Health and safety seems to get the blame for everything at the moment – health and safety workers are often portrayed as party-poopers or fun spoilers in the media.
These negative stories often spring from the increasing litigiousness of society: the health and safety rules criticised as “fun spoiling” are often precautions put in place to stop silly 
accidents, prevent harm and injury to, say, school children, and ensure the school is legally protected by doing all they could to prevent risk.
The underlying importance of meeting health and safety regulation cannot be overdone – it is imperative, especially if a business handles potentially hazardous materials, to take the necessary precautions to minimise those hazards.
The correct storage of potentially hazardous materials plays a large part in that.
The guidelines regulating this kind of storage come under the umbrella of COSHH legislation (control of substances hazardous to health).
Many industries will use potentially hazardous products as part of everyday work: from mechanics to school teachers, bakers to hairdressers.
COSHH affects many industries and, as the old adage goes, you can never be too careful when it comes to protecting your safety, and that of your employees.
Simply bunging hazardous materials into a cupboard – even if it has warning labels – will not suffice. Instead, it’s worth looking for a COSHH cabinet which meets proper regulations, such as HSG51 and DSEAR.
