Storage 13
Better things in store: a guide to
warehouse storage of hazardous chemicals
H andling and storing hazardous
chemicals and materials can
present a myriad of challenges,
from ever more stringent regulatory
requirements to health and safety
risks, blast proofing and even security.
In this article, Paul Gouland, Marketing
Director at Clugston Construction,
explores the practical challenges of
constructing modern warehouses and
distribution centres for the chemical
and petrochemical sectors.
The International Energy Agency (IEA)
forecasts a significant increase in
petrochemicals production in coming years.
Alongside this, the wider chemical
and pharmaceutical sector – including
manufacturing and distribution – remains
the UK’s largest exporter of manufactured
goods, with annual exports totalling over £50
billion, according to the Chemical Industries
Association (CIA). As a result, the industry
contributes £18 billion of value to the UK
economy every year.
Growing demand for
specialised warehouses
One of the most noticeable impacts this is
likely to have is an increase in the number
of large-scale warehouses and distribution
centres being built to meet the demands of
the sector, as well as existing warehouses
being upgraded to meet renewed
requirements.
Smoothly running petrochemical and
chemical logistics — a key factor in
successful warehouse operations — is
underpinned by effective warehouse design.
Modern warehouses must now strike a
balance between functionality and operational
efficiency, and in the hazardous materials
sector in particular, must hold health and
safety at the centre of their design.
The safe warehousing of hazardous
chemicals presents a unique design
challenge for leading chemical and
petrochemical companies. The
manufacturers, carriers and logistics
providers who store and transport these
products must adhere to a complex array
of regulations, from specialised COMAH
Regulations to ATEX, DSEAR and The Health
and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASAWA),
each aimed at minimising the risk to both
employees and the wider public.
Due to the varied nature of products
stored in such facilities, and the regulatory
constraints placed upon them, warehouse
operators and operations managers must
have a full understanding of all of the
potential implications of improper storage
and handling. They must carefully plan every
aspect of their warehouse design in order to
prevent safety hazards such as combustion,
contamination, and spoilage.
Add to the mix the fundamental shift in
recent years towards smarter, automated
and more efficient working environments,
and the considerable challenge faced by
the sector becomes abundantly clear.
With more diverse and complex machinery
and material handling equipment in place,
each with their own individual requirements,
the challenges of ensuring smooth day-
to-day operation are now substantially
increased for chemical warehouses and
distribution centres. What this means is,
the scale and complexity of warehouse
projects has increased in recent years, as
such facilities become more sophisticated
and digitally-driven.
The range of processes in operation in such
environments has expanded from traditional
lighting, HVAC and fire prevention systems,
to more complex automated systems
from smart racking schemes, storage and
retrieval systems, sophisticated loading dock
technology and much more, bringing with
it a new wave of challenges for warehouse
operators.
Today’s warehouses and distribution
operators, therefore, must not only deliver
high levels of safety, but also unprecedented
levels of speed, flexibility and efficiency.
Thinking outside the box
To meet this global demand, modern
warehouses are not only becoming bigger,
taller and wider, but also smarter, and
more flexible than ever before. As a result,
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 14 Storage
chemical and petrochemical companies are
looking beyond a “standard box” design.
Due to the varied nature of products stored
in such facilities, as well as the surplus
of advanced equipment often in place,
warehouse operators and operations
managers must consider a number of
factors when it comes to the safe storage of
hazardous chemicals – none more so than
warehouse design. Providing a high quality
and safe working environment for employees
must be a key objective for any petrochemical
warehouse or distribution centre, as should
be developing a facility that can ensure
optimum operational efficiency at all times.
Central to all of this is effective design.
Leading construction companies are now
utilising BIM (Building Information Modelling)
– an intelligent 3D process – to model
sophisticated warehouse designs to ensure
businesses are getting all the space they
need for equipment, products and employee
movements.
Warehouse and distribution centre layouts
need to be completed to a very high level of
accuracy, to accommodate both the storage
systems, machinery and handling equipment,
as well as the forklifts and automated
machines that move goods around. Even a
minor degree of inaccuracy can cause major
problems.
