Chemical storage: everything you need to know about legislation and good practices

When it comes to safety in the storage and handling of chemical products, every precaution is essential . This is an extremely important stage in the life cycle of chemical products, whether in industries, distribution centers or cargo terminals.

When a product or chemical substance is not stored correctly, a series of problems can occur for companies, people and the environment.

Therefore, activities involving the handling and storage of chemical elements require extra care with regard to safety.

Storage rules are extensive and very specific to each case. Below, we have prepared a short summary with the most important information you need to know about the subject.

We also took the opportunity to list good practice tips for storing chemical products. Check it out!

Technical and legal standards on the storage of chemical products

Safety legislation sets out basic requirements to ensure the lives of workers, the company and the environment. They must be applied in any situation involving chemical risk.

• Ordinance 124/1980 – IBAMA: contains 11 obligations to reduce pollution in water bodies. These are requirements regarding the location of potentially polluting industries near water collections.
• Regulatory standard 20 (NR20): minimum requirements for the management of occupational health and safety against accident risk factors arising from activities involving chemical elements.
• Fire Department Standard: varies according to the state. An example is: Technical Instruction No. 25 and its parts on Fire Safety for Combustible and Flammable Liquids.

Technical standards for the storage of flammable chemical products

• ABNT NBR 17505: defines requirements for the storage of flammable and combustible liquids.
• ABNT NBR 15514: establishes the requirements for the storage area of transportable containers of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

How to store pesticides?

• Law 7802/89: provides for research, production, transportation, storage, marketing, use and final destination of pesticide residues and packaging, their components and the like.
• Law 9976/200: amends Law No. 7,802 of July 11, 1989. Provides for research, experimentation, production, packaging and labeling, transportation, storage, marketing, commercial advertising, use, import, export, final destination of waste and packaging, registration, classification, control, inspection and supervision of pesticides, their components and the like.
• ABNT NBR 9843/2019 - Pesticides and similar products – Storage: establishes requirements for industrial warehouses, general warehouses and distribution centers; distributors and cooperatives; rural properties; laboratories and empty packaging.

Controlled products

• Federal Police: Ordinance 240/2019 – Control and inspection of chemical products.
• Civil Police (São Paulo): decree 3665/2000. Control is exercised over toxic, corrosive, explosive products, weapons and ammunition.
• Army: Decree 10030/2019. Intended for all individuals and legal entities that work with chemical products, explosives, weapons, ammunition and ballistic armor.
• Radioactive chemicals
• CNEN NE 5.08/03: requirements for the safe transportation, receipt, storage and handling of fuel elements for nuclear power plants.
• CNEN NN 6.04/03: safety and protection requirements for possession, use, storage and transportation of radiation sources necessary for the operation of industrial radiography facilities.

Good practices for storing chemicals

To ensure greater safety when storing and moving chemical products, some measures need to be adopted. Check out some tips below:

Identification and signaling

Anyone handling the product must be able to identify its category, know the risks involved and understand the procedures to avoid accidents. To do this, it is necessary to:

1. Properly mark the storage location with signs, indicators and labels;
2. That product packaging contains their respective labels, in accordance with current legislation (Regulatory Standard 26), indicating the dangers involved;
3. Make available the MSDSs (Chemical Product Safety Data Sheets) of all chemical products, for consultation whenever necessary.

Segregation

This is one of the main precautions when it comes to storing chemical products.

Chemically compatible products can be stored in groups, but a physical barrier must be created between each group. Incompatible groups should be stored as far apart as possible.

It is also important to separate liquid items from solids and containment pallets to prevent possible reactions from occurring in the event of damaged packaging.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

The correct adoption of PPE must be based on an assessment of the risks involved in carrying out activities.

Equipment must be made available for the protection of employees and must be used throughout the transportation and storage of these items .

Trainings

To ensure the safe movement and storage of chemicals, it is important to provide training to employees. What they need to know:

• The most appropriate way to handle the products;
• Interpret the information on packaging labels;
• Understand the information contained in the product MSDSs;
• Ideal conditions for allocation within the stock;
• Correct use of personal protective equipment.

Emergency Telephone Number

A team of experts is able to provide detailed information on emergency scenarios and take action quickly and effectively, optimizing the use of resources and minimizing consequences.

Therefore, it is essential to provide an Emergency Telephone Number to respond to emergencies involving chemical products.

The storage of chemical products requires the observation of a series of particularities that are not observed in stock routines for items considered normal.

Therefore, it is essential to be aware of safety and compliance with the requirements set out in the laws and regulations governing the activities.

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