Best Practices and Regulations for the Storage of Hazardous Material

Hazardous waste in itself is quite harmful, as its global rate of production has reached 13 tons per second. And storing it carelessly would further worsen the already threatening situation.

This is why proper storage of hazardous materials is crucial to ensure the safety of both your workers and the environment. 

Whether it’s flammable liquids, corrosive chemicals, or toxic materials, the appropriate storage practices play a vital role in mitigating risks and preventing potential disasters. 

Therefore, in this article, we will look into the important practices for hazardous materials storage and regulatory compliance. So, let’s start.

9 Best Practices for Hazardous Material Storage

The purpose of storing hazardous materials properly is to minimize spills and prevent any mishappenings from occurring. Thus, follow these storage practices for handling hazardous materials more responsibly:

1. Sort all the hazardous materials stored

Keeping all types of hazardous wastes together is an awful practice and increases the chances of a chemical reaction. So, sort all your trash based on its chemical and physical properties. 

Also, check if your hazardous waste needs a secondary containment and keep it separate to be stored appropriately.

2. Use appropriate containers and seal them properly

Not every type of hazardous waste is compatible with any container. You have to store them in a container that is designated for the particular waste you are storing.

Once stored, seal the waste tightly to prevent it from leaking. But that’s not it. Upon sealing, label the storage cabinets as well as the individual items stored in them. This will make people act responsibly around such storage areas.

3. Store them in an appropriate place

Storing hazardous waste in a compatible container is not enough. You also have to keep them in a place where rain and flood cannot reach (at least not easily).

On top of that, make sure that the storage container is strong enough to hold any kind of outer vandalism in case it does happen. It is preferred to confine the stored chemicals with a lock and key.

4. Provide enough aisle place

Your regulatory body may come to inspect your facility every now and then. Thus, it would be wise to store hazardous waste with a big enough aisle between each stack. This will ease the inspection for them.

There is another reason for this. Enough aisle space will also minimize the probability of accidental spills and prevent chemical reactions from happening.

5. Store them away from high-traffic areas

It is always better to stay away from toxic waste because being in contact with it increases the chances of health hazards.

So, store your hazardous waste away from areas where people are wandering more frequently. This will also lead to lesser spillage because of a human’s mistake.

6. Perform loading and unloading responsibly

As per one of the recommendations of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for best storage practices, you should load and unload hazardous waste in areas designed to contain potential spills.

Why? This is because loading and unloading toxic waste are activities where the chances of spillage are pretty high.

7. Make sure your workers have easy access

You need to be ready to tackle the situation where a leak does happen. So, in that case, your workers will need cleanup materials as fast as possible.

Therefore, make sure that you place cleanup materials in a place where your workers can reach them quickly and minimize the damage.

8. Use dry cleanup methods instead of wet

In the event of spillage, don’t use wet cleanup methods like spraying water into the area with a hose. It can worsen the situation.

The storage areas in which hazardous materials are placed must be kept cool and dry. Heat and moisture can lead to harmful chemical reactions.

9. Train employees in proper storage techniques

Proper training for your employees is a must-have. Thus, each and everyone on your team must know how to store chemicals and what to do in case of an emergency.

It is also recommended to train them by keeping in mind both – the control system of your storage facility and the guidance of regulatory bodies.

Best practices for the storage of household hazardous materials

Since hazardous waste is generated in the household as well, you also need to know the best practices to store them safely. Here are they:

1. To reduce the chances of corrosion, store the container off the ground.
2. Store the container in such a way that it stays away from children.
3. Tightly seal the container and mark clearly what is in it so that people handle it responsibly.
4. Put hazardous material into a plastic container with a lid (for example, a 5-gallon bucket).

Additional tips to keep in mind

1. Provide additional care to store flammable liquids as, upon ignition, they can cause serious damage to your facility.
2. Always have a standard operating procedure (SOP) beforehand for your workers to follow during any possible unfortunate event.
3. Store heavy hazardous materials in the bottom part of your storage area. This will help you manage them better.
4. Restrict the access of your storage facility to only a few authorized people because more access only increases the chance of possible spillage.

