Dangerous goods training in healthcare facilities

Background

Healthcare facilities routinely use and store dangerous goods. Many of the dangerous goods in healthcare are also hazardous substances.

Common examples include:

• Class 2 gases including oxygen, nitrous oxide and some anaesthetic gases.
• Cleaning, disinfecting and sterilizing agents including Class 3 flammables (alcohol-based hand sanitiser), Class 5.1 (peracetic acid) and Class 8 corrosives (sodium hypochlorite).
• Lithium-ion batteries for medical equipment (Class 9).

Incorrect storage and handling can pose significant health, fire and explosive hazards.

WorkSafe is aware of recent incidents involving dangerous goods that have occurred within healthcare settings, involving the incorrect handling of medical gases in cylinders.

• A serious fire incident involving a portable oxygen cylinder occurred within an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), leading to rapid ignition. The event resulted in multiple injuries and an immediate full-unit evacuation.
• A significant medical gas incident occurred in an acute setting during the routine replacement of a cylinder. Removal of the regulator resulted in an uncontrolled release of Nitrous Oxide, requiring staff to evacuate immediately.

Safety issues

Dangerous goods are substances and articles capable of causing immediate harm to people and property because of their nature.

The occupier of the premises must ensure that employees working within healthcare facilities are aware of the hazards and risks associated with the dangerous goods stored and handled within the premises.

Lack of understanding of hazards, risks and relevant control measures relating to the storage, handling and use of dangerous goods, may lead to an increased risk of injury to healthcare employees and other persons, such as patients and/or damage to property.

Examples where lack of knowledge and understanding could result in an incident would be failing to segregate incompatible dangerous goods through the mixing of incompatible materials or the introduction of ignition sources into oxygen rich environments.

Requirement to provide induction, information, training and supervision

The occupier of the premises must provide induction, information, training and supervision to employees involved in the use and storage of dangerous goods. The induction, information, training and supervision must be relevant to the tasks they perform and the risks associated with those tasks.

The induction, information, training and supervision must include instructions in relation to:

• The nature of the hazards and properties of the dangerous goods.
• The processes used for the identification and control of the risks associated with the dangerous goods, which may include labelling, signage, correct storage and handling.
• The use of personal protective equipment, where applicable, including correct fitting.
• The operation of the emergency plan for the premises, which may include spill containment, decontamination or fire/evacuation procedures.

Induction, information, training and supervision must:

• Be provided in a language or manner appropriate to those it is being provided to.
• Be relevant to the tasks performed by the employee and the associated risks with those tasks.

Legal duties

Under the Dangerous Goods (Storage and Handling) Regulations 2022, an occupier of a premises where dangerous goods are stored and handled must:

• Ensure that a person involved with the storage and handling of dangerous goods at the premises, and any health and safety representative of that person, is provided with induction, information, training and supervision that is —
  • in a language or manner appropriate to the person; and
  • relevant to the tasks undertaken by the person and the risks associated with those tasks.
• So far as is reasonably practicable, consult with persons engaged by the occupier to work at the premises whose health or safety is likely to be affected by the dangerous goods, and any health and safety representative of those persons, regarding —
  • induction, training, information provision, hazard identification and risk control; and
  • any proposed alteration to structures, plant, processes or systems of work that are likely to increase the risk to those persons.