Recently, Malaysia's Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) initiated a public consultation on updating Guidelines on Storage of Hazardous Chemicals: A Guide for Safe Warehousing of Packaged Hazardous Chemicals. Public views (especially chemical manufacturers, suppliers and distributors) are welcome until January 20, 2024.
Introduced in 2005 by DOSH, the guidelines provide practical guidance and advice on how to comply for the following content:
Section 15 (1) & (2) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 in respect of the responsibilities of employers and self-employed persons towards their employees;
Regulation 15 of the Occupational Safety and Health (Use and Standard of Exposure of Chemicals Hazardous to Health) Regulations 2000 (USECHH Regulations) in respect of the responsibility of employers to control chemicals hazardous to health in the workplace during storage;
Regulation 7 of the Occupational Safety and Health (Control of Major Hazards in Industry) Regulations 1996 in respect of the responsibility of employers to identify and provide information on industrial activities.
The guidelines also list practical measures regarding the design, construction, operation and maintenance of storage areas and buildings used to store hazardous chemicals in packages such as drums, gas cylinders, bottles, boxes, intermediate large volume containers.
The objective of this consultation is to assess its ongoing relevance and effectiveness in achieving its intended goals. DOSH has organized a consultation session to gather public opinions on the necessity of implementing revisions or enhancements to the guidelines' scope, subject, issues, and coverage. Additionally, it seeks to gather public input on whether the existing coverage and approach to the following matters are still valid and accepted:
Hazard Introduction and Communication
Hazard Chemistry
Location and Design of Storage Area
Warehouse Management
State of Emergency
These guidelines can be found here.
