COSHH Cabinets: Choosing the Right Ones

Every site that stores paints, solvents, cleaning chemicals or other hazardous substances has to think about COSHH storage sooner or later, usually after an inspection, an audit, or a near-miss makes it unavoidable. A proper COSHH cabinet solves the problem permanently. A repurposed cupboard just delays it.

What COSHH Storage Actually Requires

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations don't just ask you to keep hazardous materials somewhere out of the way, they require that hazardous substances are stored in a way that prevents leaks, contains spills, and keeps incompatible materials apart. That means purpose-built containment, not a standard steel cupboard with a coat of yellow paint.

Why a Standard Cupboard Isn't Enough

An ordinary cabinet has no spill containment, no ventilation, and often no clear way to segregate substances that shouldn't be stored together. If a container leaks inside a standard cupboard, there's nothing stopping it spreading, and nothing warning staff what they're dealing with when they open the door. A proper COSHH cabinet is built with a sump base to contain spills, clear hazard labelling, and a robust steel construction designed specifically for this job.

Sizing and Configuration

COSHH cabinets come in a wide range of configurations, from small under-bench units for a handful of containers to full-height cabinets for larger volumes of stock. The right size depends on how much hazardous material you actually hold day to day, plus a reasonable margin for delivery peaks, rather than the absolute maximum you might ever need. Oversizing wastes floor space; undersizing means overflow ends up stored incorrectly elsewhere on site.

Segregation: Keeping Incompatible Substances Apart

Not all hazardous substances can be stored together safely. Flammable liquids, corrosives, and oxidising agents each have different storage requirements, and mixing them in the same cabinet creates a genuine risk rather than just a compliance box left unticked. Cabinets with multiple lockable compartments make it straightforward to segregate substances properly without needing several separate units taking up additional space.

Access, Ventilation and Signage

A COSHH cabinet needs to strike a balance: secure enough that only authorised staff can access it, but practical enough that day-to-day use doesn't become a hassle. Ventilation matters too, particularly for volatile substances, since a sealed cabinet with no airflow can allow fumes to build up. Clear external signage showing what's inside, required under COSHH regulations, also needs to be visible and unambiguous at a glance.

Choosing the Right Cabinet for Your Site

A small workshop storing a few tins of paint and some cleaning products has very different needs to a manufacturing site handling drums of solvent. Rather than defaulting to the biggest or cheapest cabinet available, it's worth specifying based on the actual substances stored, their volumes, and how frequently staff need access, then building in a small margin for growth.

Final Thoughts

COSHH cabinets aren't just a compliance checkbox, they're what actually stands between a hazardous substance and a genuine incident. Get the sizing, segregation and ventilation right, and the compliance side takes care of itself.

If you're reviewing hazardous materials storage on your site, our team can help you specify the right cabinet for what you actually store. Simply drop us a message to: info@ironstor.co.uk, call us on: 01782 770100 or use the form on our contact us page here.