Even if your company doesn’t specifically deal with hazardous chemicals, it is quite possible that there are several being housed in the building or warehouse. As a result, the risk of an accident, damage, or injury is quite high. To reduce the risk involved, here are some of the precautions you should take when storing these chemicals:
Keep Them in a Separate Room
The chemicals shouldn’t be stored in a public space, even they are required on a daily basis. This is because when the chemicals are stored in a busy area, there is a higher chance of them being knocked over or another accident occurring.
Not to mention, many of these chemicals can give off vapors and odors that may be harmful to people, particularly when kept in a poorly ventilated area. Thus, make sure that they have a separate room that they are stored in. It is a good idea to do some research on what type of space such chemicals should be kept in as well.
Use the Proper Containers
You should always know the properties of the chemicals that you are storing. To begin with, are there any materials that they negatively interact with? If this is the case, then you need to avoid using such materials as a containment system.
Figure out if the chemicals need to be stored in containers with a specific design, too. Certain liquids may need to be kept inside ones that have spouts, for instance. Remember that strong and lockable lids are key so check on this.
Follow Proper Storage Procedures
The first thing that you should be aware of is that chemicals should never be kept on the floor. Instead, they should be placed on spill platforms – elevated stands that prevent the chemicals from making contact with the floor. Some of these have drains so that they can be placed above collection areas should the chemicals trickle out.
These should never be placed high up. Instead, they should always be placed at eye level. This makes it easier to bring down and transport the chemicals without causing an accident.
Only buy the highest quality drum spill pallets to store your chemical containers on top of. These need to be strong and sturdy to ensure that the containers don’t tip over. They must also be made of tough material so that the chemical can’t eat through it if a leak should occur.
Limit Access to the Chemicals
Make sure that the room to the chemicals is locked at all times. Only people who are trained to handle such products should be given access. If people don’t know how to store or move these chemicals properly, there is a higher chance of them being tipped over during the transport process.
You may also want to have a sign in sheet so that you can keep track of who is going in and out of the room.
These are the main guidelines that you should follow for storing hazardous chemicals in the workplace. Keep these in mind and you should be able to keep everyone safe.
