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Hazardous materials register vs chemical register: what's the difference?
“Hazardous materials register” is a common search, but it isn’t a term the law uses. When a client, auditor or head office asks for one, they almost always mean one of two documents:
- a hazardous chemicals register: the chemicals you use, handle or store, with the current safety data sheet (SDS) for each, or
- an asbestos register: a record of the asbestos identified or assumed in the building.
They are separate duties under different parts of the work health and safety (WHS) laws. This guide explains both, so you can work out which one you’ve been asked for.
How to tell which one you’ve been asked for
| If the question is about… | They probably mean | Main rule (model WHS Regulations) |
|---|---|---|
| Products on your shelves: cleaners, solvents, fuels, paints, gases | Hazardous chemicals register | Regulation 346 |
| The building: old fibro, insulation, vinyl tiles, roofing | Asbestos register | Regulation 425 |
| Refurbishment or demolition of an older structure | Hazardous materials survey or asbestos register | Asbestos chapter of the WHS Regulations |
If in doubt, ask. “Do you mean the chemicals we use, or asbestos in the building?” settles it in one line.
The chemical register
Under regulation 346 of the model WHS Regulations, the person conducting a business or undertaking must keep a register of hazardous chemicals used, handled or stored at the workplace. Safe Work Australia describes it as “a list of hazardous chemicals at your workplace, accompanied by the current safety data sheet (SDS) for each of those chemicals”. It must be kept up to date and readily accessible to workers and anyone else likely to be affected.
It goes by many names: chemical register, SDS register, hazardous substances register, dangerous goods register. Our guide to hazardous substances, dangerous goods and chemical registers explains where each name comes from, and hazardous chemical register requirements covers what it must contain.
To start one, download the free hazardous chemical register template in Excel, PDF or CSV.
The asbestos register
Safe Work Australia’s model Code of Practice on managing and controlling asbestos sets out regulation 425: a person with management or control of a workplace must ensure an asbestos register is prepared, kept at the workplace and kept up to date. The code says the register must record any asbestos identified or likely to be present, with the date it was identified and its location, type and condition, or state that none has been identified.
A register isn’t required if the workplace is a building constructed after 31 December 2003, when the national ban on asbestos took effect, and no asbestos has been identified or is likely to be present. The asbestos chapter of the code doesn’t apply to residential premises.
Before refurbishment or demolition of a structure built before that date, the code has further duties to identify asbestos first, which is where the term “hazardous materials survey” usually comes from. That work is for a competent person, not a spreadsheet template.
In Victoria
Victoria hasn’t adopted the model WHS laws. Its rules for both hazardous substances and asbestos sit in the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017. For the chemical side, see the Victorian chemical register template, which covers regulation 162 and WorkSafe Victoria’s compliance code. For asbestos, check with WorkSafe Victoria.
Which one does SupplySafe help with?
The chemical one. SupplySafe for workshops keeps your hazardous chemicals register linked to each manufacturer’s current SDS and puts it behind one QR poster. It doesn’t handle asbestos registers or surveys. SupplySafe doesn’t write or edit SDS; manufacturers and suppliers publish their own, free.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a hazardous materials register?
- It isn't a term the model WHS Regulations use. People use it for two different documents: the hazardous chemicals register (a list of the chemicals used, handled or stored at the workplace with the current SDS for each), or the asbestos register (a record of identified or assumed asbestos in a building).
- Is a hazardous materials register the same as an asbestos register?
- Sometimes. In building, property and demolition work it usually means the asbestos register, or a hazardous materials survey done before refurbishment or demolition. In a workshop or factory it usually means the chemical register.
- Which workplaces need an asbestos register?
- Under regulation 425 of the model WHS Regulations, a person with management or control of a workplace must keep an asbestos register. It is not required if the building was constructed after 31 December 2003 and no asbestos has been identified or is likely to be present.
- Do I need both a chemical register and an asbestos register?
- Possibly. They are separate duties. A workshop that uses, handles or stores hazardous chemicals needs a chemical register, and if it operates in a building constructed before 31 December 2003 it may also need an asbestos register.
Sources
- Safe Work Australia, Model WHS Regulations (regulations 346 and 425; accessed 1 November 2026)
- Safe Work Australia, Hazardous chemicals register (accessed 1 November 2026)
- Safe Work Australia, Model Code of Practice: How to manage and control asbestos in the workplace (chapter 3, “Asbestos register”; accessed 1 November 2026)
- Victorian Legislation, Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (accessed 1 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.