Decision tools to help you categorise your chemical importation or manufacture

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How do these work?

These are self-guided tools that you can use as you work through the steps towards categorising your introduction as either exempted, reported or assessed. You can use some or all of these tools – it’s up to you – but we recommend that you start from step 1. You may not need to complete them all to reach an outcome.

Depending on your answers, they’ll tell you to complete another tool or give you an outcome, or both. You’ll need to refer to the Categorisation Guidelines and General Rules to help you answer some of the questions.

• Industrial Chemicals Categorisation Guidelines [Word 169 KB].DOCX
• Industrial Chemicals General Rules

Before you start

Have you checked whether your chemical is on our Inventory? If your chemical is on our Inventory and your introduction meets any terms of the Inventory listing, your introduction is categorised as a ‘listed’ introduction.

Decision tools to help you categorise your chemical introduction

Step 1: Introductions that cannot be exempted or reported

• Decision tool – Work out if your introduction cannot be exempted or reported

Step 2: Introductions that are automatically categorised as exempted

• Decision tool – Work out if your introduction is automatically categorised as exempted
• Decision tool – Work out if your polymer is a Polymer of Low Concern (PLC)

Step 3: Introductions that are automatically categorised as reported

• Decision tool – Work out if your introduction is automatically categorised as reported

Step 4: Work out the human health risk of your introduction

Step 4.1: Introductions that are always medium to high risk for human health

• Decision tool – Work out if your introduction is medium to high risk for human health

Step 4.2: Introductions that can be low risk for human health

• Decision tool – Work out if your introduction is low risk for human health (because it is internationally assessed for human health) 

Step 4.3: Work out your human health exposure band

• Decision tool – Work out your human health categorisation volume
• Decision tool – Work out your human health exposure band

Step 4.4 and 4.5: Work out your human health hazard characteristics

• Decision tool – Hazard characteristics for human health exposure band 1: use this tool if your introduction is in human health exposure band 1.
• Decision tool – Hazard characteristics for human health exposure band 2: use this tool if your introduction is in human health exposure band 2.
• Decision tool – Hazard characteristics for human health exposure band 3: use this tool if your introduction is in human health exposure band 3.
• Decision tool – Hazard characteristics for human health exposure band 4: use this tool if your introduction is in human health exposure band 4.

Step 5: Work out the environment risk of your introduction

Step 5.1: Introductions that are always medium to high risk to the environment

• Decision tool – Work out if your introduction is medium to high risk to the environment

Step 5.2: Introductions that can be low risk to the environment

• Decision tool – Work out if your introduction is low risk for the environment (because it is internationally assessed for the environment)

Step 5.3: Work out your environment exposure band

• Decision tool – Work out your environment categorisation volume
• Decision tool – Work out your environment exposure band

Step 5.4 and 5.5: Work out your environment hazard characteristics

• Decision tool – Hazard characteristics for environment exposure band 1: use this tool if your introduction is in environment exposure band 1
• Decision tool – Hazard characteristics for environment exposure band 2: use this tool if your introduction is in environment exposure band 2.
• Decision tool – Hazard characteristics for environment exposure band 3: use this tool if your introduction is in environment exposure band 3.
• Decision tool – Hazard characteristics for environment exposure band 4: use this tool if your introduction is in environment exposure band 4.

Step 6: Complete your categorisation

• Decision tool – Work out your introduction category