Chemical register: requirements

Short answer

Businesses that use or store hazardous chemicals must have a chemical register (stoffkartotek). It must hold a safety data sheet or information sheet for each chemical, be in Norwegian, be kept up to date and be easy for employees to access.

What does the law say?

Section 4-5 of the Norwegian Working Environment Act says the business must keep a register of hazardous chemicals and biological material. The register must, among other things, state the properties, preventive protective measures and first aid. The details are in chapter 2 of the Regulations on the Performance of Work. The Act also says that chemicals that may be a health risk must not be used if they can be replaced by others, or by a less hazardous process.

Who must have a chemical register?

The Labour Inspection Authority writes that employers who produce, pack, use or store hazardous chemicals must set up a chemical register. It must be in place before the chemicals are taken into use. If you do not work with chemicals there is little to record, but still check what you have in the way of cleaning products, glue, paint and the like.

What must be in the register?

The regulations divide the chemicals into three groups:

Chemicals regulated by the REACH Regulation: A safety data sheet must be available.
Other hazardous chemicals: An information sheet must be available with, among other things, name, composition, supplier, properties, toxicological data, preventive protective measures and first aid.
Biological material that is a health hazard: An information sheet must be available, including information on the risk of infection.

If a piece of information is not relevant or technically possible to obtain, the reason must be stated in the register.

Safety data sheets

The supplier must give you the safety data sheet free of charge, on paper or electronically. It must be in Norwegian and have 16 mandatory sections. The Labour Inspection Authority writes that the employer must have procedures to check the sheets, to keep them up to date, and to obtain what is missing from the supplier.

Form, language and updating

The register can be electronic or on paper, and must be easy to search.
The information must be in Norwegian, brief and easy to understand. Employees who do not speak Norwegian well must get sufficient written information and training.
The employer must update the information when things change, and when health-damaging conditions are found that matter for preventing harm. The Labour Inspection Authority says the register must be kept continuously up to date.

Who must have access?

Employees must have easy access to the chemical register, and safety data sheets and information sheets must be available at each workplace. The safety representative has access to the register for their area. The employer must also arrange training in using the register, and in the risk assessment of the chemicals.

A simple template

The law does not require a particular table. This is a suggestion for columns that cover the requirements above:

Product name and supplier.
Hazard pictograms and a short description of the hazard.
Date of the safety data sheet or information sheet, and where it is kept.
Where and how the chemical is used, and roughly how much.
Protective equipment and other protective measures.
First aid.
Has replacing it with something less hazardous been considered?
Owner, and date of the last check.

How to get started

Go through the stores and workplaces, and list all chemicals.
Collect safety data sheets from the suppliers, and ask for any that are missing.
Fill in the register, and consider whether anything can be replaced with less hazardous products.
Give employees and the safety representative training and access.
Set a routine for updating, for example with every new purchase. See also the guides on risk assessment and safety inspections.

How the portal helps

The HSE system has a chemical register with safety data sheets. You can also use procedures with read confirmation, and tasks with an owner and a deadline.

Read about the HSE system

Sources

The rules change. Always check the current text with the sources below. Most sources are in Norwegian. This guide is general information and not legal advice.

Chemical register: requirements and template