How to keep your agricultural chemical storage in line with 2019 health and safety laws

Jane on March 20, 2019

In 2019, HSE and the UK Government are tightening legislation surrounding health and safety on farms. This is due to new figures showing that 33 deaths occurred on farms in the UK between 2017 and 2018, with some (if not all) being preventable by following proper health and safety measures. Furthermore, the research conducted by HSE shows that other types of workplaces vastly outperform farms when it comes to health and safety. Agricultural workplace deaths are a staggering 18 times higher than the national industry average.

With this in mind, it’s important to check that all aspects of your farm comply with the current laws, including your chemical storage.  Following these laws is vitally important to protect you, your employees and the public from death or injury. But also, if you are found to be in breach of the law, you could be liable for a hefty fine or even face the closure of your farm following inspections likely to take place this year.

The inspections, promised by the Government in 2018, will encompass all aspects of farming, from procedures to equipment. Chemical storage will be one of the items on the checklist, so it is up to you to ensure that your storage facilities meet the HSE and BASIS requirements.

There are many different types of chemicals used in conventional farming, including fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides and more. Accidents involving chemicals can range from a spillage which could leak into the environment or cause physical harm to workers, to a fire which could spread if not contained. Appropriate storage can help to prevent these situations.

Chemical storage containers for farmers


If you feel that your current method of chemical storage may be inadequate, now is the time to update your facilities. However, you don’t need to feel daunted at this prospect; correct chemical storage is easy to achieve and most spacial requirements can be met in one go
with converted shipping containers.

At Billie Box, we have many years’ experience converting shipping containers for use by agricultural businesses. Our converted containers meet the BASIS criteria for chemical stores and are available in a range of sizes to suit your needs.

Why choose a shipping container for chemical storage? Shipping containers are by nature sturdy and secure. With billions of pounds of goods transported in shipping containers around the world each year, integrity and security is a priority. Containers must be weatherproof and secure against thieves from the offset, making them ideal storage facilities for chemicals on a farm.

One of the main features of our converted containers, which ticks a vital box on the health and safety list, is the protection against leakages. Shipping containers come to us with wooden floors, which we then overlay or replace with steel as it is leak-proof. Depending on
the amount and nature of chemicals you need to store, we can use a steel checkerplate floor or a raised mesh floor with drainage sump for added protection against leakages. Steel bunds are fitted as standard during conversion, which stop chemicals leaking out of the entrance of the container up to 110% or 185% (depending on your capacity requirements).

Made with fire resistant materials, our chemical storage containers help to prevent against the spread of fire to your chemicals. In the event of a fire, contact with extremely flammable chemicals can be disastrous, and an event such as this could result in injury, death or loss of
property, stock or equipment. Our converted containers are constructed of corten steel and coated in marine paint, which expands the life of the steel and therefore helps retain its fire resistance.

As expected of any chemical storage facility, our containers feature suitable access and exits. In the event of a fire, leak or any other dangerous situation, it is important for any personnel to be able to evacuate the container easily, so we can provide access points
suitable to the number of workers dealing with chemicals on your farm. Likewise, in emergencies such as these, the container’s ventilation will prevent the build up and inhalation of chemical or smoke fumes.

While it is essential to ensure that all areas of your agricultural business are compliant with current health and safety laws, we hope that this blog post has given you some insight into the way chemicals should be stored in order to avoid accidents. If your chemical storage needs updating, visit this page to find out more information and see the size options available to you.

Call Jane or Matt today to see what Billie Box can do for you: T: 0800 121 7388

Farmers under increasing pressure to secure their chemical stores

Jane on June 9, 2016

British Farmers are experiencing an increasingly intense pressure to improve the way they store chemicals, including Plant Protection Products (PPPs).  The Environment agency makes clear what is expected of Farmers with regards to storing chemicals not only securely, but handling chemicals in a way that reduces the risk of accidental environmental contamination.  In fact the freely available Environment Agency ‘Inspecting Officers Guidelines’ is sobering reading for any Farmers who are not adequately taking care of their PPPs.

But farmers are not just ‘under the harrow’ from Government Agency regulations.  The ‘Red Tractor’ Farm assurance scheme also has strict food and environmental safety requirements.

The issue is compounded by pressure from those buying Farmers’ output, national supermarket chains and similar organisations (with significant purchasing power) are also making demands.  For example, the Tesco’s Natures Choice scheme specifically forbids Farmers from handling chemicals on gravel.

On even the best managed Farms storage space is at a premium, with external factors like income diversification compounding the issue.  Even if, for example, there is a spare shed available for conversion to a compliant chemical store the cost of conversion can prove prohibitive.  The time planning and executing can also develop into an issue if Farmers receive an enforcement notice? and need to respond swiftly.

So what’s the answer to the pressures facing British Farmers and the need to safely and securely store and handle chemicals?  A company in rural Suffolk has developed an innovative solution – specially converted shipping containers.

Billie Box Ltd in Suffolk have launched www.chemicalstorage4farmers.co.uk – a service supplying farmers with heavy duty chemical storage containers.  These converted shipping containers have a steel bunded floor and tamper-resistant security.  All Billie Box chemical stores include steel shelving (with lip) and appropriate ventilation.  These chemical stores offer a ‘fit and forget’ solution to the problem of chemical storage on farms.  Billie Box stores also have the advantage of being entirely separate from any existing barns and outbuildings.

So why not call Jane and her team at Billie Box to discuss the sizes and availability of their chemical stores? T: 0800 121 7388 or email: sales@billiebox.co.uk

About Chemical Storage 4 Farmers

Chemical Storage 4 Farmers is a service provided by an experienced supplier of shipping containers.  Specially converted storage containers are available on a short lead time and at a price considerably lower than the cost of building conversion.  BASIS (British Agrochemical safety inspection scheme) has recently agreed to add Billie Box Ltd to its supplier list.

P1000944 smaller

Comodo SSL