Chemstore supplies hazardous material storage solutions to hospitals, clinics, laboratories, healthcare campuses and support facilities across Ireland. Healthcare sites may hold disinfectants, cleaning chemicals, laboratory reagents, flammable liquids, compressed medical and technical gases, maintenance chemicals and lithium-ion batteries. Irish workplaces must manage hazardous chemicals under the Chemical Agents Regulations and HSA guidance. Chemstore provides bunded, fire-rated, gas, battery and bespoke storage systems designed around each facility’s risks and operating requirements.
Healthcare facilities can contain a wide range of hazardous substances outside as well as inside clinical areas. Laboratories, pharmacies, estates departments, maintenance workshops, cleaning stores, plant rooms and waste-management areas can all have different chemical-storage requirements.
Typical materials that may require controlled storage include:
The correct storage arrangement depends on the hazardous properties of each substance, the quantities held, the type of container and the location in which the material is being stored.
Safety Data Sheets should form part of the assessment because they provide information on hazards, chemical compatibility, safe storage conditions and the measures required following an accidental release.
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Chemical Agents) Regulations apply to Irish workplaces where hazardous chemical agents are used or generated. This includes work activities involving the handling and storage of hazardous substances.
Healthcare employers should identify the hazardous chemical agents present within the workplace and assess the risks created by their use and storage. The assessment should consider the hazardous properties of the substance, the quantity present, information provided in the Safety Data Sheet and the ways in which employees may be exposed.
The Health and Safety Authority also publishes guidance on hazardous chemical storage covering issues such as chemical compatibility, segregation, containment, ventilation, spill response and the safe storage of flammable substances.
These workplace chemical-storage requirements are separate from the clinical or pharmaceutical regulation of medicines and medical devices. The storage solution should therefore be selected according to the actual hazardous materials and activities present at the facility.
Hospitals and other healthcare facilities can use oxygen, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, medical air and other compressed gases for clinical, laboratory, engineering and maintenance purposes.
Gas cylinders should be protected from damage and unauthorised interference and stored so that they remain secure. Different gases can also present different hazards, so cylinder identification, segregation, ventilation and the location of the storage area need to be considered.
Medical gases can also be authorised medicinal products. The Health Products Regulatory Authority maintains authorisations for medicinal gases used in Ireland, including compressed medical oxygen and nitrous oxide products.
Chemstore’s role is to provide suitable physical gas-cylinder storage infrastructure. The operational management and use of medical gases should continue to follow the healthcare facility’s own clinical, pharmacy, engineering and safety procedures.
Cleaning chemicals, laboratory reagents and maintenance products should not automatically be stored together simply because they are used within the same facility.
Some chemicals can react dangerously if their containers leak and the substances come into contact. Acids, alkalis, oxidisers, flammable liquids and other incompatible groups may therefore need separate cabinets, bunds or storage areas depending on their properties.
Segregation is particularly important where a central chemical store serves several departments, because materials arriving from laboratories, cleaning teams, estates departments and other areas may have very different hazard classifications.
Chemstore engineers can review the Safety Data Sheets for the materials being held and recommend an appropriate containment and segregation arrangement.
A large healthcare campus may require several different storage systems because gases, laboratory chemicals, cleaning products, flammable liquids and maintenance materials present different hazards.
Drums and IBCs containing cleaning chemicals, water-treatment products, maintenance liquids and other hazardous substances may require secondary containment so that a leak or damaged container can be contained within the storage area.
Chemstore’s Hazvault range provides bunded storage for drums, IBCs and packaged hazardous liquids. Units can be configured around the quantities held and the space available at the healthcare facility.
Laboratory solvents, alcohol-based products, paints, thinners and other flammable liquids may require dedicated fire-rated storage depending on their properties, quantities and proposed location.
The Firevault range provides fire-rated and bunded storage for flammable materials, with configurations available for smaller packaged chemicals, drums, IBCs and walk-in storage requirements.
Laboratories, plant rooms, water-treatment systems and cleaning operations can involve acids, alkalis and other aggressive chemicals. Storage and containment materials should be selected for compatibility with the substances being held.
Chemstore’s Corvault range is specifically designed for corrosive chemical storage and can incorporate corrosion-resistant containment systems and finishes appropriate to the materials present.
Healthcare facilities can hold significant numbers of compressed gas cylinders serving clinical, laboratory and engineering functions.
The Gasvault range provides secure and ventilated gas-cylinder storage in standard and bespoke configurations. The appropriate layout should be selected around the gases, cylinder quantities, site arrangements and the facility’s own medical-gas management requirements.
