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Hazardous Substances on Farms: What NZ Farmers Must Comply With (Plain English Guide)

If you’re farming in New Zealand, you’re already juggling animals, weather, staff, compliance, and margins.
What most farmers don’t have time for is decoding hazardous substances law — yet one missed step can land you on the wrong side of WorkSafe.

This guide explains hazardous substances (HAZSUBS) compliance on farms in plain language, without the legal fog. No scare tactics. No clipboard energy. Just what matters, what’s inspected, and how to stay out of trouble.

What Counts as a Hazardous Substance on a Farm?

Short answer: more than most farmers realise.

On NZ farms, hazardous substances commonly include:

  • Herbicides, insecticides, fungicides

  • Animal health products (drenches, dips)

  • Fuels (diesel, petrol)

  • Fertilisers and plant nutrients

  • Cleaning chemicals

  • Gases and refrigerants

  • Oils, greases, and workshop chemicals

If it can burn, poison, explode, corrode, or harm health — it’s probably covered under HSNO rules.

The Core Rule Farmers Get Caught On

The law doesn’t say “don’t use chemicals.”
It says:

You must know what you have, store it safely, and make sure people aren’t harmed by it.

That’s it.
Most enforcement issues happen because:

  • There’s no up-to-date chemical register

  • Safety Data Sheets (SDS) are missing or outdated

  • Storage doesn’t match the substance risk

  • Staff don’t know what they’re handling

What NZ Law Actually Requires (In Plain Terms)

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and HSNO Regulations, farmers must:

1. Know What Hazardous Substances Are on the Farm

You must have:

  • A current hazardous substances register

  • Accurate product names and quantities

  • Correct classifications (flammable, toxic, etc.)

A dusty folder from 2017 doesn’t cut it.

2. Have the Right Safety Data Sheets (SDS)

For each hazardous substance you must:

  • Have the latest SDS

  • Make it accessible to workers and contractors

  • Ensure it matches the product in use

This is one of the first things inspectors ask for.

3. Store Chemicals Safely and Correctly

Storage must:

  • Match the hazard level of the substance

  • Prevent leaks, spills, and access by unauthorised people

  • Keep incompatible chemicals separated

“Out of the way” is not a compliance strategy.

4. Make Sure People Know What They’re Handling

Anyone using chemicals must:

  • Know the risks

  • Know what PPE to use

  • Know what to do if something goes wrong

If staff are guessing, the system is broken.

5. Be Ready for an Inspection

WorkSafe doesn’t expect perfection — but they do expect:

  • Evidence

  • Organisation

  • Consistency

If you can’t find it in 5 minutes, it might as well not exist.

Where Farms Usually Go Wrong

These are the repeat offenders:

  • No single source of truth for chemicals

  • SDS saved on someone’s phone (or nowhere)

  • New products added, old ones never removed

  • Compliance treated as paperwork, not practice

Most farmers aren’t careless — they’re time-poor.

How ChemMatrix Helps Farms Stay Compliant

This is where ChemMatrix comes in.

ChemMatrix is built for:

  • Farm reality, not office theory

  • Clear registers, not bloated systems

  • Digital access, not paper binders

With ChemMatrix, farms can:

  • Maintain a live hazardous substances register

  • Access current SDS instantly

  • Demonstrate compliance without digging through files

  • Reduce reliance on memory and goodwill

It’s compliance that doesn’t fight you.

Can ChemMatrix Work Alongside Halter?

Yes — and that’s the point.

Halter already helps farmers manage:

  • Stock movement

  • Grazing plans

  • Day-to-day operational control

ChemMatrix complements this by handling:

  • Compliance visibility

  • Hazardous substances management

  • Safety documentation

Think of it this way:

  • Halter manages how the farm runs

  • ChemMatrix manages how the farm stays compliant

Different jobs. Same goal: fewer surprises.

Why This Matters for Modern Farming

Farms are becoming:

  • More digital

  • More regulated

  • More scrutinised

The farms that do well aren’t the ones with the thickest folders — they’re the ones that can show compliance quickly, clearly, and calmly.

That’s what inspectors respect.
And it’s what lets farmers get back to farming.

The Bottom Line

If you farm in NZ and use chemicals:

  • Hazardous substances compliance is unavoidable

  • Confusion is optional

  • Systems beat memory every time

Using tools like ChemMatrix — alongside operational platforms like Halter — allows farmers to control risk without drowning in paperwork.

Want to make HAZSUBS compliance easier?

ChemMatrix helps NZ farmers understand, manage, and prove hazardous substances compliance — without the noise.

If you’d like, I can:

  • Optimise this further for Google ranking

  • Create a HAZSUBS blog series for ChemMatrix

  • Build an SEO content cluster linked to Halter use-cases

Make Enquiry