COSHH Stores

There is a legal requirement under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) to store all hazardous substances such as oils, chemicals, flammables, pesticides and fertilisers in a secure location so as to avoid accidental spillage into the environment.

A very cost-effective solution for the storage of hazardous materials is a COSHH store made from shipping containers. Our COSHH stores can be produced in a matter of weeks and delivered direct to your site.

The following images are for a COSHH store we produced for Balfour Beatty Rail. Within this unit we fitted a bund with a raised (grated) floor and fitted additional high and low vents to the container walls. This unit was made specifically for the storage of 1000 litre IBCs and drums which contain hazardous chemicals. The bunded floor needed to be big enough to to hold the contents on a leaked IBC (and more) plus the floor had to be strong enough to take the weight of the IBCs when loaded and stacked inside.

The COSHH store was produced by taking a used 40ft DV shipping container and adding chequer plate steel to the floor. This was then seam welded to the container wall. We added bunds at all other points where there was no wall and fitted a drain plug to one of the bunds to facilitate draining of any product spillages.

Additionally, Balfour Beatty Rail also required 3 additional sets of 8ft wide doors in one side of the container to allow for forklift access to load and retrieve drums of oils and lubricants.

3 vents were fitted to the upper wall on one side of the container with the 3 on the opposite side fitted to the lower part of the wall. The vents measured 600 x 600mm each. This allows any escaped gas to ventilate out of the storage unit weather lighter or heavier than the surrounding air.

Lighting was also required so, we installed hazardous area fluorescent luminaries that were designed for use in Zone 1, 2, 21 and 22 areas. These were controlled through a CEAG Control Station Switch that was suitable for Zone 1 and 2 hazardous areas. This ensures there are no sparks or similar in the electrical circuits which could otherwise potentially set of an explosion in the event of an escape of flammable gases of similar.

For additional safety, the light fittings featured an automatic switch off (upon opening) to allow for safe maintenance of the luminaries.

We offer a custom manufacturing service for COSHH stores using new or used shipping containers so, if you let us know your exacting requirements, we can produce a custom unit to match. Generally speaking we are not experts in the huge range of hazardous goods you may have to store, and their individual requirements –  so we will generally ask you to specify some important details such as the size / capacity of the bund, and the size of any vents you require.

In addition to Balfour Beatty Rail, we have produced a number of COSHH stores for a diverse range of clients including McLaren Automotive.

Budgetshippingcontainers.co.uk offer the UK’s largest online range of shipping containers for sale with a nationwide network of storage and conversion yards and crane equipped delivery vehicles.

If you need a shipping container feel free to browse our online range of shipping containers for sale. You can also call us on freephone 0808 1234 215 any time 9am – 5pm weekdays and our team will be happy to discuss your requirements. Alternatively, you can use our online shipping container quote form or request a telephone callback. In both cases we aim to get back to you within 1-2 working hours (may take longer for more detailed quotes).