The group standards have been updated to incorporate GHS 7 classifications. A small number of group standards also include the new terrestrial hazard classifications.

The new group standards come into effect on 30 April 2021. There is a four-year transition period for parts of the group standards that refer to the:

• Hazardous Substances (Labelling) Notice 2017
• Hazardous Substances (Safety Data Sheets) Notice 2017
• Hazardous Substances (Packaging) Notice 2017.

Names of some group standards have changed

• The names of group standards that currently have a HSNO classification in their name (for example Toxic 6.1, Toxic 6.7) have changed to the GHS hazard class (for example acutely toxic, carcinogenic).
• The order of hazards in the names of some group standards has been changed to reflect the order that hazards are listed in the GHS book.
  The names of “Gas under pressure mixtures” group standards have been changed to “Gases under pressure mixtures”.
• The word “non-flammable” has been inserted into the name of non-flammable aerosol group standards.
• There are minor changes to some group standards.

We also made some minor changes to some group standards. These are listed below.

• The classification “aerosol Category 3” was added as a mandatory primary hazard to non-flammable aerosol group standards.
• The classification “aerosol Category 3” was added as a subsidiary hazard to Cosmetic Products Group Standard 2020.
• The classification “metallic corrosive Category 1” was added as an optional primary hazard in all corrosive group standards.
• The classifications “hazardous to soil organisms”, “hazardous to terrestrial vertebrates”, and “hazardous to terrestrial invertebrates” were added as subsidiary hazards in the following group standards:
  • Active Ingredients for Use in the Manufacture of Agricultural Compounds Group Standard 2020
  • Veterinary medicines group standards
  • Agricultural Compounds Special Circumstances Group Standard 2020
  • Animal Nutritional and Animal Care Products Group Standard 2020
  • Fertilisers group standards
  • Straight-chained Lepidopteran Sex Pheromone Group Standard 2020
  • Additives, process chemicals and raw materials group standards.
• The classification “designed for biocidal action” was added as a subsidiary hazard in the following group standards:
  • Veterinary medicines group standards
  • Agricultural Compounds Special Circumstances Group Standard 2020
  • Straight-chained Lepidopteran Sex Pheromone Group Standard 2020.
• The four classifications for gases under pressure (“compressed gas,” “liquefied gas,” “refrigerated liquefied gas” and “dissolved gas”) were added as mandatory hazards to all gas under pressure mixtures group standards. It was also clarified that that these group standards apply to “gases under pressure” as defined in the Act.
• A sales restriction clause was placed into the Gases under Pressure Mixtures (Flammable, Acutely Toxic, Corrosive) Group Standard 2020. This clause was accidentally omitted when this group standard was reissued in 2017. The specific wording of the clause is:

"a substance covered by this Group Standard must only be sold or supplied for use in a place of work where members of the public do not have access to the substance".

• The term “active ingredient” was replaced with the term “veterinary medicine active ingredient” in the veterinary medicines group standards.
• Clause 8 of the Veterinary Medicines (Non-dispersive Closed System Application) Group Standard 2020 and the Veterinary Medicines (Non-dispersive Open System Application) Group Standard was reworded. The new wording of the clause is:

"This Group Standard excludes any veterinary medicine that contains a veterinary medicine active ingredient that—

does not have an approval under section 28A or section 29 of the Act: or

is not an ingredient in a veterinary medicine that has an approval under section 28A or section 29 of the Act."

• A cross-referencing error in clause 1(3) of Schedule 1 in the Dental Products (Subsidiary Hazard) Group Standard 2020 group standard was corrected.

See the 2020 Group Standards