This policy’s purpose
This policy sets out how we’ll apply the Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017 (the Regulations) to hazardous waste.
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What we treat as hazardous waste
The Regulations define hazardous waste as:
waste that is generated by a manufacturing or other industrial process; and is reasonably likely to be or contain a substance that meets one or more of the classification criteria for substances with explosive, flammable, oxidising, toxic, or corrosive properties under the Hazardous Substances (Classification) Notice 2017.
For us to treat something as hazardous waste, it needs to be:
- a manufactured substance, and
- produced by current or ongoing work, and
- something that can be contained and labelled.
We don’t consider the following to be hazardous waste under the Regulations:
- materials that occur naturally (because they’re not manufactured)
- manufactured items with hazardous substances (because they’re not waste)
- waste with only ecotoxic components (because they don’t harm humans), and
- contaminated land.1
How we expect hazardous waste to be managed
We expect hazardous waste to be managed in the same way as hazardous substances. This means hazardous waste and its properties must be identified, and the associated risks managed. This includes identifying and managing potential reactions between hazardous waste components.
We expect any relevant requirements for hazardous waste to be met, including:
- storage, segregation and separation distances
- plans to manage any emergencies
- compliance certification, and
- providing training and information.
Footnote
1. For more information about managing and remediating contaminated land, see How we regulate contaminated land
Related information
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