Soft Cover Reference Book, “Managing Chemicals in the Workplace”

Book Description

A practical workplace handbook and companion to the SafeChemEdu learning system. Built for real workplaces. Managing Chemicals in the Workplace supports learners, supervisors, managers, and organisations with structured guidance on chemical management and implementation.

Chemicals don’t cause incidents. Gaps do.

If your workplace uses chemicals, a Safety Data Sheet and good intentions are not enough. You need a clear system to identify hazards, control risk, assign responsibility, and keep reliable records.

Managing Chemicals in the Workplace is a practical, site-focused guide to hazardous chemical management, WHS compliance, and environmental duty of care. It helps you build a safer, more consistent system that stands up to audits, reviews, and investigations.

This book covers the essentials of:

Written for people doing the work, not just writing policies, this book is suited to supervisors, HSE/WHS professionals, site managers, maintenance and laboratory teams, procurement and stores staff, contractors, and those entering the field.

Whether you are starting from scratch or strengthening an existing system, Managing Chemicals in the Workplace gives you a practical roadmap for:

If you want a practical framework for workplace chemical safety and stronger operational control, this book will help you move from reactive fixes to a more reliable system.

Why this Softcover Handbook Matters

Managing Chemicals in the Workplace connects chemical hazards, workplace controls, environmental movement, responsibilities, registers, audits, and implementation discipline in one practical framework. It is designed to support real workplace use, not just theory. “This book is used as the foundation reference text supporting the SafeChemEdu Entry Level, Team Leader, Manager Professional, and Full Spectrum learning pathways.”

Who should read it

What’s inside

Handbook Specifications

About the Author

Ralph Gunness is an auditor, educator and author registered in the UK and Australia, with more than 45 years of experience in chemical safety, environmental management and workplace health and safety capability building. His qualifications span science, environmental studies, agricultural science, education and business, supported by specialist certifications in WHS, mining and oilfield safety, training, risk assessment and emergency response. Over his career, he has led environmental and chemical management systems on major projects valued at up to A$34 billion across mining, petroleum, heavy industry, government and research, including CSIRO. Ralph has also been a long-standing author and course developer with Edumine (formerly InfoMine/Edumine) for more than 25 years, translating complex technical and compliance topics into practical industry training. He was a finalist in the Prime Minister’s Environmentalist of the Year (2007), presented with Banksia awards for Innovative Water Management and received the U.N. Award for “Greening the Boardroom”, presented jointly to the author and a major natural gas company by the then Governor-General of Queensland. Through SafeChemEdu, he helps individuals, teams and organisations build practical systems, stronger evidence, and safer workplaces through clear guidance, tools and training. Ralph Gunness MBA is an environmental, WHS, and sustainability professional with more than 39+ years of experience across global mining, hydrocarbons, refining, energy, infrastructure, and government sectors.

Ralph’s experience includes:

Why this handbook is different

Managing Chemicals in the Workplace brings together practical workplace experience, governance principles, and implementation tools into a single operational handbook. Unlike traditional chemical safety texts that focus only on legislation or hazard classes, this handbook integrates:

This makes the handbook suitable for learners, supervisors, managers, and organisations seeking practical workplace application.

Prefer the soft-cover handbook with matching resources?

Pair the softcover handbook with the eBook for a stronger learning and reference package.

Buying for Organisation or Institution

Want guided learning as well as the Softcover Book?

The handbook becomes even more powerful when paired with structured learning. Explore SafeChemEdu courses to move from knowledge into Foundation learning for learners starting out.

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