A chemical plant in China exploded due to failure of adhering to health and safety regulations by the management of the factory. This caused 6 people to become hospitalised. 

Huang Yi, spokesman for the State Administration of Work Safety, said that "the bosses of the Goure PX Plant chose the cheapest bidder to build the facility at the expense of safety". He said a "furnace was too close to storage tanks, so when unspecified materials leaked into the furnace because of a broken tube, the blast tore into a tank and caused the fire. (source: Fox News).

This is the worst thing that could happen whilst dealing with storing chemicals. The management  should be adhering to the basics, like keeping chemicals away from fire and checking regularly for leaks.  All organisations are required to stick to COSHH (control of substances hazardous to health) guidelines regardless of their industry. Would having a chemical store container have helped? 

How would we have stored them? Well firstly, we would make sure that the containers are kept away from any source of fire. Stores can be made fire proof, which would have helped a little with this situation. Stores can also be ventilated and dry. Vents are installed to all chemical stores to stop a build-up of chemicals in the air inside the container. A bunded floor is a great way to collect fluids, to stop them from spreading. The standard wooden floor is replaced by a bund to collect leaks, drips and spills. The container walls, roof and doors can be lines to create a stronger shell. Any fluids collected are emptied via a drainage sump. 

Although all these extra accessories will help to keep your chemicals safe; it is also important that you regularly check and maintain your chemicals. Also, if you buy a fireproof chemical store, we still wouldn’t recommend putting it by the fire!

If you are worried about the storage of your chemicals, talk to us at Lion Containers (Chemical Stores) Ltd. We offer a large range of different sized chemical stores and we can have them custom built to suit your needs. When manufacturing these units we are still following all Government regulations and also the environment Agency’s recommendations. All of our chemical stores come as standard with integral bunded floors to meet regulations, removable galvanised steel grated floor or steel chequer plated floor. Making sure that if chemicals are to spill they are easily caught with this specialist flooring, also if there is a chemical spillage it will not enter any drainage systems. Control of hazardous liquids is key when it comes to chemical storage. 

We also offer optional extras on our containers such as drainage taps, zone 1 lighting, heating and bespoke steel shelving. Whatever chemicals you are storing in these container we can make sure our chemical stores are all built to suit and keep them safe. You can be assured that if you buy a chemical store with Lion Containers (Chemical Stores) Ltd, you won’t be having the police knocking on your door saying your chemicals haven’t been stored correctly. View our Chemical Store case studies to view examples of our storage projects, or call us on 0333 600 6260.

It was reported by Gazette Live that a big fire broke out at a well-known chemical company who supply chemicals to the oil industry. All staff had to be evacuated not just from that specific building but from the whole industrial estate! People spoke of a black cloud of smoke soaring more than 100ft into the air.

Up to ten fire engines attended the scene in Eaglecliffe Industrial Estate to battle the inferno! Even a specialist fire engine equipped with foam pods, command and a control unit had to be dispatched to the scene. Fire brigades used the foam to bring the fire under control and advised residents to stay indoors and close windows in case they were affected by the smoke. Luckily there was no causalities at the scene neither was there any reports of injuries at the time. The nearby roads were closed until further notice and even confirmed by Northern Rails that trains are being affect due to the blaze.

According to the BBC News the blaze started at 1pm and was extinguished by the evening! An investigation took into place to find out what was the cause of this huge fire and the fire chief had concluded that some plastic storage containers containing small quantities of chemicals were involved in the incident, this evidence also suggested the cause was accidental.

Here at Lion Containers we understand storing chemicals has to be followed by strict laws. We are able to offer COSHH stores and chemical stores. COSHH means ‘Control of Substances Hazardous to Health’ meeting regulations required by the law where companies are required to control the substances that are hazardous and harmful to health. However a Chemical Store are custom built and built to your specific requirements. Whether its flammable, corrosive, toxic or harmful chemicals you are storing, using a chemical or COSHH store is ideal for secure and safe storage. All of our chemical stores come with a standard integral bund, so any spillage within this unit will be held in the bund until it is safely drained out and disposed. Standard louvre air vents come fitted for a better source of air flow, reducing condensation or keeping equipment stored at the correct temperature needed. 

