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Chemical register template for NT workplaces (free Excel and PDF)
The Northern Territory’s work health and safety laws carry a longer name than most. The chemical register rules are in regulation 346 of the Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Regulations 2011, made under the Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Act 2011. The regulator is NT WorkSafe.
There’s no prescribed NT register form. The free template below works for a Darwin, Katherine or Alice Springs workshop or business as it is: Excel, PDF or CSV, no sign-up.
The NT register duty in plain terms
Regulation 346 puts the duty on the person conducting the business or undertaking at the workplace. They must ensure:
- a register of hazardous chemicals used, handled or stored at the workplace is prepared and kept at the workplace, and
- the register is maintained so the information in it is up to date.
The register must include a list of the hazardous chemicals used, handled or stored, and the current safety data sheet (SDS) for each one listed. It has to 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.
The register doesn’t have to cover chemicals in transit, unless they’re there often or in large amounts, or consumer products for which regulation 344 doesn’t require an SDS.
NT penalties
The version in force at 17 July 2026 sets these maximums for regulation 346:
| Offence | Individual | Body corporate |
|---|---|---|
| Not preparing, keeping and maintaining the register | $6,000 | $30,000 |
| Not making the register readily accessible | $3,600 | $18,000 |
Each comes with a note that strict liability applies to every physical element of the offence (section 12B of the Act), so the offence doesn’t depend on intent. Regulation 344, which makes the current SDS itself readily accessible to workers and emergency services, has the same $3,600 and $18,000 maximums.
When NT WorkSafe needs to hear from you
Most workshops hold small quantities and never deal with this. If your Schedule 11 hazardous chemicals go over the manifest quantities, though, NT WorkSafe’s hazardous chemicals notification page explains that regulation 348 requires written notification. Notify immediately once you know the chemicals will be used, handled or stored, or at least 14 days before that starts, whichever is earlier. You also notify when there’s a significant change in the risk and when the chemicals are no longer kept.
A register with quantities in it makes that check quick. That’s why the template has a quantity column, even though regulation 346 doesn’t ask for one.
The template
It’s explained column by column in our hazardous chemical register template guide: product name, manufacturer or importer, supplier, SDS revision and date last reviewed, review due five years on, hazard class, dangerous goods class and UN number, location, quantity and where the SDS is kept.
NT WorkSafe’s hazardous chemicals page gives sulphuric acid in car batteries as a common workplace example. Battery acid, fuels, solvents and aerosols are the kind of products a workshop register usually starts with; see how to read an SDS to find the hazard class and UN number on each sheet.
To keep it current:
- How often should a chemical register be updated?
- How long is an SDS valid?
- Hazardous chemical register requirements
A register that stays current by itself
SupplySafe for workshops links each product to the manufacturer’s current SDS, flags sheets due for review and gives each site one QR poster for workers and emergency services. Multi-site suits businesses with depots in several towns. See pricing. SupplySafe doesn’t write or edit SDS.
Other states and territories
See chemical register templates by state, including the SA chemical register template and the WA chemical register template.
Frequently asked questions
- Which law sets the chemical register rules in the Northern Territory?
- Regulation 346 of the Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Regulations 2011, made under the Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Act 2011. The Territory's WHS laws carry "National Uniform Legislation" in their titles.
- What is the penalty for not keeping a chemical register in the NT?
- Regulation 346 sets a maximum of $6,000 for an individual and $30,000 for a body corporate for not preparing, keeping and maintaining the register, and $3,600 and $18,000 for not making it readily accessible. Strict liability applies.
- Do I need to tell NT WorkSafe about the chemicals I store?
- Only above the manifest quantities. Under regulation 348, a business must notify NT WorkSafe in writing when Schedule 11 hazardous chemicals at the workplace exceed the manifest quantity. Below that, you keep the register at the workplace and don't send it to anyone.
Sources
- Northern Territory Government, Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Regulations 2011 (regulations 344, 346 and 348; as in force at 17 July 2026, accessed 3 November 2026)
- NT WorkSafe, Hazardous chemicals notification (accessed 3 November 2026)
- NT WorkSafe, Hazardous chemicals (accessed 3 November 2026)
This article is general information, not legal advice. It quotes and links the regulator's own wording; check the source and your state or territory regulator for anything that applies to your workplace. SupplySafe distributes Safety Data Sheets and does not author, edit or certify them. Rules change: see What's changing for dated, official updates.