The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Chemical Agents) Regulations 2001 to 2026 require employers in Ireland to assess and control risks from hazardous chemical agents at work. Their scope includes activities involving handling, storage, transport and disposal. Where hazardous chemicals are stored, the risk assessment should consider their properties, quantities, exposure risks and the control measures needed to protect employees and others who may be exposed at work.
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Chemical Agents) Regulations are one of the principal Irish workplace frameworks for managing risks associated with hazardous chemical agents.
The current framework consists of:
Together these are cited as the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Chemical Agents) Regulations 2001 to 2026.
The Regulations should be read alongside the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and other legislation that may apply to the particular substances, processes and hazards present at a workplace.
The Regulations apply to workplaces where hazardous chemical agents are used or generated. A business does not need to manufacture chemicals for the requirements to apply.
Activities covered by the Regulations can include the production, handling, storage, transport, disposal and treatment of chemical agents, as well as work from which hazardous chemical agents arise.
The applicable duties depend on the chemicals involved, their hazardous properties, the nature of the work and the potential exposure of employees and other persons at work.
Yes. Storage is specifically included within the definition of an activity involving chemical agents under the Chemical Agents Regulations.
This does not mean that the Regulations prescribe one particular type of chemical store for every workplace. Instead, employers must assess the risks associated with the hazardous chemical agents present and identify suitable measures to eliminate those risks where reasonably practicable or reduce them to a minimum.
An employer must determine whether hazardous chemical agents are present in the workplace and assess the risks they may create for employees.
The assessment should take account of relevant factors including:
The risk assessment must be recorded in writing and reviewed where necessary, including where there has been a significant change in the work or where there is reason to believe the existing assessment is no longer valid.
Where a risk is identified, employers are required, so far as is reasonably practicable, to eliminate the risk or reduce it to a minimum.
Measures can include:
Where risks cannot be adequately controlled through these measures alone, further prevention and protection measures may be required in accordance with the Regulations and the findings of the risk assessment.
The Regulations do not prescribe one universal design for a chemical storage area. Storage controls should be based on the hazards identified by the workplace risk assessment and the information provided for the substances being stored.
Depending on the substances and activities involved, suitable controls may include secure storage, separation of incompatible materials, appropriate ventilation, spill containment, restriction of ignition sources, emergency arrangements, suitable signage and controls to minimise employee exposure.
Other legislation, environmental requirements, fire-safety requirements and technical standards may also apply alongside the Chemical Agents Regulations.
Employers must provide employees and their safety representatives with appropriate information about hazardous chemical agents in the workplace, including the risks involved and the precautions required to protect health and safety.
Employees should also have access to relevant Safety Data Sheets and receive information and training appropriate to the findings of the risk assessment and the work they carry out.
The 2026 amendment, S.I. No. 127/2026, came into operation on 9 April 2026. It updated the Chemical Agents Regulations as part of Ireland’s implementation of Directive (EU) 2024/869.
Among the changes, the 2026 Regulations updated provisions relating to occupational exposure information and Safety Data Sheets, amended health-surveillance requirements where biological limit values apply, and removed the previous Schedules containing occupational and biological limit values from the principal Regulations.
Current occupational and biological limit information should therefore be checked against the latest Health and Safety Authority Code of Practice rather than relying on historic schedules in the original 2001 instrument.
The Health and Safety Authority published a new Code of Practice in 2026 covering the Chemical Agents Regulations 2001 to 2026 together with the Carcinogens, Mutagens and Reprotoxic Substances Regulations 2024 and 2026.
The 2026 Code of Practice came into operation on 9 April 2026 and replaced the previous 2024 Code of Practice. It provides practical guidance and current occupational exposure and biological limit information relevant to the legislation.
No. COSHH, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations, is UK legislation and does not apply in Ireland.
Irish employers should use the applicable Irish legislation, including the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Chemical Agents) Regulations 2001 to 2026, together with relevant HSA guidance and other Irish or European requirements that apply to their workplace.
Appropriate chemical storage can form part of a wider system for controlling risks identified through a chemical risk assessment. The correct solution depends on the substances involved, their quantities and compatibility, the storage environment and the hazards identified on site.
Chemstore designs hazardous material storage solutions including Hazvault bunded chemical stores for applications where dedicated chemical storage and secondary containment are required.
A storage product should not be treated as a substitute for a workplace risk assessment or as a guarantee of compliance with the Chemical Agents Regulations.
The primary sources for the Chemical Agents Regulations and official guidance are the Health and Safety Authority and the Irish Statute Book.
This page provides general information on the Chemical Agents Regulations and is not a substitute for the legislation, official HSA guidance, Safety Data Sheets, a workplace risk assessment or advice from a competent person.
The requirements that apply to a particular workplace depend on the substances present, their quantities and hazards, the activities being undertaken and the circumstances of the site.
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