Blog

 

ChemMatrix: Making SDS and HSNO Compliance Easy for Kiwi Farmers

Let’s Be Honest — SDS Compliance Is a Headache

If you’ve ever dug through a dusty folder looking for a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) before an audit, you’re not alone.
Every farm in New Zealand that uses herbicides, insecticides, or fungicides — from glyphosate to cypermethrin — has legal obligations under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Regulations.

Those rules don’t just exist to tick boxes — they’re about protecting people, animals, and whenua. But they also come with a load of admin that most farmers simply don’t have time for.

That’s where ChemMatrix steps in — a platform built for real farms, not lawyers’ offices.

What the HSNO Rules Actually Say (in Plain English)

Under the HSNO Regulations 2017, if you store or use any hazardous substance — and that includes most crop-protection chemicals — you must:

  • Keep an up-to-date Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for every product on site.

  • Make those SDS documents readily accessible to anyone handling the chemical.

  • Ensure every SDS is less than 5 years old and specific to the product formulation you’re using.

  • Use the SDS to develop your Hazardous Substances Register and guide worker training and emergency plans.

That’s a lot to stay on top of when you’re trying to keep stock fed and crops protected.

ChemMatrix: Turning Chaos Into Clarity

ChemMatrix is designed to make SDS compliance practical and automatic. Think of it as your digital farm assistant that never forgets an expiry date.

Here’s what it brings to the paddock:

✅ Live SDS Library
Access thousands of up-to-date SDS sheets for New Zealand-approved herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides — all verified and EPA-compliant.

✅ Automatic Expiry Alerts
ChemMatrix keeps track of SDS ages and notifies you when a sheet is due for update. No more scrambling during inspections.

✅ Smart Hazard Classification
Each chemical is automatically tagged with its HSNO hazard classes (toxic, flammable, ecotoxic, oxidising, etc.) and colour-coded for quick reference.

✅ Printable HSNO Register
Generate your site’s Hazardous Substances Register in one click — formatted to meet Worksafe NZ expectations.

✅ Easy Worker Access
Anyone on your team can view chemical info from a phone or tablet — because compliance shouldn’t be locked in a binder.

Why SDS Management Matters

Here’s the truth: most non-compliance issues on farms start with missing or outdated SDS sheets. When Worksafe shows up, it’s one of the first things they ask for.

Keeping those documents current protects your workers, helps emergency services respond correctly, and avoids fines that can easily reach thousands of dollars. More importantly, it proves you’re running a professional, responsible operation — the kind that customers and councils actually trust.

Built for Kiwi Farms, Not Bureaucrats

ChemMatrix isn’t another over-engineered software that only a corporate compliance officer could love.
It’s simple, visual, and built for farmers, contractors, and rural businesses that want to do things right without drowning in paperwork.

Whether you’re managing a dairy shed, an orchard, or a crop-spraying business, ChemMatrix helps you stay on the right side of the HSNO Act — with zero guesswork.

Bottom Line: Compliance Without the Pain

ChemMatrix takes the sting out of HSNO.
It does the boring part — tracking, storing, updating — so you can focus on the real work: growing food, running stock, and keeping your crew safe.

So before another inspector asks for your SDS folder, ask yourself:
Could ChemMatrix have saved me that headache?

Make Enquiry