It’s not enough to just have a chemical storage cabinet, your cabinet must be regularly maintained to ensure that it is doing its job correctly. Allocating a clean dry space to have your cabinet is the start to having a safe workplace. Here are there four important things to remember for maintaining your chemical storage cabinet.
Almost all businesses handle some sort of dangerous or hazardous goods. But many of them underestimate the potential threats these pose and the cautionary practices they should use to minimize any possible danger. Simple things such as using proper aerosol can storage arrangements and taking care with other seemingly innocuous things around the home and workplace including cleaning products medicines and batteries that are often stored inappropriately is important.
Class 3 flammable liquids must be kept properly in a flammable liquid cabinet because they readily combust and release their energy which can cause destruction, injury and death.
Being the most commonly used of the dangerous goods and found in most workplaces, class 3 flammable liquids require adequate protective measures to be taken for proper handling and storage.
Dangerous goods storage is required for a large number of compounds, some are in solid form, others powered. Some in gas or liquid form, these include substances that are corrosive, oxidizing, toxic, water or oxygen reactive, spontaneously combustible, explosive and flammable. The most common of theses are pesticides, solvents, paints, petrol and aviation fuel. These all have the potential to be harmful to human and animal life, property and the environment so must be stored safely and appropriately.
Explosives
When your business or workplace uses or stores hazardous materials by government regulation there must be a proper dangerous goods storage area that adequately minimises or eliminates the risks of having those chemicals.
It’s not a matter of just throwing hazardous substances into a dangerous goods storage cabinet and hoping they will be safe.
This quick guide on keeping dangerous good together in your storage cabinet will assist you in safely storing dangerous goods:
Most people are very familiar with aerosol cans; they are in almost every household and contain a variety of products from cooking oils to deodorant to shaving cream, insecticides to paints and lubricants. Usually, we do not think about aerosol can storage as being important. They can be seen in many shops and supermarkets on the shelf and do not appear to have any type or form of safety provision even though they are classed as Class 2 Dangerous Goods in Australia.
Using a bunded pallet or containment pallet as some people call them is an important safety measure and now required by Australian work safe regulations when storing or using bulk chemicals. Using a bunded pallet will ensure that in the event any type of hazardous liquid or dry chemical spill, either while these items are in storage, being transported, processed or while being used in manufacturing, that any spill is contained and easily dealt with.
Spills around the workplace or home are often the main or a major cause of falls, slips and accidents as well as localised environmental pollution. When you’re properly equipped with spill kits to deal with spills quickly and efficiently, down time and danger can be reduced along with the risk of injuries and accidents to the lowest possible levels.
Spill Kits come in a range of options, for general purpose or specialty applications, before purchasing them, it’s advisable to assess your needs and the types of hazards in your particular environment
Proper chemical and dangerous goods storage are just as important as wearing the right safety gear such as eye protection aprons and respiratory protection when working with hazardous materials.
Always keep your dangerous goods stored properly and your dangerous goods storage area tidy and well organized.
It’s important that everyone who has access to any dangerous goods storages is familiar with all the government and local body safety regulations and by-laws as well as being compliant with them.
One of the biggest advantages of having a spill kit on hand is that all the elements required for cleaning up a spill and dealing with it are combined together in one spot allowing for fast action to address and resolve the problem efficiently and effectively before it gets out of hand.
All personal should know where all spill kits are located throughout your facility and be adequately trained in their proper use.