Now that we have covered the best practices for storing hazardous material, it will be easy for you to handle hazardous waste materials properly. But, you also need to comply with regulations. So, let’s have a look at the various regulatory bodies involved in this.

Regulatory Compliance for Handling Hazardous Waste

These are the 4 regulatory bodies that you need to take care of while storing and transporting your hazardous materials:

1. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The role of the Environmental Protection Agency in this matter is to ensure the protection of the environment and public health from the negative effects of hazmat materials.

For this, it has also enacted the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), which sets standards for storing, handling, and disposing of hazardous waste. 

2. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Occupational Safety and Health Administration focuses on the welfare of your workers and workplace safety. It has put into place Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), which makes it compulsory for you to label properly, maintain documentation, and train your employees.

OSHA also sets requirements for material safety data sheets (MSDS) that provide essential information about storing hazardous materials.

3. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

As the name suggests, National Fire Protection Association develops and maintains standards related to fire prevention and protection.

NFPA 30, or the Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code, is its primary document for hazardous material storage. This code provides guidelines on the design, construction, and fire protection measures for facilities storing flammable or combustible liquids.

4. Department of Transportation (DOT)

Some of the tasks of the Department of Transportation are to regulate the transportation of hazardous materials and establish rules for their storage during transportation. 

Thus, DOT’s Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) ensure that hazardous materials are packaged, labeled, and stored safely to prevent accidents and protect individuals involved in their transportation.

Since transportation of hazardous waste is such an important part of handling it properly, we recommend you use Upper, a hazardous waste route optimizer that will help you collect waste faster and more efficiently.

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5 Potential Risks of Not Storing Hazardous Waste Properly

Consequences are inevitable for showing any carelessness with hazardous waste. So, here are 5 potential risks that you may have to face for it:

1. Health and safety hazards

When hazardous waste is improperly stored, it can pose a serious threat to the health of your employees, the nearby community, and emergency responders. How? Leaks can result in physical hazards such as chemical burns and ingestion of toxic fumes.

Apart from that, accidental contact with hazardous substances can even cause chronic health effects like respiratory issues, organ damage, or long-term illnesses.

2. Environmental contamination

Soil, groundwater, surface water, and air can all be contaminated by improper disposal techniques, leaks, or spills. Wide-ranging effects of this contamination can be harmful to both – wildlife and human populations, and they include:

1. Ecosystem destruction
2. Disruption of natural habitats
3. Contamination of drinking water sources

3. Legal and regulatory consequences

Since there are some serious social consequences of hazardous waste, you may also find yourself facing legal repercussions if you store toxic waste carelessly.

Non-compliance can cost your business a lot of money in fines, penalties, legal fees, and reputational harm. Thus, strictly follow the guidelines set by the regulatory bodies we mentioned above.

4. Financial implications

Additionally, poor storage procedures can have a big financial impact on your business. How? By ending up spending huge amounts of money on spill cleanup, contaminated site remediation, and dealing with health and safety issues. 

On top of that, as mentioned in the previous point, regulatory penalties for irresponsibly storing hazardous waste can also be very unforgiving.

5. Community impact

People living in the nearby area of your hazardous waste facility can also suffer blamelessly due to poor storage of toxic waste. Especially the children and senior citizens are at a higher risk.

Plus, it can also undermine public confidence in the regulatory authorities, provoking a backlash from the public and strained interpersonal ties.

Conclusion

Storing your hazardous waste properly till it is disposed of is crucial for the welfare of your employees, the environment, and your business. Not doing so correctly can put you at risk of facing some strict penalties from the governing bodies.

Thus, follow the laid regulations religiously to keep yourself and your surroundings healthy and out of trouble.

Now, once the proper storage of hazardous material is all set, the question that may still be nagging you is what to do about waste collection. How to pull it off efficiently?

For this, try Upper Route Planner, which lets you optimize your routes in a matter of minutes. This helps you collect waste faster and save on fuel costs. 

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