Under Part 6 of the Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017 (the Regulations), any person may apply to WorkSafe to be authorised as a compliance certifier. Compliance certifiers check compliance with specific requirements to ensure hazardous substances are safely used, handled, stored or manufactured. A compliance certifier has the authority to issue a compliance certificate where the Regulations specify that one must be obtained to verify these requirements have been met. A compliance certifier may be an individual or an organisation.

To be authorised, compliance certifiers must make an application in the form specified by WorkSafe and meet the criteria prescribed in the Regulations, such as being qualified with suitable knowledge and experience to undertake the functions of a compliance certifier for the matters they intend to certify. The authorisation expires every five years or on an earlier date specified by WorkSafe in the authorisation, and can be renewed on application by the compliance certifier.