Storage of Paints, Thinners and other Dangerous Goods

Our Safety Guru says ...

Dangerous substances present a variety of physical and chemical hazards. They are classified according to the nature of the hazard they present by placement in one of 9 Classes, based on the United Nations Recommendations. Where the dangerous substance has a hazard of more than one Class, it may be given a Class and a subsidiary risk. Dangerous substances of Classes 3, 4, 5, 6.1 and 8 have been assigned to one of three categories (Packaging Groups) according to the degree of danger they present, ie.

An Introduction to Dangerous Goods

This is the first in a series where we will review issues around the storage and handling of dangerous goods and hazardous materials. ...

General Rules for Storage of Dangerous Goods
There have been significant changes concerning the storage of dangerous and hazardous goods and materials recently. The biggest change is the introduction of mandatory self-assessment. This is now a critical responsibility for the OH&S or environment officer within the many organisations that use flammable, corrosive or toxic materials.

The new Australian Standard 1940-2004 has set stringent benchmarks for the internal and external storage of HAZMAT. No longer will “lack of knowledge” or “ignorance” be accepted as excuses if an organisation or individual is caught with poor storage practices.

Companies or individuals that do not comply could be hit with large fines.  AS 1940 touches virtually every aspect of Australian life and affects so many areas, such as flammable liquids such as fuels, solvents, paints, perfumes, ingredients for plastics, pharmaceuticals and cosmetic products, insecticides and even cooking oils.