The Regulations were established in pursuant to section 75(1)(b) of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act 1996 (the overarching environmental and health and safety law in New Zealand). The Regulations stipulate the priority and secondary identifiers as well as the documentation requirements for various kinds of substances.

Specific signage and advertising criteria for substances with various hazards are set out in Schedules 1 (Distances for previewing and hearing information, documentation, and signage), 2 (Quantities requiring documentation) and 3 (Quantities requiring signage) in Part 3 of the Regulations.

These regulations, in conjunction with Hazardous Substances (Emergency Management) Regulations 2001, and the Hazardous Substances (Disposal) Regulations 2001, are the primary legislations for the formulation of the Cod of Practice for the Preparation of Safety Data Sheets (SDS)