Hazardous substances on school sites
School boards must identify and manage hazardous substance risks to protect workers and other people at school.
The school board is the school’s 'person conducting a business or undertaking' (PCBU). It must ensure (so far as is reasonably practicable) the health and safety of workers, and make sure other people including ākonga, visitors, whānau and contractors are not put at risk by the school’s work.
Manage hazardous substances safely
Your school must manage hazardous substances under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and the Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017, including all amendments in force.
- You must eliminate risks so far as is reasonably practicable.
- If you can't eliminate a risk, you must minimise it so far as is reasonably practicable.
Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 – New Zealand Legislationopen_in_new
From 30 July 2026, amended requirements have applied to laboratories and laboratory storerooms. Schools with these facilities must review their arrangements and comply with the applicable requirements for:
- risk management planning
- risk identification
- effective control measures
- ventilation verification
- laboratory management and worker records.
What your school must do
- Identify all hazardous substances and hazardous waste that are used, handled or stored across the school site, including substances brought in by contractors or other organisations.
- Keep an up-to-date inventory for the school site. Record each product, its maximum likely quantity, where it is kept, and any storage or segregation requirements.
- Obtain a current safety data sheet (SDS) for each hazardous substance, unless a specific exception applies. Keep SDS information readily accessible to workers and emergency services.
- Assess the risks from storage, use, decanting, spills, fumes, dust, fire, accidental mixing, disposal and foreseeable misuse.
- Store products securely and in suitable containers. Keep quantities to the minimum needed and separate incompatible substances.
- Keep supplier labels readable. Label decanted products and hazardous waste correctly. Never put a hazardous substance in a food or drink container.
- Provide workers with the information, training, instruction and supervision they need to use, store and dispose of substances safely.
- Provide suitable first aid, spill equipment, personal protective equipment and emergency arrangements for the substances held.
- Use WorkSafe’s Hazardous Substances Calculator to identify quantity-based requirements, such as signage, fire extinguishers, secondary containment, an emergency response plan or a location compliance certificate.
- Check whether any substance requires a certified handler, tracking, a controlled substance licence or another specialist control.
- Consult, cooperate and coordinate with contractors and other PCBUs whose work may create or affect hazardous substance risks at the school.
- Review controls after an incident or near miss, when a substance or SDS changes, or when there is evidence that a control may not be effective.
Common hazardous substances at schools
Hazardous substances may be found in classrooms, laboratories, workshops, art rooms, cleaning stores, caretaker areas, plant rooms, pools and grounds-maintenance areas.
Examples include but are not limited to:
- aerosols, including spray paints, adhesives, air fresheners and insect sprays
- bleach, cleaning concentrates and disinfectants
- petrol, diesel, oils and other fuels
- flammable paints, thinners, solvents and resins
- liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and other compressed gases
- pesticides, herbicides and other agrichemicals
- pool chemicals
- chemicals used or stored across the school site, including in science and technology areas, cleaning stores, caretaker facilities, workshops, plant rooms and grounds-maintenance areas
- batteries and battery electrolytes
- hazardous waste and contaminated spill materials
- legacy electrical equipment that may contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
- lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust.
This list is not exhaustive. Check product labels and SDSs, and include substances brought to the site by contractors, service providers, clubs or other organisations.
Manage higher-risk and legacy materials
Keep chlorinating products, acids and other pool chemicals secure, dry and separated according to their SDSs. Do not mix products or use contaminated scoops or containers. Limit access to trained and authorised workers.
Follow the product label and any controls in the substance approval. These may include application rates, buffer zones, notification requirements and restricted-entry periods. Plan applications so ākonga, staff and visitors are not exposed.
PCBs are polychlorinated biphenyls. They are banned persistent organic pollutants that may still be present in some older capacitors and fluorescent-light fittings. Do not open or disturb suspected equipment. Isolate leaking or damaged fittings and use a suitably qualified contractor for identification, removal and disposal. PCBs are not circuit boards.
Treat older painted surfaces as potentially lead-based until assessed. Before sanding, burning, abrasive blasting or otherwise disturbing paint, assess the risk and use controls that prevent workers and other people from being exposed to lead dust or fumes.
Manage asbestos under the Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016 and the Ministry’s asbestos requirements.
Science and technology areas
Use Safety and Science | Pūtaiao — Guidance for Schools and Kura for practical science activities, laboratories and chemical stores. A school laboratory may qualify as an exempt laboratory for small-scale teaching or research. Exempt status does not remove the school’s workplace health and safety duties.
Prepare for an emergency
Your emergency arrangements must cover foreseeable spills, leaks, fires, uncontrolled releases, poisoning, chemical burns and accidental mixing. Make sure workers know how to:
- raise the alarm and keep people away
- get first aid and use emergency washing facilities
- find the inventory, SDSs and emergency equipment
- contact emergency services and provide information about the substances involved
- report the incident or near miss and preserve the site if the event is notifiable.
Do not put people at further risk
Do not expect untrained staff to clean up a spill when:
- the substance is unknown
- the release is uncontrolled
- dangerous vapours are present, or
- specialist respiratory or protective equipment is needed.
Isolate the area and call emergency services or a specialist response provider.
If regulatory thresholds are exceeded, the school must have a written hazardous substances emergency response plan. Test the plan at least every 12 months and within 3 months after it changes.
Work with contractors and other organisations
Your board can't transfer its health and safety duties through a contract. Before work starts, agree how the school and the other PCBUs will manage any overlapping duties.
Contractors and other organisations must:
- tell the school what hazardous substances they will bring or use
- provide SDSs and relevant risk-control information
- secure the work area and prevent access by ākonga and other unauthorised people
- coordinate spill, fire, first-aid and evacuation arrangements
- remove hazardous substances and waste when the work is complete, unless another arrangement has been agreed.