Walk into many chemical stores, laboratories and cleaning cupboards and you will find the containers neatly arranged in alphabetical order. It looks organised. It can also put an oxidiser beside a flammable solvent, or an acid next to a substance that releases toxic gas on contact with it. A single leak or a dropped bottle is then enough to start a fire or fill the room with fumes.
Organise by hazard, not by name
The basic principle of chemical storage is segregation: substances that react dangerously with each other must be kept apart, so that a leak from one cannot reach the other. The main groups to separate are:
- Flammable liquids, in a ventilated flammables cabinet or store, away from ignition sources and away from oxidisers.
- Oxidisers, such as peroxides, nitrates and hypochlorite, which can intensify a fire or ignite combustible material on their own.
- Acids and alkalis, stored separately from each other, each on its own spill tray or in its own cabinet.
- Toxic substances, secured, clearly labelled and kept away from food, drink and general stores.
- Water-reactive materials, kept dry and away from sprinklers, sinks and wash-down areas.
The safety data sheet is the starting point
Every hazardous chemical should have a current safety data sheet, and the sections on handling, storage and incompatible materials tell you exactly what it must be kept away from. Many storage problems start when a new product arrives, is placed wherever there is space, and its data sheet is filed without being read.
Spills, quantities and housekeeping
- Use bunded shelves or spill trays large enough to hold the contents of the largest container.
- Keep heavy containers and corrosives at low level, never above head height.
- Hold the smallest practical quantities at the point of use, with bulk stock in a proper store.
- Keep a spill kit suitable for the chemicals present, and make sure people know how to use it.
- Decant only into correctly labelled containers. An unlabelled bottle is one of the most dangerous objects on any site.
A simple check to start with
Pick one store or cupboard and, for every container on a shelf, read the incompatible materials section of its data sheet. Then look at what is sitting next to it. That exercise alone usually reveals at least one pairing that should never have been placed together.
Is Your Chemical Storage Organised by Hazard?
Our evaluation team inspects chemical stores and laboratories, checks segregation, labelling and spill control against the safety data sheets for what you actually hold, and gives you a clear, prioritised plan to put it right.
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