Dangerous and toxic goods safely contained
Leading New Zealand retailer, The Warehouse, is using specially modified Royal Wolf shipping containers to ensure thousands of bottles of perfume and nail polish are stored safely and securely.
With New Zealand’s new Health and Safety laws requiring tighter controls around the storage of dangerous substances, the Warehouse Group Ltd is one of many companies using Royal Wolf’s dangerous goods containers to meet its hazardous goods storage requirements.
Jasmine Taylor, Inbound & Inventory Manager at Warehouse Group Wholesale, says the containers provide additional storage for products such as perfume and nail polish when its onsite dangerous goods bunker in Albany is at capacity.
Ms Taylor says while nail polish and perfume are beauty accessories, in large quantities they are a high risk product.
“When they are stored together they produce a hazardous atmospheric mixture. So it’s about reducing the risk of a massive fire or explosion, and our specially designated dangerous goods bunker is the safest way to store these sorts of products.
“Only intrinsically safe equipment can be used inside the bunker. Intrinsic safety is a design technique applied to electrical equipment and wiring for hazardous locations. The technique is based on limiting energy, electrical and thermal activity to a level below that required to ignite a specific hazardous atmospheric mixture,” she says.
The containers, which are approved to hold 2,000 litres of product each, are required to be at least 3m away from buildings or other dangerous goods units.
“The containers are an efficient and versatile storage function that is ideal for logistics operations needing extra capacity,” says Ms Taylor.
“So for us, especially ahead of our busy Christmas holiday period when all of our racks are full, having stock still within our site that we can access easily is essential. The containers are a huge support to our business, especially with the growth we are currently experiencing.”
Paul Creighton, Royal Wolf’s Executive General Manager New Zealand, says the containers are used across a wide range of industries including everything from paint storage at panel beaters through to the horticulture and agriculture sectors for storage of hazardous chemicals and sprays.
“Under New Zealand’s new Health and Safety laws more emphasis has been put on the safe storage of flammable and toxic goods and these units are a safe and easy way to keep these potentially harmful items secure.
“Many businesses and workplaces use dangerous substances on a daily basis and because people are dealing with them so often it can be easy to take it for granted. But with WorkSafe NZ estimating between 500-800 New Zealanders die from occupational illness every year, many of which are caused by exposure to dangerous substances, it’s an issue that needs to be taken seriously.”
What are hazardous substances?
- Substances that are explosive, flammable, oxidising, corrosive or toxic to the environment
- Can be a single chemical or a mixture of both hazardous and non-hazardous chemicals
- Most products used in workplaces are a mixture of chemicals
The solution – Royal Wolf dangerous goods containers
- More than 150,000 workplaces around New Zealand use hazardous substances
- Under New Zealand’s new Health and Safety laws there are tighter controls around the storage of dangerous and toxic substances
- Dangerous goods containers provide safe storage for a wide range of chemicals and dangerous substances
- Ability to increase storage capacity for dangerous goods and substances when needed
Vital statistics – Royal Wolf dangerous goods containers
- Approved under Worksafe NZ’s Hazardous Substances and New Organisms legislation (HNSO)
- Available in 8-foot mini cube, a 10-foot pallet wide container and traditional 20-foot container
- Modified to include an internal emergency door release, and vents top and bottom
- Side door access in 20-foot unit
- Optional shelving solution if required
- Distinctive bright yellow colour
