Industrial users of cyanide
Industrial users of cyanide, those who were cyanide permit holders under the Health (Drugs and Poisons) Regulation 1996 (HDPR), can continue to hold an approval under the Medicines and Poisons Act 2019 (the MPA) which replaced the HDPR on 27 September 2021.
Persons seeking to apply for a new approval can do so under the 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.
Authorisations under the MPA will transition as closely as possible to the prior authority under the HDPR. Persons who currently hold a cyanide permit will continue to be authorised until it expires or is cancelled or amended.
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
As before, industrial users will only be 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 Poisons Regulation 2021 specifies requirements for storage and transport of cyanide.
Substance management plan (SMP)
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).