In the case of the Eaglecliffe fire, if their chemicals were stored in a custom built chemical storage container, with IP Rated electrics including an external fire beacon and smoke alarm and the unit was lined with FR60 (fire rated) boards you would have an early warning of the fire! Also, with the fire rated boards fitted you would have an additional 60 minutes before the unit would potentially burn through! This is more than enough time for a fire engine to arrive and battle that fire. Another benefit of using our containers for this application is that they don’t have to be stored near buildings or public areas. These temporary structures can be sited in all sorts of awkward tight spaces so when you call through to enquire please let us know what we are heading in for! 

We could also install bespoke steel shelving with mesh cages to ensure the chemicals are kept orderly and secure. Another option to consider are over pressure vents to prevent pressure building up inside the units and blowing up!  So there you have it, there are some advantages into having a shipping container as a chemical store and the most important of them all is for your own safety and the safety of others around you. To find out more information on custom built chemical stores or COSHH stores, call our friendly sales team on 0333 600 6260 

As I read about this story in the news, something came to my attention - why weren’t they storing the chemicals safely in a chemical store? Chemical Stores are built to your bespoke requirements, so it would suit whatever chemical you wanted to store in there. 

Personally if the company who suffered from the ammonia leak came to me I would of offered them a secure unit with air conditioning. The reason being, their gas cylinders full of ammonia would have been kept at a controlled temperature I would of also suggested for the container to be lined with non-combustible spray foam insulation. I would have recommended putting a ventilation system that worked efficiently to control the air flow within the chemical store. This would help maintain the temperature within the chemical store without having any sudden temperature rises or drops. When it comes to ammonia, it is vital to make sure that the cylinders are not over heated. This will lead to the cylinder exploding and will cause the non-coloured gas to spread throughout the air, in turn causing people in the vicinity to inhale toxic fumes. 

A bunded floor is something to definitely consider, for those storing any liquid chemicals that may spill, drip or even leak! The marine ply flooring is removed from the container and then replaced with the bund to hold any spillage. Bunds hold the maximum capacity of 110% so I’d say this is definitely a must if you were storing chemicals in your containers that may leak! 

If you have any further questions about Chemical Stores that you are unsure of or would like to discuss further please do not hesitate to get in touch with our friendly sales team on 0333 600 62 60.

We offer COSHH Stores and Chemical Stores. COSHH Stands for ‘Control of Substances Hazardous to Health’ this means that the people who are responsible of the substances being stored have to meet the regulations set by the law. However a Chemical Store is custom built and basically built to your bespoke requirement.

We supply ramps for Chemical Stores., both heavy duty and budget ramps! If you are putting a heavy amount in to the unit we can supply heavy duty ground level ramps so this can be done with ease. You can drive your forklift up this or even carry your goods by hand. Having a polyethylene container ramp could be used for basics such as paint storage as this can be easily carried in, or wheeled in by a trolley.  If you have a number of dangerous chemicals that can be inhaled, absorbed through the skin or even ingested , another option would be ventilation louvres. We recommend four per 20ft containers or two per 10ft container.  

Regardless of what substances are being put into the chemical store, whether it is oils, gas, fuels, paints,  shelving is also a very important thing to take into consideration. Shelving could help you organise, and prevent any accidents from happening. This will definitely do the job in storing away your chemicals safely, tidily and efficiently.  It will even give the inside of your chemical store a nice clean appearance. 

Your Chemical Store could even have its own bespoke doors fitted, to make access easier for you to load away your chemicals safely. A tunnel container could be used which has doors on both sides. This would be useful and efficient as you can access your container on either side. Personnel doors with a 10 point locking system to offer extra security could be fitted, on any panel of your container (double or single.) This would be very useful if you wanted to take a few smaller items out by hand.

