Industrial users of cyanide
Industrial users of cyanide may apply to hold an approval under the Medicines and Poisons Act 2019 (MPA).
General approvals
Under the MPA, cyanide is a restricted S7 poison (RS7) and a general approval is required to buy, possess, apply or dispose of cyanide.
The holder of a general approval who operates from multiple sites may request one approval to cover all sites rather than having separate general approvals for each site.
Applying for a general approval
Apply for a general approval to use cyanide with Poisons general approval application forms and fees .
There are no fees associated with obtaining a general approval.
Requirements for industrial users
Industrial users are only able to buy cyanide from a licensed S7 poison wholesaler or retailer. The purchaser will need to comply with purchase requirements and provide the supplier with evidence of their authorisation to buy cyanide.
Section 64 of the Medicines and Poisons (Poisons and Prohibited Substances) Regulation 2021 specifies requirements for storage and transport of cyanide.
Substance management plan
A general approval holder of cyanide may be required to have a substance management plan (SMP) if it is a condition of their authority. This will generally apply for specific quantities of cyanide. Refer to Do I need a substance management plan? (PDF 253 kB) to determine if an SMP is required.
The general approval holder will be responsible for developing and maintaining the SMP and may delegate the responsibility to a suitable person within the organisation.
The SMP must comply with the Departmental standard - Substance management plans for regulated poisons – version 1 (PDF 283 kB).