Rules for storing hazardous substances
Do you store hazardous substances? For example, you store working stock, residues, or waste of these substances at or near the workplace, or you keep large quantities of these substances in you warehouse. You must ensure that employees, the environment, and neighbours are safe from hazards. For example, explosion or fire hazard.
What are hazardous substances?
Hazardous substances are substances that cause danger, damage, or serious harm to people, animals, and the environment, even in small quantities. These substances have, for example, an ADR classification.
Which rules apply to the storage of hazardous substances?
If you store hazardous substances, you must comply with the rules of:
- the Decree on construction works in the living environment (Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving, Bbl, in Dutch)
These rules cover, among others, safety regulations, soil protection, safety distances, and fire safety in relation to the storage of hazardous substances.
If you have employees, you must also comply with the health and safety regulation for working with hazardous substances.
Check if you need an environment and planning permit and apply
If you store hazardous substances, you may need a environment and planning permit (omgevingsvergunning). Go to the Environment and Planning Portal (Omgevingsloket, in Dutch) to check if you need an environment and planning permit. In the Environment and Planning Portal you can see which rules apply in your municipality, province, or regional water authority and directly apply for an environment and planning permit or submit a notification.
Measures for the safe storage of hazardous substances
If you store packaged hazardous substances in your business, you must comply with the PGS 15 guideline (in Dutch). This guideline contains measures to ensure on worker safety, fire safety and environmental safety (in Dutch). For example, you must:
- store hazardous substances in special storage facilities
- store certain ADR classes separately
- store substances that can have a hazardous reaction with each other separately
- ensure that the floor in the room where you store the substances meets the requirements for soil protecting
- have a company emergency plan and health and safety facilities such as personal protective equipment, an emergency shower, and an eye wash facility
There are also various PGS guidelines for the storage of unpacked hazardous substances and specific hazardous substances, such as propane, ammonia, and explosives for civilian use (in Dutch).
Storing large quantities of hazardous substances
Do you store large quantities of hazardous substances? Then your business is a Seveso establishment. You must comply with the European Seveso III Directive to prevent major accidents.
You must also comply with the Supplementary Risk Assessment & Evaluation (Aanvullende Risico-Inventarisatie & -Evaluatie, ARIE) in the Working Conditions Decree (Arbobesluit). You must check whether your business is subject to the ARIE regulation. If so, you must register with the Netherlands Labour Authority.
You must carry out a Risk Assessment & Evaluation (RI&E) and an ARIE. You must record the safety risks associated with the storage of hazardous substances in your business, and the measures you take to reduce those risks.