With the large explosion that rocked Beirut in Lebanon recently, the storage of dangerous substances is quite rightly at the forefront of many peoples attention right now.
Nobody wants to see anything like this happen again.
So what can you do to ensure that this does not happen in your workplace? Hopefully the following DSEAR guidance is a good place to stat.
In the UK, we have ‘The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR)’ which require employers to control the risks to safety from fire, explosions and substances corrosive to metals.
Dangerous substances can put peoples’ safety at risk from fire, explosion and corrosion of metal.
DSEAR puts duties on employers and the self-employed to protect people from these risks to their safety in the workplace, and to members of the public who may be put at risk by work activity.
What are dangerous substances?
Dangerous substances are any substances used or present at work that could, if not properly controlled, cause harm to people as a result of a fire or explosion or corrosion of metal. They can be found in nearly all workplaces and include such things as solvents, paints, varnishes, flammable gases, such as liquid petroleum gas (LPG), dusts from machining and sanding operations, dusts from foodstuffs, pressurised gases and substances corrosive to metal.
What does DSEAR require?
- find out what dangerous substances are in their workplace and what the risks are
- put control measures in place to either remove those risks or, where this is not possible, control them
- put controls in place to reduce the effects of any incidents involving dangerous substances
- prepare plans and procedures to deal with accidents, incidents and emergencies involving dangerous substances
- make sure employees are properly informed about and trained to control or deal with the risks from the dangerous substances
- identify and classify areas of the workplace where explosive atmospheres may occur and avoid ignition sources (from unprotected equipment, for example) in those areas
Do you currently store any dangerous substances? Do you have suitable control measures in place? Are you adhering to DSEAR regulations? If the answer to any of these is no and you require help with putting suitable and robust control measures in place then please get in touch with a member of our team who will be more than happy to assist you with your needs.
Source: HSE