Storing hazardous substances safely at work

If a cleaner bottle leaks, a cylinder is unsecured or fumes make you cough, do not tidy it up and hope for the best. Your employer must assess the risk and provide safe storage and controls. Today, step away from the hazard, tell your manager or safety representative in writing, and ask which assessment and safe procedure cover the substance. If there is an immediate danger, raise the alarm and leave the area.

Which law applies to your store?

There is no single cylinder-storage regulation. Start with the hazards, not the container. A solvent can damage health and create an explosive atmosphere, so more than one set of duties can apply.

In Great Britain, the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 requires employers to protect employees and others affected by their work, so far as reasonably practicable. This includes handling and storing substances. The Management Regulations 1999 require a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, with significant findings recorded if you employ five or more people.

COSHH, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, deals with harm through exposure. Chemicals, fumes, dusts, mists, gases and biological agents can fall within it. Asbestos and lead have separate regimes, as do hazards arising solely from flammability, explosion or radiation.

DSEAR, the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002, addresses risks including fire and explosion. It covers hazards such as flammable liquids, fuel gases, oxidisers and combustible dusts. Regulations 5 and 6 require assessment and elimination or reduction of risks, including minimising quantities, controlling releases, segregation and ignition control. Regulation 7 requires zoning where explosive atmospheres may occur, with suitable equipment for those zones.

Gas systems above 0.5 bar gauge may come within the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000, or PSSR. Where examination duties apply, a competent person must draw up or certify a written scheme and the system must be examined accordingly. The pressure threshold alone does not decide this. Schedule 1 exempts some systems, including small non-steam systems.

Portable cylinder conformity and testing come under the transportable-pressure-equipment framework, including the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009 in Great Britain. Road carriage also brings ADR, the international dangerous-goods transport agreement, into play.

COSHH in practice: assess, substitute, control

COSHH regulation 6 requires assessment before work liable to expose employees begins. Use the supplier’s safety data sheet, or SDS, to assess the actual task. Could a bottle spill during decanting? Who cleans up? Include contractors and visitors.

1. List your substances and tasks. Record chemicals, gases and cleaning products, their quantities and locations. Include dust and fumes generated by work.
2. Prevent exposure where possible. COSHH regulation 7 puts prevention first. A water-based cleaner may replace a solvent. A smaller cylinder reduces stock but does not remove the gas hazard.
3. Control what remains. Use enclosed processes, extraction, ventilation and safe working methods. Select PPE for residual risks; it does not replace prevention.
4. Check exposure limits. Around 500 substances have Great Britain workplace exposure limits in EH40. Exposure must not exceed an applicable limit. Staying below it does not remove the other COSHH duties.
5. Keep controls working. Maintain equipment and arrange thorough examination and testing of local exhaust ventilation at the applicable statutory intervals. Monitor exposure and provide health surveillance where COSHH requires them. Train people in the task, storage arrangements and emergency procedure.

Review the assessment regularly and when products, processes or conditions change. A new cleaner or failed extractor can make it unsuitable.

Office chemicals still count

Offices are not exempt. Consider spray cleaners, floor strippers, toner dust during maintenance and equipment emissions. A care worker disinfecting equipment, a kitchen porter using degreaser, a supermarket cleaner changing products, and a warehouse or delivery worker moving chemical stock all need safe task-specific controls. Keep containers labelled, make assessments and SDSs available to cleaners and facilities staff, and provide suitable ventilation. A “low-tox” claim is not an assessment.

Flammable liquids: how much, and where

DSEAR requires quantities to be minimised. For flammable liquids in workrooms, HSE’s guiding principle is the minimum needed for frequent activities or about half a day or one shift.

These are good-practice recommendations, not absolute statutory limits. More stock needs a convincing DSEAR assessment covering the substances, room size and occupancy, spills, ignition sources, ventilation, cabinet performance and escape routes. Several cabinets do not remove the need to assess the room’s total risk.

Keep containers closed when not in use, in suitable fire-resisting cabinets or bins. HSE specifies spill retention of 110% of the largest vessel normally stored inside and construction providing 30 minutes’ fire integrity. Doors or lids must fit closely and joints have no gaps. Keep cabinets clear of escape routes; separate flammables from oxidisers, corrosives and other substances that could worsen a fire.

More demanding cabinet standards, including BS EN 14470-1, are not universally compulsory. Nor does a higher-performance cabinet replace a dedicated store for reserve stock.

Handle liquids outside the storage area, using an assessed procedure and suitable spill precautions. HSE advises that drums containing flammable substances should be suitably earthed before discharge. Train staff in transfers and spill response.

Petrol needs a separate check

Assess petrol at work under DSEAR. Filling larger UN-approved containers at a petrol station for work requires the station’s prior agreement, suitable transport arrangements and an assessment covering filling. Premises within the petroleum dispensing regime need a petroleum storage certificate.