By using BIM technology, construction
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The industry
contributes £18 billion
of value to the UK
economy every year
companies can review building data to drive
efficiency, boost sustainability and minimise
waste during the build process. Prototyping
structures ensures facilities not only meet the
requirements of the chemical manufacturer,
but also maximise efficiency for day-to-day
activities taking place at the warehouse.
Robustness should be central to the design
and construction of any chemical storage
and handling facility – particularly in instances
where blast proofing may be required – and
therefore should form part of the underlying
design requirements.
Evolution in construction methods are
enabling warehouses and distribution centres
to be built to withstand larger blast loads
than ever before, but careful consideration
should be given to both the construction
procedures and materials used during the
build. The glass, bricks and cladding of a
facility, for instance, can be constructed to
high blast proof overpressure specifications,
whilst, innovative construction methods such
as including additional brick ties throughout
the structure can bolster the strength of the
building.
Racking
Any leading chemical company involved in
the storage of hazardous materials will know
that efficiently stockpiling large amounts of
products in any given space is fundamental
to ensuring operational efficiency, as well as
reducing risk to employees.
Chemical products are more complex and
difficult to store and, indeed transport, than
products in many other industries. Storing
chemicals not only requires a greater
awareness of safety, extensive training for
handlers and more careful planning and an
intricate approach, but it also often requires
specialised storage systems to accommodate
the potentially hazardous goods.
A well-designed racking system is often
the backbone of a warehouse, and this
is particularly pertinent when it comes to
managing chemical and petrochemical
inventories.
The way that racking systems are installed
and arranged can make a huge amount of
difference to the number of products that a
building can accommodate. When it comes
to storing hazardous goods, special attention
should be given to making sure that the
racking installed is correctly designed and
constructed to ensure stability at all times.
However, perhaps more importantly, spacing
and positioning of such storage solutions
should also be a key consideration during
the design of a warehouse.

Warehouses are dynamic environments, in
which employees, vehicles and machinery
are continuously on the move. It is essential
that the layout of warehouses are carefully
planned and custom-built for the specific
requirements of the facility. For example,
some facilities will need forklift truck routes,
whilst other vehicle routes such as truck
access to loading bays may be necessary,
and the majority of warehouses will need
pedestrian walkways, which will need to
be careful planned to ensure efficient and
effective movement of people and goods is
achieved, as well as the safety of personnel.
Typically the storage area will be determined
by the most hazardous property of the
chemical and the potential risks it could
Warehouses play
a central role in
complex chemical
supply chains
pose should an incident occur in the facility.
For instance, if a chemical is flammable it
would be appropriate to store with other
flammables. Electronics and electrical wiring
may also need to be guarded and protected
more, due to the risks of sparks that could
lead to a fire. Such ignition sources can be
avoided with clever workspace planning and
diligent construction processes, with careful
planning from the outset.
Storage 15
With this in mind, a collaborative approach
between the petrochemical or chemical
manufacturer and the construction company
is often fundamental to the success of the
project, enabling hazards to be identified and
safely managed from the outset of the build.
To avoid dangerous situations and to spare
the environment sometimes storage tank
protection is needed. This often means
tanks must be fitted with adequate means
of operational and emergency venting,
and explosion protection devices for use in
potentially combustible atmospheres.
Chemical companies are also under
increasing regulatory pressure to ensure
all storage tanks are sufficiently protected,
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16 Storage
Case study - Building a blast-proof office and warehouse facility
W hen one of the world’s largest
global energy companies
sought to relocate the office,
maintenance and logistics teams at
their UK refinery into one dedicated
building on the perimeter of the site,
they turned to Clugston Construction
for an effective solution.
The company was appointed
principal design and build contractor
for a two-storey blast proof office and
warehouse facility, which required
detailed understanding of the critical
requirements and demands of working
in the petrochemical industry, including
Control of Major Accident Hazards
(COMAH) regulations.
The new facility included a specialised
office zone, open plan office areas,
conference and meetings rooms,
a cafeteria, breakout rooms, locker
changing and shower areas, copier
rooms, data room, specialist blast proof
lobby and toxic refuge area.
