Dangerous goods and site safety
One of our iron ore mining customers in the Pilbara recently requested a site visit site to inspect their dangerous goods storage cabinets and to advise on their compliance with the relevant Australian Standards.
Their main concern related to storing small quantities of flammable and combustible liquids, along with aerosols.
Our team member Kevin hopped on a plane to site and after his assessment, identified a solution to rectify non-compliant storage in line with the appropriate standard.
Kevin also reviewed a number of spill kits and portable bunds. This resulted in suggestions on how best to manage and improve the day-to-day housekeeping around various site locations and ensure safe storage and spill prevention.
When storaging and segregating chemicals / dangerous goods, it's worth bearing in mind:
- Follow the guidelines within AS1940:2004 to determine the most appropriate storage methods for Class 3 Flammable liquids
- Combustible liquids (eg oil, diesel) can be stored with and have the same segregation requirements as Class 3 Flammable liquids
- Follow the guidelines of AS/NZS3833:2007, Section 2, Minor Storage to determine the most appropriate storage methods for Class 2.1 and Class 2.2 aerosols
- Class 2.1 aerosols should be stored in a dedicated and appropriately-labelled vented cage, segregated from dangerous goods of Class 3 and 2.2
- That signage is appropriate for each cabinet and ensure the products stored within are correspondingly labelled
- Ensure there is no combustible matter or refuse stored within the cabinets
- Ensure there are no ignition sources within three metres of the cabinets
- Every product stored within a dangerous goods cabinet should have the product Safety Data Sheet stored in the MSDS box located on the outside of the cabinet
If your have any concerns about dangerous goods storage on your site, please contact Kevin on 9258 5877 or send him a note through our Contact Us form.