Hazardous chemicals can be found across thousands of Australian workplaces and present an immediate and long term risk to employee health. Whether you work in cleaning, construction, manufacturing, mining or something else, there are many Australian industries that present the risk of exposure to hazardous chemicals.

This is why it is imperative for your business to ensure your team is properly educated regarding the immediate and long term threats they present. If you work in an industry that is susceptible to hazchem dangers, here are a few reasons why training is essential:

1.You will learn how to deal with hazchem items

One of the key benefits of hazardous chemical awareness training is learning how to deal with dangerous goods. Unfortunately, in many industries dangerous goods can present themselves at any time, and it may be necessary for educated staff to deal with the goods in a safe and efficient manner.

So, hazchem education can train staff to properly pack, store, handle and transport hazchem material, and it is truly the only way for staff to know how to deal with any goods that present a threat to staff.

2.It ensures the team is aware of onsite hazchem materials

There are innumerable items that qualify as dangerous goods across Australian industry, and therefore it is imperative that all staff who work in an industry that is known to possess such dangerous goods are aware of exactly what the dangerous goods are and how they can deal with them.

Education is essential when it comes to ensuring your team’s health and safety, and they need to be aware of what the items are that pose a particular threat to their short and long term health. Providing awareness training is the ultimate way to ensure they know the particular products that pose this threat.

3.It puts people in charge of dealing with dangerous goods

Awareness education helps staff put their best foot forward when it comes to containing dangerous exposures like spillages. If you have designated staff in control of handling dangerous goods then you are providing a robust safety framework in the event of exposure. There are numerous ways in which dangerous goods rear their nasty heads, from contamination through to fire, so it is imperative that you have staff who are able to handle potentially dangerous items in the first place through a tight and recognised safety solution.

4.It helps comply with OH&S procedure

Australia is a country that takes OH&S very seriously, and the last thing you want is your company not to be following their stringent requirements. Through education, you will not only be greatly reducing the risk of harm through dangerous goods exposure, but you will also ensure that OH&S inspectors are happy that your business is not of concern when it comes to handling any dangerous goods that could pose a threat to staff and the general public.

5.It provides peace of mind

And you can’t put a price on you and your team’s peace of mind. Working for a company exposed to the threat of dangerous goods can be stressful if you know that your team is ill-prepared for exposure, and so ensuring that everyone is trained up and ready to go in the event of an emergency is essential to ensuring workplace peace of mind.

These are the key reasons why you should implement hazchem education at your workplace, and they are pretty good reasons at that!