We also do bunded floors for your chemical store. It is very important that you discuss the maximum weight you will be storing, so we can build to your bespoke requirement. This will hold your maximum capacity of the chemicals you will store in your container and meet COSHH regulations.

If you have further questions about chemical stores then please get in touch on 0333 600 6260.

• The amount of flammable liquids being handled in the workroom / working area, and the quantities of liquid that may be accidentally released or spilt.
  
• Ignition sources in the workroom / working area, and potential fire spread in the event of an ignition.
  
• Exhaust ventilation provision to the workroom / working area, and / or the storage cupboard or bin.
  
• The fire performance of the storage cupboard or bin.
  
• The arrangements for closing the cupboard or bin doors/lid in the event of a fire.
  
• Means of escape from the workroom / working area.

It is very important that these regulations are followed correctly as this is when hazards occur. Lion containers (Chemical Stores) Ltd have done lots of research into keeping chemicals. As a result of this research, we can now convert shipping containers into chemical stores. That means these requirements are perfect, they suit everyone’s needs and come in a range of sizes. Lion Containers (Chemical Stores) Ltd are compliant with Government regulations; we also meet the Environment Agency’s recommendations. All of our containers come with an integral bund, so if there is a chemical spillage it will not enter any drainage systems. This spillage goes into a bunded floor, so the chemicals can then be disposed of in the correct way. Another advantage of having a converted container chemical store is that you can have it posititioned anywhere. If you were storing explosive chemicals then you could keep them away from your work place, home or animals.

Lion Containers (Chemical Stores) Ltd stock equipment from 8ft to 40ft in length (more bespoke sizes available on request). These units can be supplied with fully welded, sealed steel floors, 300mm bunds fitted to retain and hold and spillages and also extra ventilation louvres to the units to increase air flow within the store. These types of units are an excellent way of storing all kinds of chemicals such as paints, gas, fuels, oils and other hazardous chemicals that need to be stored away from the everyday working environment. It’s not just storing the chemicals which is the important part, it’s about how they are stored and ensuring they are secure. With our chemical stores we offer the safest and securest way of chemical storage as all units are fitted with high security lockboxes and insurance rated, heavy duty padlocks. We can guarantee that our bunded stores are built to meet Health and Safety requirements.

Sometimes the world of container conversions can be a confusing one. Maj was recently asked to explain what bunded floors are, as another company hadn't made a very good job explaining. His response is below.

Thank you very much for your enquiry, bunded flooring is a form of secondary containment for spillage or any sort of leaks from the stored items. It is a sumped base with a safety drain valve and a suspended grated floor, a sumped base is a low space that collects any undesirable liquids. The bunded base will prevent the escalation of these uncontrolled fluids through the container floor. Any unwanted substances in that bund would be emptied via a drainage sump and safety drain valve which will prevent the waste splashing around, the waste will then be transferred to a suitable barrel ready for safe disposal at a Chemical Waste Plant.

"Good Afternoon, Thank you for your enquiry. Due to it being a narrow country lane, I would recommend having a container up to 20ft delivered on a single rigid vehicle. A narrow lane would not be able to fit an artic vehicle, so it wouldn’t be possible to deliver a container any larger. Depending on the height of the bridge, our driver should be able to fit underneath, if not we would look at alternative routes. In terms of the farm being muddy, there are a few options to look at. We could place trackways down for the container. Roadways are made from both aluminium and plastic, they consist of panels that would be easily adaptable for your site and can withstand up to 1000 tonnes. Plastic Roadways are also extremely versatile, consisting of heavy duty panels which are ideal for heavy weights and can be installed by hand. Another option would be to supply heavy duty boards or slabs to place the container on. Finally, we could supply heavy duty boards for the driver to drive over and set jacklegs to place the container on. We look forward to hearing from you soon"

If you are looking for somewhere to store your rural chemicals, check out some of our previous chemical case studies >>