Healthcare facilities are increasingly dependent on battery-powered technology. Lithium-ion batteries can be found in portable equipment, maintenance tools, mobility equipment, communications systems and other rechargeable devices.
Chemstore’s Electrovault range provides dedicated lithium-ion battery storage and charging solutions that can be configured around the batteries and equipment present at a particular facility.
Healthcare organisations reviewing an existing battery area can also use Chemstore’s Lithium-Ion Battery Storage Site Survey to assess storage, charging arrangements, fire controls and emergency planning.
Some laboratory, maintenance and specialist materials may need protection from high or low temperatures. Where a substance is both hazardous and temperature sensitive, the storage solution needs to address both requirements.
The Thermovault range provides insulated and bunded storage with heating and cooling options for temperature-sensitive hazardous materials.
Chemstore has previously supplied hazardous-material storage solutions for organisations handling compressed gases and other high-hazard materials in Ireland. BOC has featured within Chemstore’s Irish project and customer reference material.
BOC’s Irish operations include the supply of medical gases as well as industrial and specialist gases. This makes the project experience particularly relevant to the gas-storage challenges found across hospitals, laboratories and other healthcare environments.
The reference demonstrates Chemstore’s experience working around compressed-gas storage requirements, but it should not be taken as a standard specification for a healthcare facility. The type of gas, cylinder quantities, location and operating procedures must be assessed for each site.
Healthcare facilities can use substantial quantities of cleaning and disinfection products across wards, laboratories, kitchens, treatment areas and support facilities. These products should not be treated as harmless simply because they are used for hygiene purposes.
The chemical label and Safety Data Sheet should be checked to establish whether a product is corrosive, oxidising, flammable or otherwise hazardous and whether it is incompatible with other materials.
Depending on the substances and quantities involved, dedicated chemical cabinets, corrosion-resistant storage or larger bunded stores may be appropriate.
Storage areas should also restrict unauthorised access and allow cleaning staff and other authorised users to identify and retrieve products safely.
Healthcare laboratories can hold numerous chemicals in relatively small containers, making segregation and chemical compatibility particularly important.
Flammable liquids, acids, alkalis and other hazardous reagents may require separate safety cabinets or dedicated storage areas based on their classification and Safety Data Sheet.
Larger laboratory facilities may also maintain central chemical stores serving several departments. In these situations, secondary containment, ventilation, controlled access and segregation between incompatible substances can become increasingly important as the quantity and variety of materials increase.
Chemstore can provide both smaller safety-storage solutions and larger external stores depending on the quantities and hazards present.
Selecting the correct storage solution begins with identifying what is actually held on the site. Chemstore engineers can review Safety Data Sheets and assess the hazard classifications, quantities, chemical compatibility, container types and storage conditions associated with the materials.
The location of the proposed store is also important. Hospitals and healthcare campuses can have high levels of pedestrian movement, ambulance and delivery routes, occupied buildings and areas that need to remain accessible at all times.
A storage system therefore needs to consider access, security, fire risk, emergency response, material handling and neighbouring activities as well as the properties of the hazardous materials.
A Chemstore site assessment allows an engineer to review the hazardous materials, existing storage arrangements and physical layout of a hospital, laboratory or healthcare facility before recommending an appropriate solution.
Depending on the site, the assessment can consider:
Following the assessment, Chemstore can recommend an appropriate standard product or develop a bespoke storage system around the requirements of the healthcare facility.
Yes. Hospitals and healthcare campuses can be challenging locations for hazardous-material storage because buildings are often highly occupied and available external space may be limited.
A new store may also need to work around existing roads, pedestrian routes, utilities, plant areas and emergency access.
Chemstore can manufacture storage units with bespoke dimensions, internal layouts, containment systems, doors, ventilation, temperature control and other site-specific features where required.
This allows the storage system to be designed around the facility and the materials being held rather than requiring the site to accommodate an unsuitable standard unit.
Yes. Healthcare facilities do not need to be planning a new building or storage area to carry out a review. Changes in chemical inventories, departments, equipment or operating practices can mean that an older storage arrangement no longer reflects the materials present on site.
Chemstore can review existing storage arrangements through a site assessment and identify where additional containment, segregation or specialist storage may be appropriate.
Existing Chemstore units can also be inspected through our Service & Maintenance team.
Whether you manage a hospital, clinic, laboratory, healthcare campus or associated support facility, Chemstore can review the hazardous materials on your site and recommend an appropriate storage solution.
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