Dangerous Goods Handler (For All Industries, Class 1-9)

This course is also called a hazardous substances handler course. Dangerous goods, or hazardous substances, are chemicals in your workplace that can cause harm. If your business receives, stores, uses, repackages, or ships hazardous substances, then the workers involved in that process must have training through a course that complies with Regulation 4.5 of the Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017 and the guidance document "Changes to the Regulations for Hazardous Substances in the Workplace", published in November 2017 by WorkSafe.

Dangerous goods and hazardous substances can include products as diverse as perfumes, lithium-ion batteries, fertiliser, industrial fillers, solvents, fuels, biological waste and acids. If you do any of the following, you must have training to handle hazardous substances:

• You work with hazardous substances - you use, decant or otherwise are exposed to them in your day-to-day work, whether in a factory, a farm, a workshop or a warehouse
• You receive hazardous substances at your workplace, either as the chemical itself or in another form (e.g. batteries) - you handle the documentation and you organise the storage when they are delivered
• You manage people who work with hazardous substances - you need to know what they should be doing and if they're doing it right. Maybe you also have broader health and safety responsibilities
• You load or unload hazardous substances using a forklift or pallet jack - it's important you know what to do in the case of a leak, how to store and segregate them, etc
• You manage the storage of hazardous substances in your workplace - you need to know segregation and what to do if things go wrong.

This course covers all those scenarios. You can modify the course to suit the specific job requirements of your team; modules related to shipping and documentation can be disabled for team members who only use the chemicals.

The training is also appropriate for both users exposed to the substances and supervisors who should understand the risks.

It's part of the workplace regulations, along with spill kit and spill control training and fire extinguisher training (where applicable).

It covers the training and instruction required under regulation 4.5 of the Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017 and supports the PCBU in providing the correct information for the specific hazardous substances used in the workplace.

The course teaches the physico-chemical and health hazards of substances across all nine dangerous goods classes; procedures for safe use, handling, storage and disposal; how to select and use PPE; workers' obligations under the regulations; and what to do in an emergency. Trainees learn to read a safety data sheet so they can apply this to the specific chemicals they handle. Regulation 4.5(4) allows training to cover groups of substances with the same hazardous properties, which is how the course is structured.

Your business must still tell workers about the substances on your site and where the safety data sheets are kept (4.5(2)), give them a period of practical experience under direct supervision (4.5(3)(b)), and keep a training record for each worker (4.5(5)). The course certificate and LMS training record can form part of that record.

The course has been audited by Anderson Studd and DG Compliance, and the audit results are available on request.

You get full access to all training materials for 6 months and a certificate of completion when you've finished it. Study in your own time at your own pace, take the modules as many times as you need to and really get to know the information. You can access it on any computer, smartphone or tablet wherever there's an internet connection available. You'll also receive a suite of useful documents:

• Classifications
• HSNO-GHS7 Conversion table
• Sample SDS (Hydrochloric acid)
• Schedule 3 segregation chart
• Segregation in storage
• UN packaging guide

If you transport hazardous substances (dangerous goods) on the road for hire or reward, and they are above minimum limits defined in the Schedules, you will need a D endorsement. This also applies to forklift operators with an F endorsement who unload dangerous goods from the road or a right-of-way.

The difference between a D endorsement and this course is that this course has the specific knowledge about handling the actual chemicals; a D endorsement doesn't include that because it assumes you're driving a truck and someone else has handled, packed and loaded them.

If you need a D endorsement, check out our D endorsement course.

• No previous training is required for a dangerous goods handler course. 
• You will need one course licence per person taking the course - you can't use one licence for multiple trainees
• You will need a computer, smartphone or tablet with internet access to take the theory training.

"I found it very helpful and think one of the best value ads is that I can access all the modules for the next six months. I am going to send the link out to all my franchisees and ask them to complete the course if they don’t already have a DG Handlers qualification." Ian Robertson, General Manager, Ecomist

"I felt the course was well laid out, easy to follow & well put together. I would definitely recommend this online course to others." Nigel Buchanan, Gerard Roofs

"It was a good course. It was easy to follow and didn't take overly long to do which was exactly what I was looking for." Brooke, The Rubber Roofing Co Group

• Video subtitles/captions are available for all videos except in interactive modules - see above for the list. Choose the language in the video.
• Questions: 76 languages are available - check the language option at the top of the page (note that written answers must be in English).
• Question audio: play audio of every question in English
• Documents: English
• Some captions are AI-generated and, as such, may have occasional errors.

• Easy to schedule - the course takes around 2.5 hours, depending on your experience. It is divided into short modules that only take a few minutes each, are easy to digest and convenient in terms of time commitment; you can do one or more modules when you have time
• Full access to the course materials for 6 months - plenty of time to work through the course if you're busy
• Detailed video instructions - watch and learn, then answer questions about what you've seen. You can watch the videos as many times as you need in order to really understand the material
• Language and literacy support - if English isn't your first language or you'd prefer to listen to the questions, we've got you covered with audio recordings of the questions, and over 70 languages.
• NOTE: This is an online course and there is no instructor-led training

Companies: simply purchase as many course licences as you need for your team members and you can assign the courses and view their progress

Individuals: simply purchase one course licence for yourself. You can do the course in your own time when it's convenient for you - you have access to the course materials for 6 months. Watch the videos then answer the questions. 

Set up is free whether you are purchasing one course licence or a hundred course licences.

There are four main qualifications for handling hazardous substances.

• D endorsement - complete a training course and resubmit the endorsement certificate to NZTA every 5 years
• Certified handler - complete a training course and obtain a Certified Handler Compliance Certificate every 5 years
• Approved filler - complete a training course and obtain an Approved Viller Compliance Certificate every 5 years.
• Dangerous goods handler - complete a training course every 2 years to maintain currency and keep up to date with any industry updates.

Yes. As part of Regulation 4.5, the PCBU is required to provide information and training, and this course meets those requirements.

Simply purchase the required number of course licences (one for each trainee) and assign them to your trainees. They'll receive an email invitation with instructions. You can add managers to help manage the training. You can download detailed reports, plus track and manage your trainees. Setup and support are free.

DT is the online training brand of TR Group and TR Driver Training, a nationwide training company with 20 trainers. We sit on the boards and advisory councils for numerous qualifications, helping shape unit standards, good practice guidelines and other industry documentation. 

We are a Category 1 Private Training Establishment - this is the highest category.

Our instructors have extensive experience across various industries, which gives them a deep understanding of training requirements.