An efficient and operational plumbing network is a must-have for any type of building structure, whether it’s a residential home, a commercial office building, a construction site, or an industrial facility.
Having said that, plumbers first need to get their hands on the right tools and equipment to deal with these plumbing issues.
If there’s ongoing plumbing installation in the work site, or if parts of the network, like drainage pages, are currently being repaired, then you need to get ahold of the right set of tools, chemicals, and relevant parts. Then, these things must be stored in the appropriate storage.
The type of storage you’ll need within the worksite hinges on the items that need to be stored. In the plumbing scene, there are a lot of hazardous goods involved in cleaning pipes and doing general plumbing work.
Goods that are classified as “dangerous goods” need to be put in the appropriate storage container under the right conditions to be compliant with general safety regulations.
This article will dive into the importance of having the right storage solutions for plumbing worksites. It’ll also list several storage solutions to consider adding for plumbing and other construction-related purposes.
Let’s jump right into it!
Why Get Compliant Storage Solutions?
Building safety should always be at the top of real estate property owners’ minds. The laws and regulations are usually set for the benefit of the general public.
There’s often a very good reason for these laws and regulations to be passed and made public—and this holds true when it comes to plumbing safety guidelines.
As previously mentioned, plumbing often involves the usage of dangerous goods that can expose plumbers and building occupants to varying degrees of risk.
While some of these risks are unavoidable, they can be mitigated. One way to reduce the risk is by using the right storage solutions to isolate reactive and dangerous goods.
By having the right storage solutions within the premises, you’ll help your company and the community at large in the following ways:
- Ensure building and people’s safety: Having compliant storage reduces the chances of accidents and exposure to hazardous goods to the public. This keeps everyone safe.
- Legal compliance: In the United Kingdom and Australia, as well as most developed countries, plumbing material needs to be stored in the proper storage when not in use to avoid fines and penalties to the business.
- Protects the environment: Dangerous goods can leak and contaminate the air, waterways, and land. Proper storage helps you reduce that hazard footprint.
- Steadies your operational efficiency: Compliant storage solutions make it easier for you and your team to track and store materials easily, especially if it’s labelled appropriately.
- Maintain a good reputation: Using appropriate storage containers to store dangerous goods can make you look committed to safety in the eyes of the public and regulatory bodies. This can boost your company image and make new tenants more likely to deal with you.
These reasons make up a significant portion of why you should get storage solutions for your plumbing equipment and any plumbing-related incident that may arise, such as spillages. This helps you contain any hazardous goods before they make a drastic environment on your property and the environment.
Physical Risks of a Lack of Adequate Plumbing Storage Solutions
It’s important to be aware of the risks involved in performing plumbing within a building, particularly when it’s joined by improper storage practices.
Here are some of these associated risks:
- Increased risk of spills and leaks: Chemicals and solvents used for plumbing works may end up getting knocked over or placed in wobbly platforms, which can pose environmental risks.
- Fire hazards: Some chemicals can come into close contact with reactive substances when left improperly stored. This can endanger the safety of workers and tenants, as well as the building structure.
- Faster degradation of tools: Tools can get exposed to bad air and contaminants, which can decrease the effectiveness of the tools and may increase risk to the worker.
- Cross-contamination: Chemicals may contaminate each other even when it’s still inside its bottle. This can cause a chemical reaction that may harm the enviornment or lead to the dilution of the product.
- Increases risk of injuries: Having chemicals, tools, and other plumbing equipment lying out and about can increase the likelihood of people falling victim to them, such as tripping or accidentally cutting themselves.
By having a proper storage solution, you can maintain a safe and efficient worksite that’s conducive for everyone involved, from the workers to the people living inside the building (if any).
5 Safe and Compliant Storage Solutions for Plumbing Worksites
There are several storage solutions you should have within a building facility to maintain a high standard of safety. Listed below are the storage solutions that you should have to store plumbing-related equipment, chemicals, and spillages:
1. Bunded Storage
A bunded storage is a spill containment box that’s reinforced by a retaining wall.
It’s designed to prevent or collect leaks and spills of dangerous chemicals, like acids, cleaners, and solvents that are typically used in construction sites. In a plumbing context, this would include items such as soldering flux, drain cleaners, PVC solvents, and pipe descalers.
When these chemicals are spilled, they can seep into the soil and cause long-term ecological damage. They can also cause health issues to people who inhale or get exposed to these products. A bunded storage has multiple layers of reinforcement to contain leaks, protecting both the environment and the workers from harmful exposure to these chemicals.
Learn more about bunding and chemical bunding.
You should conduct a bund integrity test every three years to ensure that the storage is still capable of storing chemicals safely. This integrity test is a visual inspection that looks for cracks, holes, and defects that may chip away at the integrity of the storage.
Besides that, the bund test also entails checking the drain valve, the pipework, and the mechanism itself to see if it’s working optimally. If it is, then you can proceed as normal knowing that your bunding storage passes the integrity test.
2. Gas Cylinder Storage Cages
Natural gas and petroleum are often installed and connected to appliances through a series of pipelines, making them a critical component for any plumbing work.
If the building has compressed gas within its vicinity, whether it’s propane, acetylene, or oxygen, then getting gas cylinder storage cages is a must.
These cages help secure gas tanks from tipping and are engineered to be both secure and well-ventilated. These features help mitigate the risk of gas leaks and restrict access to dangerous chemicals to only trained personnel.
3. Corrosive Substance Cabinets
Drain cleaners and descaling agents like hydrochloric acid are commonly used in any plumbing project, especially when it comes to PVC cleanups. These chemicals need to be properly kept as they have acidic properties that can cause serious skin and material damage.
Corrosive cabinets are specifically built with resistant materials that can help keep these dangerous liquids safe. They’re also built with ample ventilation to prevent any unwanted reactions and to maintain the quality and potency of the chemicals.
4. Spill Containment Trays
Spillages can occur during the cleaning process, and spill containment trays can help catch these leaks and contain the liquids in a safe manner.
These trays are specifically designed to be resistant to corrosion and harmful chemicals, making them highly effective in a plumbing worksite.
They can be placed underneath liquid drums, open pipes, and other places where leaks may occur to catch falling liquid. This tray is incredibly useful in reducing environmental hazards and keeping the workplace safe and dry.
5. Lockable Storage Cabinets
It’s essential to keep your tools safe, both inside the workplace and outside of it. A lockable storage cabinet is useful for securing tools such as wrenches, pipe cutters, and power drills, helping keep the workplace safe.
The lockable property of the cabinet helps minimise the chances of these tools falling into the wrong hands, thereby lowering the risk of on-site accidents. Furthermore, it also keeps the company’s valuables safe from theft, vandalism, and even natural disasters like flooding.
