Are you a manifest quantity workplace?
Manifest quantity workplaces (MQW) use, store and handle relatively large quantities of hazardous chemicals and have extra safety obligations.
Find out if your place of work is a MQW.
What is a manifest quantity workplace?
A manifest quantity workplace (MQW) refers to a workplace which stores, handles or uses hazardous chemicals in quantities that exceed or are likely to exceed the prescribed manifest quantities in column 5, Schedule 11 in the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (WHS Regulation). The prescribed quantity is dependent on the classification of the product under the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). The correct edition is specified in the WHS Regulation. The classification is available in section 2 of the manufacturer’s, or importer’s safety data sheet (SDS). Always ensure you have the current SDS from the manufacturer or importer for your hazardous chemicals.
Additional safety obligations apply to MQWs. The table below provides examples of workplaces that may exceed the prescribed manifest quantity (Schedule 11) for the specified GHS hazard category. Always verify the inventory of hazardous chemicals at your workplace and check their GHS categories and volumes to confirm which hazardous chemical requirements apply under the WHS Regulation.
Examples of MQWs
| Example workplace | Reason |
|---|---|
| Service stations/fuel retailers, marinas, fuel depots, and distributors | Petrol >500 L or >2500 L as Flammable liquid Category 1 or 2 respectively, and/or diesel >100,000 L as Flammable liquid Category 4 |
| Airports and regional aerodromes | Aviation fuels >2500 L as Flammable liquid Category 2 (e.g., Avgas) or >10,000 L as Flammable liquid Category 3 (e.g., Jet-A1) |
| Distilleries | Ethanol solutions >2500 L as Flammable liquid Category 2, or if not exceeded, >10,000 L as a combined volume of flammable liquids of mixed categories |
| Breweries | Ammonia refrigerant gas >500 L, plus other products such as ethanol solutions and cleaning chemicals >10,000 L |
| Engineering works and gas depots | LP Gas >5000 L, Industrial Gases >10 000 L |
| Water and sewage treatment plants | Chlorine gas >500 L, and Corrosives >2500 L as Skin corrosion Category 1B (e.g. acid, caustic, hypochlorite solution) or if not exceeded, >10 000 L as a combined volume of corrosive liquids of mixed categories |
| Power stations | Various >10 000 L |
| Chemical manufacturers and formulators | Various >10 000 L |
| Grain depots | Fumigant gases >500 L |
| Health care and aged care facilities, hospitals | LP Gas >5 000 L |
| Industrial manufacturing | Various >10 000 L |
| Warehousing, transport depots | Various >10 000 L |
| Fibreglass manufacturing e.g. pools, boats | Flammable solvents and resins >2500 L or if not exceeded, >10,000 L as a combined volume of flammable liquids of mixed categories. |
| Bitumen plants | Kerosene >10 000 L |
| Biofuel manufacturers | Ethanol >2 500 L or Biodiesel >100,000 L |
| Cold stores, food product processing | Refrigerant gas (Ammonia) > 500 L |
| Rural chemical suppliers and distributors | Toxic substances >2500 kg or L, can be as low as 500 kg or L |
Additional MQW safety obligations include:
- preparing a manifest and site plan for use by emergency services.
- providing the emergency plan to the Queensland Fire Department (QFD) for review of the HAZMAT incident management systems.
- notifying WHSQ of the existence of the MQW and providing certain information.
Preparing a manifest and site plan
A manifest is a written summary of specific types of hazardous chemicals with physicochemical hazards and acute toxicity that are used, handled, or stored at a workplace. It contains more detailed information than a register of hazardous chemicals as its primary purpose is to provide emergency services organisations with information on the quantity, classification and location of hazardous chemicals at the workplace. It also contains information such as site plans and emergency contact details and must be kept in a place determined in agreement with the QFD, be available for inspection and readily accessible to the emergency services. QFD recommends the manifest be stored in a red HAZMAT box at the front entrance of your place of work (see the QFD Emergency Planning webpage below for more info on HAZMAT boxes).
The manifest must comply with the requirements of Schedule 12 of the WHS Regulation and it must be updated as soon as practicable after any change to the amount or types of chemicals being used, stored, handled or generated at the workplace.
For guidance on the content and preparation of a manifest and site plan, refer to Manifest requirements for hazardous chemicals (PDF, 0.83 MB). This guide provides an example manifest and site plan. There is also a self-assessment checklist provided.
The sample manifest for hazardous chemicals provides assistance to develop a manifest that meets the requirements of Schedule 12 of the WHS Regulation.
Emergency plans
Regardless of the controls put in place to prevent incidents occurring in your workplace, they can still occur. For example, people can be exposed to chemicals requiring immediate medical treatment, a fire can start or a loss of containment can occur. It is therefore necessary to be prepared for any foreseeable incident.
MQWs, in addition to notifying us using Form 73, must also send a copy of your emergency plan to QFD. Refer to the QFD Emergency Planning webpage for more information on emergency planning including the email address for where to send your emergency plan and where to position your HAZMAT box.
Notifications
Under s 348 of the WHS Regulation, a person conducting a business or undertaking must submit a notification to WHSQ for a MQW. This notification requires a copy of the manifest and site plan to be included with the notification.
Under s 536 of the WHS Regulation, the operator of a facility storing or handling Schedule 15 chemicals in quantities that may exceed 10 per cent of the prescribed quantity must submit a notification. MQWs may need to consider this notification if they have materials identified in Schedule 15.
If your workplace holds or uses a lot of chemicals it may qualify as a MQW, and very large MQWs may then meet the criteria of a major hazard facility (MHF).
Why does a PCBU have to notify of a MQW?
WHSQ collects information about the hazardous chemicals at workplaces for a number of reasons including:
- reviewing manifest and site plan information to help ensure the regulatory requirements are met to assist emergency services
- providing notified information to QFD to assist HAZMAT emergency responses and planning
- assisting WHSQ to prioritise hazardous chemical regulatory activities
- assisting WHSQ to develop targeted hazardous chemical audit campaigns
- assisting with the evaluation of workplace health and safety risks to workers and members of the public from hazardous chemicals.