A potential fire or chemical accident is something all business owners worry about. After all, nobody wants to see something they spent years building and developing go up in flames. It’s no secret that the majority of industrial fires and accidents are caused by improper storage and handling of hazardous substances. For this purpose, there are specially designed cabinets that can keep dangerous goods safely locked away.
Not only is investing in dangerous goods storage cabinets a way to prevent unfortunate accidents, but it’s also required by national and local workplace codes. In Australia, all dangerous goods storage cabinets must comply with certain product standards, especially AS 1940-2004. Cabinets complying with this standard have double-skimmed doors and walls and are coated with a special safety layer to prevent the penetration of hazardous chemicals. Furthermore, they are also labelled with important information, including warning signs, instructions on using and maximum storage capacity.
There are various types of dangerous goods cabinets which are designed to house a particular type of goods. Depending on the type of goods, there are cabinets suitable for flammable liquids and gases, solid flammables, corrosive materials, oxidising substances, and organic peroxides. With that being said, a cabinet designed for flammable solids is simply not safe for storing gas substances.
Additionally, dangerous goods storage cabinets also differ in size and shape. It’s important to choose a cabinet that has the proper size and maximum volume capacity for your storage needs. Overcrowding a dangerous goods cabinet with more than it’s designed to handle is very risky, as it can lead to spills and chemicals interacting with each other. A cabinet with a good number of shelves and separate compartments can make it easier to organize your goods in a safe manner.
Before purchasing your dangerous goods cabinets, it’s worth to consider where they were manufactured. As with most industrial equipment, you’ll come across cabinets originating from China as well as those produced here locally. Choosing a cabinet that is manufactured in Australia, will give you the peace of mind that it’s designed according to Australian standards. Not only is a local manufacturer required to comply with the relevant safety standards of the Australian workplace, but they also consider our particular climate and conditions in order to design a more durable product. And for even greater peace of mind, make sure you’re buying something with a good warranty.
All things considered, you shouldn’t settle for anything less when it comes to the safety of your workplace. Fires and incidents do tend to happen, some accidental and others premeditated. With that being said, make sure the cabinets storing dangerous goods have strong locking mechanisms and are not easily accessible to anyone besides the relevant authority that handles them. It’s important to limit access to these dangerous materials in order to ensure they do not fall in the wrong hands.
