What it is
The chemical register is the record of every hazardous substance stored or used on site — its hazard class, dangerous-goods class, physical state, where it is kept, and the currency of its Safety Data Sheet. An SDS is the manufacturer’s safety document for a chemical, and the rules require a current one, reviewed at least every five years, for each hazardous chemical you hold. The register surfaces the sheets that are overdue or missing so you can chase them.
When something goes wrong with a chemical — a spill, a splash, a fire — the SDS is what tells responders how to handle it. Keeping the register complete and the sheets current is both a legal duty and a practical one: it is the difference between a controlled response and a guessing game, and it is one of the first things an auditor checks.
When to use it
- A new hazardous chemical arrives on site and needs registering
- You need to know which Safety Data Sheets are overdue or missing
- An auditor or client asks for your chemical register and sheets
- You are checking storage and segregation of dangerous goods
How it works
Step by step.
- 1
Register the chemical
Add the substance with its hazard class, dangerous-goods class, physical state and storage location.
- 2
Attach the Safety Data Sheet
Record the SDS and its review date so the register can track whether it is current.
- 3
Scan for overdue sheets
The register flags sheets that are overdue — past their five-year review — or missing entirely. Work the flagged list.
- 4
Renew an SDS
When you obtain a fresh sheet from the supplier, update the record and its review date. The flag clears.
- 5
Check storage and segregation
Use the storage location and hazard class to confirm incompatible chemicals are kept apart.
Worked example
Follow it through.
The scenario
A new drum of industrial degreaser arrives at the Docklands Distribution Centre wash bay for Coastline Logistics.
- 1 Register "Industrial degreaser" with GHS hazard class flammable, dangerous-goods class 3, physical state liquid.
- 2 Set the storage location to "Wash bay flammables cabinet".
- 3 Attach the supplier’s Safety Data Sheet and record its review date.
- 4 Filter the register to overdue sheets and spot that the floor-cleaner SDS lapsed eighteen months ago.
- 5 Request a current sheet for the floor cleaner from the supplier and update its record when it arrives.
The result
The degreaser is registered with a current SDS in the right cabinet, and the lapsed floor-cleaner sheet is identified and chased to renewal.
Tips & notes
Good to know.
- Record the storage location precisely — in an emergency, responders need to know exactly where a chemical is kept.
- Filter to overdue and missing sheets monthly; five years is long enough that a few will always be quietly lapsing.
- Match hazard class against storage so incompatible goods — oxidisers near flammables — never share a cabinet.
- Keep the register tidy as chemicals leave site too, so it reflects what is actually held, not what once was.
When you’re done
A complete, current chemical register with every hazardous substance backed by an in-date Safety Data Sheet.