available for the fire ratings of flammable gas and liquids stores.  This is to provide assurance to both the client and Chemsafety that the regulations are being met and the hazard appropriately controlled.

Snow is fun to play with but not all kids have access to snow during winter. Try this fun experiment to make fake snow at home.

Michael Gray is our Founding Director at Chemsafety.  Although still actively involved in the business, these days Michael can be found thinking about strategic direction while fishing on the lakes around New Zealand, or pondering the companies cashflow while working in his garden.  

We asked Michael about why he begun the company in 1992, what are his biggest achievements and what he's most proud of.

Machine-made mineral fibres can be a health hazard to people working with them, from manufacture to installation and removal.

Chemsafety will be doing more office and site based work in level 2 so you will see us more on site, but we will still be physical distancing.

Being at home more due to COVID 19 lockdown means that there will be more humidity in your home. This combined with the change of season means that you’re more likely to have problems with damp and mould than normal.

Need something to read over the lockdown? SafeGuard magazine have decided to make their publication free this month. There are some great articles ... especially the one written by our Managing Director, Bridgette Jennings on page 25

Due to the Level 4 lockdown all Chemsafety staff will be working remotely with full access to our systems and resources.

At this time, we do not anticipate that the current novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation will impact our ability to continue to deliver our services to you.

We're coming up to the second anniversary of our Wellington Branch.  We've been working with some great companies completing asbestos survey's, providing asbestos assessor services, noise monitoring, dust and silica monitoring, respirator fit testing and certification.

The 11^thEdition of theWorkplace Exposure Standards and Biological Exposure Indices Special Guidehas now been published on the WorkSafe websitehere.

Table 1 below shows some of the WES that have been adopted in December 2019, and those for which we intend changing the WES in three years’ time.

The time has come to establish a hazardous substance location (HSL) for your class 6 (toxic) and class 8 (corrosive) substances. From 1 June 2019 if you exceed the thresholds, you will need to have established an HSL for these substances.

Chemsafety Laboratory, expanding its scope of work and getting IANZ accreditation

In Australia there have been approximately 106 cases of acute silicosis (including 2 fatalities) caused by breathing in dust created by the cutting and grinding of engineered stone benches.  The benches contain up to 97% quartz (crystalline silica).

Did you know that removing your hearing protection for just 15 minutes in a high noise area (100dbA – 104dBA) and you will have met your maximum allowed noise for the day, prior to permanent hearing damage?

Yes, for a number of different reasons including worlkload, heating, reduced ventilation and dry weather.

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Respirable Crystalline Silica has come under the focus of Worksafe NZ as part of their Clean Air Programme. Respirable crystalline silica is a known carcinogen and a health risk to those primarily working in the construction and manufacturing industries.

Worksafe New Zealand has implemented a new initiative called the Clean Air Programme. The main focus of the Clean Air Programme is protecting workers from crystalline silica dust and solvents within the work place but also encompasses welding fume and wood dust.