Chemical store signage

[Snailo]

Morning!

I was just wondering what signage people have on their chemical stores and whether there is a legal obligation to have anything? Ours is off a main corridor, it is kept locked at all times. There is an inner store with all our chemicals in with a door with a lock then an outer store with equipment but no chemicals then the outer door on to the corridor which uses a different key. Its a bit like Fort Knox!

At the moment there is an old yellow triangular dangerous chemicals sign on the door - just wondering if this has been superseded or whether we actually need to declare that there are chemicals in there.

 

[Auds63]

Hi Snailo

The CLEAPSS handbook (chapter 7) states the following:

Warning signs

Signs on the doors of rooms or buildings where chemicals are stored are usually for the benefit of fire fighters but also warn others (eg, workers) not familiar with the site. However, schools may, understandably, be reluctant to identify chemical stores to intruders since this may encourage them to make more mess or damage than they otherwise would.

The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations (see section 8.6 of the Handbook) require that “areas, rooms or enclosures used for the storage of significant quantities of dangerous substances or preparations must be indicated by a suitable warning sign”. The interpretation of the word ‘significant’ and ‘suitable’ may depend on the local safety officer and fire-prevention officer (if consulted). Unless stated otherwise the danger warning (Figure 5a) should go on the door of the prep room and/or chemical store. The highly flammable sign (Figure 5b) should go on the flammable cabinet (if you have a cabinet for corrosives, the corrosives warning sign can go on that.) Wherever the gas cylinders are kept, the gas cylinder warning sign (Figure 5c) can go on the door.

Figure 5a Figure 5b Figure 5c
Printable versions of these signs can by found in the electronic document E232 Common Safety Signs

& Hazard Symbols which is in Secondary Resource on the webs site.

Where an educational establishment has so large a quantity of highly-flammable liquids that a separate store (either internal or external) is required, then this store would probably be regarded as holding a significant quantity and it must have a warning sign to comply with the above Regulations.

For details of warning signs needed for the storage of radioactive materials, consult the guide L93, Managing Ionizing Radiation And Radioactive Substances.

Our store is internal within the prep room, so no signs. We keep a list of the chemicals with the fire marshall/SLT in case of fire after hours etc. We do have an external store that is signed because the fire service required it.

Hope that helps.