Chemical register template for ACT workplaces (free Excel and PDF)

In the Australian Capital Territory, the chemical register rules are in the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (SL2011-36), made under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (ACT). The regulator is WorkSafe ACT.

One quirk to know when you read it: ACT legislation calls the provisions of a regulation sections, not regulations. The hazardous chemicals register is section 346 and the SDS duties are section 344, the same numbers used in every jurisdiction that adopted the model laws.

There’s no ACT form to use. The free template below fits a Canberra workshop or business as it is: Excel, PDF or CSV, no sign-up.

What section 346 requires

The person conducting a business or undertaking at the workplace must ensure that a register of the hazardous chemicals used, handled or stored at the workplace is prepared and kept there, and that it’s maintained so the information stays up to date. The register must include:

1. a list of hazardous chemicals used, handled or stored, and
2. the current safety data sheet (SDS) for each one listed.

It must be readily accessible to workers involved in using, handling or storing a hazardous chemical, and to anyone else likely to be affected by one at the workplace. Chemicals in transit (unless present often or in large amounts) and consumer products that don’t need an SDS under section 344 are excluded.

The ACT doesn’t print dollar amounts in this regulation. The maximum penalty is a “tier E monetary penalty” for the register duty and a “tier G monetary penalty” for access, and the regulation notes that strict liability applies, so the offence doesn’t depend on intent. Section 344(3), which requires the current SDS to be readily accessible to workers and emergency service workers, also carries a tier G penalty and gives “available in electronic form at the workplace” as its example of readily accessible.

These references are to republication 47 of the regulation, effective 29 November 2025.

What WorkSafe ACT adds

WorkSafe ACT’s hazardous chemicals page gives detail the regulation leaves out:

• How to name each entry. List packaged hazardous chemicals by the product name on the container label. List bulk chemicals by the proper shipping name on the placard.
• Training. Workers involved in using, handling or storing hazardous chemicals must be trained in the use of the register.
• Electronic registers. The register may be kept electronically if workers can reliably access it at the workplace on a tablet or smartphone.
• Current Australian SDS. The copy kept at the workplace must be the current version published by the manufacturer or importer.

It also covers the manifest, which only sites above the Schedule 11 quantities need. Unlike the register, a manifest must be a hard copy. WorkSafe ACT says it should be stored in a red weatherproof container with a 003 series lock, known as a HAZMAT box, kept as close as practicable to the main entry, and those sites must give ACT Fire & Rescue a copy of their emergency plan.

Filling in the template

The template is explained column by column in our hazardous chemical register template guide. For the ACT, two tips:

• Enter the product name exactly as printed on the label, as WorkSafe ACT asks. For bulk tanks, use the proper shipping name from the placard and record the UN number in the dangerous goods column.
• Use the revision and last-reviewed date columns to prove the sheet is the current one. A copy from years ago isn’t enough; see SDS revision date vs issue date.

If you plan to keep the register on a tablet, our electronic SDS register guide covers access and backups. Two more guides help keep it current:

• How often should a chemical register be updated?
• Hazardous chemical register requirements

A register workers can open on their phone

WorkSafe ACT’s test is reliable access on a tablet or smartphone. A QR code chemical register meets it with one poster per site. SupplySafe for workshops links each product to the manufacturer’s current SDS, flags sheets due for review and opens the register from the QR poster without a login. See pricing or the mechanics page. SupplySafe doesn’t write or edit SDS.

Other states and territories

See chemical register templates by state. Nearby: the NSW chemical register template.

Frequently asked questions

Which law sets the chemical register rules in the ACT?

Section 346 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (ACT), SL2011-36, made under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (ACT). The ACT calls the provisions of its regulation sections, so section 346 is the same provision other jurisdictions call regulation 346.

How should products be named in an ACT chemical register?

WorkSafe ACT says packaged hazardous chemicals should be listed by the product name on the container label, and chemicals stored in bulk by the proper shipping name on the placard.

Can an ACT chemical register be kept on a tablet or phone?

Yes. WorkSafe ACT says the register may be kept electronically if workers can reliably access it at the workplace on a tablet or smartphone. Workers who use, handle or store hazardous chemicals must be trained in using the register. A manifest, which only larger sites need, is different: it must be kept in hard copy.

Sources

• ACT Parliamentary Counsel, Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (SL2011-36) (sections 344 and 346; republication 47, effective 29 November 2025, accessed 3 November 2026)
• WorkSafe ACT, Hazardous chemicals (accessed 3 November 2026)