Domestic rules are different. In Great Britain, the Petroleum (Consolidation) Regulations 2014 allow up to 30 litres at domestic or other relevant premises without notification, subject to container and storage conditions. More than 30 and up to 275 litres requires notification and additional conditions; above 275 litres requires a licence. This is not a workplace cap. Petrol in a fuel tank connected normally to an engine is excluded from the total.

Storing cylinders: secure, separate and ventilate

A damaged valve can turn a pressurised cylinder into a projectile. Escaping gas can burn, poison or displace air; cold gas or liquid can injure skin. Good storage reduces these risks. It cannot make a damaged cylinder safe.

For LPG and many industrial gases, outdoor storage is preferred. Use a level, load-bearing surface and secure cylinders upright, with valves uppermost, as the supplier specifies. Prevent vehicle impacts and unauthorised access. Keep the store clear of escape routes and away from heat and ignition sources. Choose its position and any separation distances through a site-specific assessment.

Ventilation must prevent leaked gas accumulating. LPG is heavier than air, so consider drains, pits, gullies and basements where it could collect. A cage beside a drain is not a safe choice simply because it is outdoors. Some toxic gases need purpose-designed stores and containment rather than a general outdoor-storage rule.

Separate fuel gases from oxygen and other oxidisers. Assess compatibility before putting toxic, corrosive or flammable substances together. Mark and separate full and empty cylinders. An “empty” cylinder can still contain residual gas, so do not treat it as harmless or remove its identification.

Keep reserve stocks small and return rented cylinders through the supplier’s arrangements. Plan the disposal or return route for other cylinder types. Do not refill cylinders yourself or transfer gas between them. Use a competent supplier and confirm that inspection requirements are met.

Using and moving cylinders without injury

Before use, check the contents label, condition, valve protection, regulator and inspection markings. Confirm the gas matches the task. Do not rely on cylinder colour alone. If markings are missing or you cannot establish the inspection status, ask the supplier before connecting or moving the cylinder.

The Vehicle Certification Agency says steel LPG cylinders normally need inspection within ten years, with authorised fifteen-year intervals available subject to conditions. Some steel and aluminium cylinders can also have approved fifteen-year intervals. Confirm the interval with the supplier. Do not refill an overdue cylinder; agree its safe return.

Secure the cylinder before connecting it. Follow the supplier’s procedure, use the correct regulator, open valves slowly and never force a fitting. Do not improvise threads, washers or lubricants. Stop for unexpected frost, damage or suspected leakage. Do not touch frosted areas.

There is no legal lifting-weight limit

The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 require you to avoid hazardous handling where reasonably practicable, assess unavoidable handling and reduce risk. HSE’s guideline weights are screening tools, not safe-lifting guarantees. Shape, grip, steps and carrying distance matter.

A “47 kg propane” cylinder contains 47 kg of gas. Add its tare weight to assess the load. Use a suitable restrained trolley or purpose-designed mechanical equipment. Do not lift by the valve, drag cylinders or improvise heavy team lifts. Plan the route and train handlers.

Provide suitable PPE free where required. In Great Britain, PPE at Work duties extended to limb (b) workers on 6 April 2022. Select protection for the task and substance. A mask does not make a gas-contaminated area safe to enter.

Taking cylinders on the road

Identify the gas, transport category and whole load before claiming an ADR exemption. The transport unit includes any trailer.

For LPG-only loads, HSE gives a 333 kg small-load threshold under ADR 1.1.3.6. Count net gas mass, not gross cylinder weight. Below it, orange plates and ADR instructions in writing are not required. Recorded driver general training, suitable stowage and a 2 kg dry-powder extinguisher or equivalent remain required. Special cylinder conditions apply, and the consignor must supply the carrier with consignment information.

Carry LPG cylinders upright and secured in a ventilated load space, not the cab or passenger compartment. Protect valves. A leak in a closed vehicle can cause fire, explosion or asphyxiation.

Mixed loads need ADR’s aggregation calculation. Other exemptions, including some carriage ancillary to the main work activity, have separate conditions. The 333 kg figure does not apply to every gas or journey. Consult a competent dangerous-goods adviser if the classification or exemption is unclear.

If a cylinder leaks or catches fire

Plan the response before storing the substance. DSEAR regulation 8 requires emergency arrangements where the risks warrant them, including information, drills and suitable emergency equipment. Make sure contractors, lone workers and night staff know what to do.

1. Protect people first. Raise the alarm, evacuate the affected area and keep others away. For a fire or a dangerous release, call the emergency services from a safe place. Tell them which gases are involved.
2. Do not approach a fire-exposed cylinder. Leave it to emergency responders. Do not try to move it or carry it outside.
3. Isolate only if safe. Close a leaking cylinder valve only if the emergency procedure permits it and you can do so without entering a hazardous atmosphere or exposing yourself to fire or gas. Do not attempt a rescue in an oxygen-depleted or toxic atmosphere.
4. Avoid ignition. Do not operate switches, phones, engines or naked flames near a fuel-gas leak. Ventilate only where it can be done safely without entering the affected space. Do not go back to fetch tools or open a window.
5. Report and learn. Notify the supplier and responsible manager. Record what happened and review the assessment. Check RIDDOR if an injury, dangerous occurrence or occupational disease may be reportable; not every minor spill is.

