Hazardous chemical storage in Ireland can be affected by several workplace safety, environmental and major-accident requirements, depending on the substances, quantities and activities involved. Key areas include the Chemical Agents Regulations, COMAH and Seveso III, explosive-atmosphere requirements under ATEX, and HSA guidance on warehouses and drum stores. Relevant Irish and European standards may also apply to specific storage equipment.
Understanding which requirements apply depends on what substances are present, their hazard classifications and quantities, how they are used or stored, and the activities taking place on site.
This Regulation Hub provides practical introductions to some of the main legislation, official guidance and standards relevant to hazardous material storage in Ireland. Each guide is intended to help managers understand the subject and identify the official documents and competent advice that may be required.
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Chemical Agents) Regulations 2001 to 2026 are a central part of Ireland’s workplace chemical safety framework. They apply to enterprises where hazardous chemical agents are used or generated and place duties on employers relating to risk assessment, prevention and control of exposure, information, training and other protective measures.
Our guide explains what the Chemical Agents Regulations mean for organisations that use, handle or store hazardous chemicals and where chemical storage forms part of the overall risk-control strategy.
Primary authority: Health and Safety Authority (HSA).
Ireland implements the Seveso III Directive through the Chemicals Act (Control of Major Accident Hazards Involving Dangerous Substances) Regulations 2015. These are commonly referred to as the COMAH Regulations.
COMAH does not apply simply because a business stores hazardous materials. Its application depends on the dangerous substances present and whether the relevant quantity thresholds and other requirements set out in the Regulations are met.
Our guide explains lower-tier and upper-tier establishments, dangerous-substance inventories and why storage design and segregation can form part of wider major-accident prevention arrangements.
Primary authority: Health and Safety Authority (HSA).
The Health and Safety Authority publishes specific guidance on the storage of hazardous chemicals in warehouses and drum stores. The guidance addresses good practice for managing risks associated with storing significant quantities of hazardous substances.
Important considerations can include chemical compatibility, segregation, containment, ventilation, fire protection, emergency planning, access arrangements and the management of spills and leaks.
The appropriate controls will depend on the substances stored, their quantities and hazards, the design of the facility and the site’s risk assessment.
Primary authority: Health and Safety Authority (HSA).
ATEX requirements in Ireland cover both workplace safety and equipment intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres, but these are governed through separate legal requirements.
Workplace duties relating to explosive atmospheres are principally addressed by Part 8 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007. These requirements apply where flammable gases, vapours, mists or combustible dusts could create a potentially explosive atmosphere.
Equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres are separately covered by the European Union (Equipment and Protective Systems Intended for Use in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres) Regulations 2017.
Our ATEX guide explains the distinction between workplace obligations, hazardous-area classification and equipment requirements.
Primary authority: Health and Safety Authority (HSA).
Lithium-ion battery storage in Ireland is not governed by one standalone workplace regulation. Depending on the application, relevant requirements can arise under workplace safety, fire safety, electrical safety, EU battery legislation, building requirements and waste-management legislation.
Our guide explains the Irish regulatory framework for lithium-ion battery storage and Battery Energy Storage Systems, including workplace risk assessment, thermal runaway, fire and electrical risks, explosive atmospheres, stationary BESS requirements under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, I.S. EN IEC 62485-5:2021 and EPA guidance for waste lithium-ion batteries.
Primary authorities: Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
EN 14470-1 is the European standard covering fire safety storage cabinets intended for the storage of flammable liquids in closed containers.
It specifies performance and testing requirements for these cabinets, including their ability to resist external fire conditions. The current Irish adoption is I.S. EN 14470-1:2023.
The standard applies to safety storage cabinets within its defined scope; it should not be treated as a general standard for every type of chemical store, outdoor storage building or walk-in storage room.
Standards body: National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI).
EN 14470-2 covers fire safety cabinets designed for the storage of pressurised gas cylinders. It includes requirements concerning cabinet construction, ventilation, cylinder restraint, fire resistance, marking and related performance characteristics.
The Irish adoption is I.S. EN 14470-2:2006. The standard applies specifically to cabinets within its defined scope and should not be interpreted as applying automatically to every gas-cylinder cage or outdoor gas storage installation.
Standards body: National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI).
No. COSHH, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations, is UK legislation and does not apply in Ireland. Irish employers should instead consider the applicable Irish workplace legislation, including the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Chemical Agents) Regulations 2001 to 2026 and other requirements relevant to the particular substances and activities on site.
This distinction is important because UK guidance can still contain useful technical information, but it should not be presented as Irish legislation.
No. DSEAR, the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002, is UK legislation. In Ireland, workplace requirements concerning potentially explosive atmospheres are addressed principally through Part 8 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007.
Irish sites should therefore use the applicable Irish legislation and HSA guidance when assessing fire and explosion risks.
Hazardous material storage can also be affected by environmental legislation, EPA licence conditions, planning requirements and measures intended to prevent pollutants from reaching soil, groundwater, surface water or drainage systems.
Where an installation operates under an Environmental Protection Agency licence, the licence may contain specific requirements for secondary containment, bund capacity, inspection, testing and the management of tanks, drums or other containers.
The commonly used containment criterion of 110% of the largest container or 25% of the total quantity stored, whichever is greater, appears in EPA guidance and licence conditions. It should not be presented as a single universal statutory requirement applying identically to every workplace in Ireland.
Requirements should be established from the site’s activities, environmental risks, applicable licence or permit conditions and the advice of the relevant competent authority.
The Health and Safety Authority is Ireland’s national body with responsibility for regulating and promoting workplace health and safety. Its chemical safety information includes legislation, codes of practice and guidance covering hazardous chemical agents, explosive atmospheres, chemical storage and COMAH.
The Environmental Protection Agency regulates activities that can have significant effects on the environment and grants and enforces environmental licences for specified activities. EPA licence conditions can include site-specific requirements affecting chemical storage, containment and environmental protection.
The National Standards Authority of Ireland publishes and adopts standards for use in Ireland. Standards such as I.S. EN 14470-1 and I.S. EN 14470-2 provide specifications for particular types of fire safety storage cabinets.
Chemstore has designed and manufactured hazardous material storage solutions since 1993. Our work includes chemical stores, fire-rated storage, corrosive storage, gas cylinder storage, spill containment, temperature-controlled stores, site assessments, bund testing and related workplace safety services.
The appropriate solution depends on the hazardous materials involved, their quantities and classifications, the storage location, operational requirements and the findings of the site’s risk assessment.
Where specialist regulatory, environmental, fire-safety or engineering advice is required, this should be obtained from an appropriately competent person.
Contact Chemstore to discuss your hazardous material storage requirements.
The information in this Regulation Hub is intended as general guidance and does not replace legislation, official regulatory guidance, Safety Data Sheets, licence conditions or a site-specific risk assessment.
Requirements can vary according to the substance, quantity, process, location and activities involved. Always refer to the latest official documentation and obtain competent advice where necessary.
061 327 792
