Dealing with Hazardous Substances

Substances can be designated as hazardous for a variety of reasons, for example they may be toxic, corrosive, flammable, explosive, or chemically reactive. Whatever the reason, they are substances that represent a threat to the life or health of humans or damage to the environment.

Hazardous substances can be derived from a variety of sources, for example:

• Waste products that contain certain materials such as asbestos, lead, certain chemicals or pesticides. For the most part, such materials are controlled by a system of consignment notes to allow the substances to be tracked to their final disposal or recovery, if that is a practical option. Waste that is classified as hazardous cannot be sent to landfill unless the site is specifically licensed to deal with it.
  
  
• Oil (e.g. petrol, diesel, central heating, mineral) is a major cause of pollution and is capable of killing wildlife, fish and smothering plants. If it is kept in substantial quantities it should be stored in containers that are sufficiently strong that they are unlikely to burst. There must be additional facilities, such as drip trays or secondary outer containers, to ensure any spillage that does occur is contained and therefore cannot contaminate the surrounding environment. If contamination occurs, the organisation responsible could be faced with substantial cleanup costs.
  
  
• Pest Control Products, which may be used for such purposes as combating infestation by insects or rats, preserving wood or disinfecting surfaces, are another group of serious pollutants. If used or disposed of in an irresponsible manner, even small quantities can cause serious pollution of surface water and groundwater. Such products must first be officially approved before they can be sold or used in the UK. This covers such aspects as manufacture, packaging and labelling, storage and sale. If a spillage occurs, you are obliged to inform the appropriate authorities as quickly as possible. Even washing out containers that have contained pesticides is subject to regulation.
  
  
• Animal by-products such as dead carcasses, certain types of catering wastes and animal by-products such as wool, fur, horn, manure, etc – all of which are subject to regulation when storing, transporting and disposing of them.
  
  
• Radioactive materials can exist in the form of solids, liquids or gases for use in laboratories, hospitals etc. The regulations also cover equipment that depend on radioactive materials for their functionality. With certain exemptions, organisations that keep or use radioactive materials must be registered with the appropriate environmental regulator (e.g. Environment Agency). Regulation covers such areas as secure storage, disposal of waste, importing and exporting.

There are other substances that are classified as hazardous, but the examples listed above are sufficient to illustrate that their storage, use, disposal and spillage are all subject to regulation and, if not handled correctly, could prove costly.

Many organisations, therefore, could realise considerable cost savings from looking carefully at their handling and use of hazardous substances.

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