Storage of chemicals

Legislation regarding chemical storage must be followed, and the most common and special guidelines can be found in the fact box under General instruction on chemical storage (in Danish only).

The department must ensure that there is a unique (managerial) responsibility for all chemicals in the area - both stock chemicals, chemicals in use, and chemical waste. It is always the appropriate manager's responsibility to ensure that the tasks below are performed. The tasks can advantageously be anchored by one or more chemical responsible persons:

• Ensure that all chemicals are registered in Kemibrug.dk
• The stock chemicals must be stored in original packaging or similar packaging labeled with the substance or product names, indications of danger, hazardous pictograms, and H and P-phrases. The label must correspond to the one shown in the SDS of Kemibrug.
• Hazardous labeled chemicals (those in stock and chemical waste) are stored in ventilated chemical cabinets. This applies both in the laboratory, the workshop, and at remote warehouses (eg. in basements).
• Chemical cabinets and doors to the room are properly signed with warning signs.
• Ensure that the amount of flammable chemicals does not exceed the requirements for the number of storage units per fire compartment, and that flammable chemicals are not stored with oxidizing chemicals. 
• Ensure that pressure cylinders are stored in an approved locality. Only cylinders in use must be kept in laboratories - max 2-3 bottles.
• Ensure that chemicals are reviewed annually to identify old and critical packaging (especially plastic packaging). The chemicals must either be disposed of or possibly re-packaged. Old chemicals which are not used should be disposed of, and a limitation on such boundary could be 5 years.
• Ensure that chemical storage are reviewed on a semi-or annual basis, to identify the unstable chemicals, e.g. chemicals that forms peroxide (test for peroxide), chemicals that form pressure (compensate pressure), explosives (attention) - see clean-up campaign in the fact box (in Danish only)
• Ensure that the acute toxic and chronic toxic chemicals are inaccessible to unauthorized persons, i.e. locked in a chemical cabinet. 
• Ensure that the toxic responsible person must notify the police if there is suspicion of theft, or an acutely toxic chemical is missing. The toxic responsible person must know who has access to the acutely toxic chemicals. 
• Ensure that corrosive substances are stored not higher than 160 cm. 
• Ensure that there is an application, a consumption accounting, and a report available for euphoriant substances. 
• Ensure that there is an ethanol account. 
• Ensure to obtain permission for certain substances that require this, before handling. (E.g. radioactive isotopes and various carcinogens). 
• Ensure to obtain permission for certain substances that require this, before storage. (e.g. explosives (local police)). 
• Ensure not to store banned chemicals eg. A few carcinogenic substances

Chemicals that require special attention from the chemical responsible persons, can be searched for in Kemibrug.dk in your holdings.