Who these duties cover

Employee protection applies at your employer’s premises, clients’ sites and at home. Duties also protect others affected by the work, including contractors and visitors. Assess tasks, not contract labels. Limb (b) status is a legal category, not a synonym for every casual or gig job.

For agency staff, the hirer controlling the store must manage operational risks. The agency must check the assignment and pass on safety information. Both must cooperate, including on emergency arrangements.

If you are self-employed with employees, COSHH applies in full. Without employees, but taking hazardous substances onto others’ premises, most COSHH duties apply, except monitoring and health surveillance. DSEAR can also apply to self-employed work.

If your store looks unsafe

Report unsecured cylinders, missing labels or blocked exits to your manager or safety representative in writing. Note the date, location, product and what you saw; keep a copy and ask which assessment covers the store. Do not handle unidentified containers or repair leaks yourself. If the danger is immediate, leave and raise the alarm. Report unsafe conditions to HSE, or HSENI in Northern Ireland; local authorities also enforce health and safety law. Read how enforcement works.

Do not make this a solo fight. Ask your safety representative or union for help: UNISON for health and care, Unite for hospitality and food, USDAW for retail, or GMB for warehouse and delivery work. A union can help you raise the hazard and keep a record if shifts or treatment change after you speak up. For advice, contact Citizens Advice or a local law centre. Acas early conciliation is for an employment tribunal claim, not a substitute for reporting an immediate safety risk.

Where the nations differ

The detailed regulation references above are for Great Britain unless stated otherwise. Northern Ireland has its own COSHH Regulations 2003 and DSEAR Regulations 2003, with similar duties under a separate health-and-safety framework. HSENI and district councils enforce that framework. Separate Northern Ireland carriage and PPE legislation also applies; the Great Britain PPE extension date is not the Northern Ireland commencement date.

Workplace fire law differs too. England and Wales use the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Scotland uses Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006. Northern Ireland uses the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010.

The Petroleum (Consolidation) Regulations 2014 cover England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland retains a different petroleum licensing system through district councils. Chemical supply rules also differ: GB REACH and GB CLP apply in Great Britain, while EU REACH and EU CLP apply in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework. Use an SDS and labels appropriate to your jurisdiction.

Questions people ask

Is there one HSE regulation for gas cylinder storage?

No. Health exposure, fire, pressure and road transport have different rules. More than one regime can apply to the same cylinder.

Can I keep cylinders indoors?

Only where the gas-specific assessment supports the location and design. Outdoor LPG storage is preferred. A ventilated cupboard is not an LPG store; some toxic gases need dedicated indoor containment.

Must oxygen and fuel gases be stored apart?

Yes. Separate oxygen and other oxidisers from fuel gases. Choose distances or barriers for your particular store with competent advice.

How do I know when a cylinder needs testing?

Check inspection markings and confirm the interval with the supplier. Ten years is common, but approved fifteen-year intervals exist. Do not refill overdue cylinders.

Can I carry cylinders in my van?

Only with suitable stowage, ventilation and compliance with the consignment’s rules. The 333 kg threshold concerns LPG. Mixed loads, trailers and journey purpose can affect the exemption.

Are the 50-litre and 250-litre figures legal limits?

No. They are HSE recommendations for specified workroom flammable-liquid storage. DSEAR still requires quantities to be minimised and risks controlled. Excess stock needs a convincing assessment.

Sources

1. Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, legislation.gov.uk
2. Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, legislation.gov.uk
3. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, legislation.gov.uk
4. L5: COSHH Approved Code of Practice, HSE
5. EH40 workplace exposure limits, HSE
6. COSHH for the self-employed, HSE
7. Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002, legislation.gov.uk
8. L138: DSEAR Approved Code of Practice, HSE
9. Storage of flammable liquids in workrooms, HSE
10. HSG51: storage of flammable liquids in containers, HSE
11. Drum and cylinder handling, HSE. Used for storage principles, not its obsolete transport-legislation references.
12. Storing and using petrol at work, HSE
13. Petroleum (Consolidation) Regulations 2014, including Part 3 and Schedule 2, legislation.gov.uk
14. Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000, including regulation 8 and Schedule 1, legislation.gov.uk
15. Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009, legislation.gov.uk
16. Carriage exemptions, including small loads, HSE
17. Cylinder periodic inspection intervals, Vehicle Certification Agency
18. Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, legislation.gov.uk
19. L23: manual handling guidance, HSE
20. PPE Regulations: extension to limb (b) workers, HSE
21. Reporting injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences, HSE
22. COSHH Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 and DSEAR Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003, legislation.gov.uk
23. Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, legislation.gov.uk
24. Petroleum storage licences in Northern Ireland, GOV.UK
25. Work-related skin disease statistics, HSE
26. Health and Safety Executive Annual Report and Accounts 2024/25, HSE