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General Duties

The primary source of rules for the use of agrichemicals come from the Health and Safety at Work Act and associated regulations.

Under the HSW Act, the PCBU (individual or company running a business) has an overall duty to identify and manage risk in the workplace. The PCBU must:
  1. Identify all hazardous substances present and maintain an up-to-date hazardous substances inventory
  2. Ensure that the risks associated with hazardous substances under their control are correctly managed to protect the health and safety of people
  3. Make certain that any people handling substances are trained, or supervised by people who are trained in their safe handling, use and disposal and ensure information is readily available to them in the form of product labels, safety data sheets and signs.
  4. Ensure that emergency response plans are in place to deal with any potential emergency.
  5. Put in place the technical requirements and specific controls for the products in the workplace.


More information about these general requirements can be found in WorkSafe’s Quick Guide Changes to hazardous substances regulations.