Construction of a Pesticide Store and General Principles Applying to all Stores

The aim is to provide a store that is resistant to fire, capable of retaining leakage/spillage (eg if containers were to melt in a fire), dry, frost-free, adequately ventilated and secure against unauthorized access. The following factors should be taken into account:

General Principles Applying to all Stores

The store, including any doors but not the roof should be made of materials which will resist fire for 30 minutes or longer.

The store, or the area in which the store is located, should be able to retain leakage or spillage to a volume of 110% of the total quantity of products likely to be stored (185% if you are in an ‘environmentally sensitive area’). Bunding is the most usual way of achieving this.

The bund should be soundly constructed of non-fragile materials resistant to permeation by liquids, e.g. metal (not foil), concrete, bricks, stone slabs and concrete products. Rendering or sealing the building materials may be necessary, especially at joints.

The bund should comprise, or extend around, the whole periphery of the store, and should not be compromised by, for example, entrances and exits, or apertures where services enter the store.

Read Also : Guide to Safe Use of Pesticides

Bunding may be achieved by standing your pesticides within a metal container of sufficient capacity, e.g. a redundant water tank.

Before converting any storage tank to form a store or bund, make sure that it is suitable and not contaminated and that flammable liquids/gases are purged.

Make sure doors/lids and windows provide adequate security and are kept locked or otherwise secure when not in use.