Classify a substance

Classifications are what make the register more than a list. They’re what the controls report counts against thresholds, so a substance with none is invisible to it.

Where to find them

Section 2 of the Safety Data Sheet — “Hazards identification”. Your supplier provides the sheet; if you don’t have a current one, ask them.

New Zealand sheets usually list HSNO classification codes directly — 3.1A, 6.1C, 8.2B, 9.1A. Sheets written to the international GHS format instead give hazard classes and categories in words — “Flammable liquid, Category 2”, “Acute toxicity, Category 4”.

SteadyOn pre-loads whichever vocabulary matches your organisation’s country, so you tick from a list rather than typing codes.

Tick every one that applies

This is the step people get wrong.

Most substances carry several classifications at once. Petrol is typically all of:

Code	Meaning
3.1A	Extremely flammable liquid
6.1E	Harmful if swallowed
6.7B	Suspected carcinogen
9.1B	Toxic to aquatic life

Each is counted separately, against its own threshold. Ticking only “flammable” would under-report the substance and could hide a control you actually need — which is why the field is a checklist, not a single choice.

If a classification is missing from the list

The pre-loaded set covers what small organisations usually hold, not every classification in existence. To add one:

Settings → Organisation → Lookups → Substances → Hazard classification

Add the code and a plain-English label. You can also retire entries you’ll never use, to keep the list short.

Substances you can’t classify yet

Leave the classifications empty and come back to it. SteadyOn marks the substance amber and the controls report names it explicitly as not counted, so it won’t quietly disappear.

That’s deliberate — a half-finished register that looks finished is worse than one that shows its gaps.

Where to go next

• Manage Safety Data Sheets
• The controls report