Module 7:

7.4 Safe and secure storage

1  

Why is it important to store equipment and materials safely and securely?

Have a think about this question before looking at some of our suggestions. Can you write down at least 3 reasons that might be considered important?

You might recall that there was a specific mention of storage in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 that placed a duty on an employer to ensure suitable arrangements are in place to ensure materials are used and stored appropriately. The actual wording in the Act is the duty of the employer to make “arrangements for ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, safety and absence of risks to health in connection with the use, handling, storage and transport of articles and substances;” (Section 2 (2)(b)).

So, besides a legal duty for suitable storage arrangements, you will have typically spent an often-considerable amount of money on equipment and materials. You would not want them to be left outside being exposed to the weather or as easy pickings for a thief.

There are clearly benefits and many reasons why you would therefore want to ensure that your equipment and materials are safely and securely stored.

2  

Some of the key benefits and reasons, several of which are fairly obvious, might include:

•   1. To stop them being vandalised.
•   2. To stop them being stolen.
•   3. To reduce unnecessary replacement or repair costs.
•   4. To stop machinery being tampered with, leading to potentially dangerous operating situations if issues are not identified during pre-start checks.
•   5. To reduce the costs of insurance.
•   6. To maintain warranties and guarantees, especially for machinery.
•   7. To comply with specific legal requirements, for example, the storage of pesticides.
•   8. To ensure equipment and materials are available to achieve the required maintenance, without unnecessary delays. This maintains productivity and reduces downtime.
•   9. To maintain staff confidence and morale.
•   10. To reduce the likelihood of accidents occurring.
•   11. To stop them being misused by unauthorised individuals.
•   12. To reduce the likelihood of contamination of the surrounding environment or to people occurring.
•   13. To ensure the effectiveness of materials is not degraded in excess of what would naturally occur.
•   14. To protect items from the weather.
•   15. To monitor and manage stock levels more accurately.
•   16. To contribute to a safe system of work.

For now, congratulations on completing this Module 7. We will now have a brief summary of the module before attempting the recall section.