UWA external audit checklist in conjunction with New Energy Consulting.

• The aim of this audit is to improve compliance with the new WHS legislation and regulations and with best practices in chemical and laboratory safety.

  Select

• Conducted on

  Date

• Prepared by

• Location
  Address

Legend

• Labelling requirements

  Satisfactory

  Improvement needed

  Unsatisfactory

  NA

• WHS act

  Satisfactory

  Improvement needed

  Unsatisfactory

  NA

• UWA policy for DG storage and handling

  Satisfactory

  Improvement needed

  Unsatisfactory

  NA

• Design of the existing system

  Satisfactory

  Improvement needed

  Unsatisfactory

  NA

• Assessment of implementation of the existing system

  Satisfactory

  Improvement needed

  Unsatisfactory

  NA
Section B: Integrity of individual safety cabinets

• Cabinet Information

  Select

• Dangerous Goods UWA Chemical Audit Barcode number:

• Are there any signs of impact, structural, damage, dents, tears, rust, or corrosion that could make the cabinet unstable or dysfunctional?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is the cabinet level and not unbalanced in anyway?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is the cabinet loaded past its maximum capacity?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are chemical containers fully inside the cabinet (i.e., not interfering with the door closing mechanism)?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are shelves structurally sound and do they properly support the chemical drums and containers?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are toxic cabinets locked?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Do cabinet doors close automatically and in sequence?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Section C: Integrity of Chemical containers Individual chemical containers should be inspected to ensure they are not leaking or damaged in anyway. Checks should include:

• Are all chemical containers structurally intact and not leaking in any way?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are containers sealed, with lids or taps tightly in place?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Do any containers show signs of corrosion or deterioration?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Do any containers show signs of corrosion or deterioration?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Have containers been wiped down properly and have no chemical residues running down the side?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Section D: Incompatibility Hazards - Note the cabinet barcode number and the compatibility issues found within when any are found.

• Are mixed classes of Dangerous Goods being stored in the same cabinet?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is the cabinet installed next to electrical appliances, light switches, or power points?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are ignition sources inside the cabinet?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are incompatible materials and substances stored in (or near) safety cabinets?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is the cabinet correct for the substance stored inside (e.g., only flammable liquids in the flammable liquids cabinets)? How does this differ from the first question in this section?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Section E: Chemical Labelling. Chemical containers should be marked in accordance with WHS Regulations and the Model Code of Practice Labelling of workplace hazardous chemicals.

• Do packaged containers have original labels in place?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Do original labels carry safety icons and warnings?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are replacement labels adequate?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Do portable and decanting containers have compliant labels?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Do small containers have sufficient labelling, or placed in properly labelled sample boxes (or similar)?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are hazardous chemicals labelled in accordance with the model WHS Regulations?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• What frequency are the labels reviewed in order to keep them compliant with current requirents?

Section F: Placards and Signage of dangerous goods cabinets. To comply with Australian Safety Standards, dangerous goods safety cabinets must display suitable warning signs.

• Does the cabinet display the appropriate Dangerous Goods label (e.g., Class 3 Flammable Liquids and pictogram)?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are flammable cabinets displaying the NO SMOKING, NO IGNITION SOURCES sign?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Does the cabinet clearly display the name and address of the cabinet manufacturer, or importer?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is the maximum capacity of the cabinet clearly marked?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are all placards and warning signs visible when the doors to the cabinet are closed?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is there sufficient lighting to illuminate warning signs and placards while the business is operational?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Section G: Register of Hazardous Chemicals - Having a Register of Hazardous Chemicals in place is a requirement of Australian WHS Regulations. UWA uses the ChemAlert inventory for chemical regsisters.

• Is the ChemAlert inventory up to date?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are all the chemicals in the cabinet contained on the master list?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is there a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for every chemical in the cabinet?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are any of the SDSs more than 5 years old?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are the documents in good condition and easy to read?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is the Register of Hazardous Chemicals easily accessible to anyone likely to be exposed to the chemicals?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Yes

  No

  N/A

Section I: Housekeeping, leaks and spills disposal

• Are unnecessary items being stored in the cabinet (e.g., rags, paintbrushes, PPE, cardboard cartons, and other combustibles)

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are personal items, food, or drink, found within the laboratory?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is the top of the cabinet being used to as storage?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are chemical deliveries/orders put away immediately and not left sitting next to the cabinet?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are there any excess chemicals sitting outside the safety cabinet due to insufficient storage space?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is access to first aid equipment, safety showers or emergency eyewash impeded?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are items stored cabinet bunds?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are spill trays in place?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Have all leaks and spills been cleaned up and the spill sump cleared?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are sump plugs in place and creating a full seal?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are appropriate spill kits available and adequately sign posted?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is PPE adequate?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is the use of PPE mandatory?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are SOPs in use?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are any chemicals past their use-by date?

  Date

• Are empty chemical containers isolated and disposed of properly?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Have unwanted chemicals been flagged for removal by a waste disposal company?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are waste chemicals being collected regularly?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Yes

  No

  N/A

Overall assessment by discussion with 3 frontline end users

• undefined