Robustness was critical, with the
underlying design requirement to deliver
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a blast proof facility.
Split into three distinct zones, the
building contained a dedicated workshop
area, including analyser workshop,
instrument workshop, tool store,
fabrication and welding area and two
overhead cranes. A warehouse zone
comprising racking and tornado units,
a mezzanine level, as well as a first-floor
office was also incorporated within the
warehouse, all of which were built to
withstand blast loads.
Despite the office and warehouse
structure being constructed on the
perimeter of the main plant area, due
to its proximity to the plant it still had
to adhere to the normal regulations
for projects within a petrochemical
environment. Careful consideration,
therefore, had to be given from the outset
of the scheme.
The glass, bricks and cladding of the
facility were all constructed to high blast
proof overpressure specifications in a
double layer system, with methods such
as extra brick ties adding strength to the
building. The design of the foundations
of the building had to be considered in
relation to main water supply flowing
directly under the newly constructed
facility, whilst the mass of the floor was
also integral to the blast resistance of
the building itself.
In order to ensure compliance,
Clugston’s Health and Safety Manager
agreed a suitable method of integrating
Clugston and client procedures within
a bridging document with mutually
agreed methods of working. The
construction company also employed
a full-time Health and Safety Advisor on
site to ensure that the client’s stringent
specification and requirements were met
at all times.
Security was central to the design of
the state-of-the-art facility, with security
fencing, gates, turnstiles and bollards
forming a key part of the external works.
To further enhance security, on-site
services included steam, electrical power,
data, alarms, CCTV, drainage and water
supply.

with industry standards such as ATEX &
ISO 16852 (Flame Arresters) and API2000/
ISO28300 & NFPA30 (Venting & Storage of
Combustible Vapours & Liquids), meaning
leading companies must now ensure safety
measures are put in place.
Security
The majority of warehouses also need to
be protected against unwanted intrusion,
due to the high value of stock they usually
contain. There is perhaps no single structure
that is more important to safeguard than
a petrochemical or chemical warehouse
or distribution centre. Not only must such
facilities be protected from access and theft
by unauthorised intruders, but also to help
prevent any injuries to persons who are not
permitted on site or potential pollution to the
wider environment.
When it comes to security, “prevention
is better than the cure” may be an old
adage, but in today’s state-of-the-art,
high-tech warehouse facilities, it is more
relevant than ever before. Whilst advances
in technology have delivered new cutting-
edge machinery, from sophisticated loading
dock technology to smart lighting systems,
they have also delivered a new wave of
security measures that are making facilities
safer than ever before.
There are many options for securing a
petrochemical or chemical warehouse
building. The most basic and commonly
utilised is constructing a site barrier, which
is often a physical barrier in the shape of a
chain link fence or perimeter wall. However,
increasingly chemical and petrochemical
businesses are implementing additional
security measures to ensure the safety of
their stock.
Buildings can be constructed from materials
that resist break-ins and protect from outside
tampering. External and internal windows,
doors and gates, for example, can be
manufactured from heavy-duty and robust
materials and fitted with advanced locking
devices to create a safe haven for hazardous
and expensive materials. Integrated security
systems such as access control and video
surveillance can further protect valuable
stored materials, whilst safeguarding against
theft, vandalism, and unauthorised entry.
Warehouses play a central role in complex
chemical supply chains, whether used for
storing raw products or finished materials.
Storage 17
Whilst the core elements of warehouses are
relatively consistent, the required process
capacity, site constraints and local planning
all impact the layout and building design,
meaning no two facilities are the same.
Add to this the fact that warehouses in
the chemical sector face increasingly strict
regulatory pressure, and the challenge
of planning and construction a modern
warehouse becomes clear.
The good news is, modern construction
companies are rising to the challenge and
delivering the next generation of warehouses
and distribution centres for the sector.
About the author
Paul Gouland is Marketing Director
at Clugston Construction, which has
been building large scale warehouses
and distribution centres throughout
its 80-year history. Previously he was
Business Development Manager at John
Waddington and Marketing Development
Manager with Rockware Glass.
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