In order to protect people, animals and the environment as a whole, any business that produces, stores or uses pesticides in its business operations must consider proper pesticide storage. Different chemicals offer different levels of toxicity but many, if not all, can cause serious damage if they are left exposed. In the event of a pesticide related chemical accident, it can result in huge ramifications for your business. Not only is there the strong possibility of injury to employees, but you may find that fines and sanctions come your way too.
Fortunately pesticide storage cabinets offer an ideal solution for effective storage of these chemicals. However, choosing the right one for your business can be difficult.
There are a number of key considerations that businesses must take into account when choosing a pesticide storage cabinet.
Pesticide storage cabinet size
One of the most important considerations is the size of the pesticide store. You need to ensure that the cabinet is large enough to accommodate all pesticides on site while at the same time taking into consideration the amount of space you have available to place the actual safety cabinet in your workplace comfortably.
How it is constructed
Generally, your Pesticides Cabinet will be of steel construction. These cabinets are highly durable and offer the highest level of protection, while minimizing the risks if spills do occur. The cabinet or store should be constructed from materials which will resist fire for 30 minutes or more.
Ventilation
It is important to make sure that whatever safety cabinet that you choose offers proper ventilation. This is to ensure optimum ventilation of fumes and odours that may be emitted from the pesticides.
Availability of adjustable shelves
When storing pesticides it is necessary to keep them in the container in which they were bought in. This is because the original container is designed to protect the product and is made to withstand the chemicals inside. For this reason storage cabinets are more than likely going to accommodate pesticides in containers of all shapes and sizes so it is important that the cabinet offers shelves that are adjustable.
Bunding
It is important to ensure that the pesticide store has a bund. A bund is a large tray in the base of the storage unit that is used to capture spilled chemicals/pesticides. It is also important to note if it is possible to fit polyethylene bunds when storing corrosive pesticides. The Bund should be able to capture and contain 110% of the total quantity of chemicals stored or 185% if you are in an environmentally sensitive area e.g. an area prone to flooding.
Signage
Warning signage(yellow hazard triangle) should be fitted to the outside of the cabinet and on the doors of the larger building if the cabinet is to be stored inside a building. A ‘no smoking no naked flames’ sign should also be fitted.
Locking mechanism
Ensuring that only authorised people have access to cabinets is highly important in assuring safe, effective storage of pesticides. You should therefore check to see that the safety cabinet you purchase comes with secure hinged lockable doors with pad lock fittings.
Need more help?
Safety Storage Systems UK offers over 15 years’ experience in chemical storage, if you would like to find out more about the storage of pesticides and other types of chemicals, contact us today! Learn more about chemical safety by reading our previous blog posts.