It doesn’t matter if you manage a school, run a holiday park, oversee council facilities, or operate a retirement village; one common responsibility ties you all together: ensuring your pool plant room is safe and compliant, especially when storing pool chemicals.
Physical storage of pool chemicals in plant rooms is a matter of health and safety regulations and of protecting people, property, and the environment.
Chlorine, acids, alkalis, and stabilisers are commonly used in aquatic facilities. Yet, these chemicals can become highly hazardous if stored incorrectly and exposed to heat, moisture, or incompatible substances.
Risks can include minor irritations that can develop into severe chemical reactions. Storing harsh chemicals, like those used to maintain aquatic facilities, can also release toxic gases and cause fires. Settings where the importance of compliant chemical storage cannot be overlooked include:
- Schools: Where children’s health is a primary concern.
- Holiday Parks: These are where different users regularly use the same facilities throughout the day.
- Council Facilities: Where infrastructure is often being updated and is a high-traffic area.
- Retirement Villages: The degree of vulnerability among residents is a risk factor of concern.
- Storing incompatible chemicals side-by-side (e.g., chlorine and acid).
- No secondary containment (bunds and spill trays) in case of spills or leaks.
- Lack of adequate ventilation can cause fumes to build up.
- Unlabelled or repurposed containers (e.g., decanting chemicals into other bottles).
- No dedicated chemical storage area, resulting in cluttered or shared plant rooms.
These breaches endanger health and safety and can jeopardise your legal compliance under the Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017.
1. Separate & Contain
If necessary, only store oxidisers (e.g., calcium hypochlorite), acids (e.g., hydrochloric acid), and alkalis (e.g., sodium bicarbonate) in one room. They must be in separate places, clearly labelled, and locked away from public access. A minor contamination of only one of these could cause a severe reaction. Secondary containment (bunds or spill trays) is recommended for leak containment.
2. Cool, Dry & Ventilated
Chemicals should be kept in a cool, dry, and ventilated area.
3. Proper Signage & Access Control
The storage area in your facility needs to have clearly visible hazard signage (e.g., Class 5.1 for oxidisers), and access to it should be limited to only those who have been trained. Safety data sheets (SDS) for all chemicals in storage must be easily accessible and current.
4. Avoid Decanting
Wherever possible, use chemicals in their original, labelled containers. If decanting is unavoidable, the new container must also be appropriately labelled and compatible with the substance inside.
5. Staff Training
Your staff must have handling and emergency response training even if the chemicals have been stored correctly. Appropriate PPE should be suitably sized and available for each staff member.
Complying with routine sampling is important; otherwise, it poses a risk to health, and as a facility, you could face action from the local council and the Ministry of Health.
1. Where should pool chemicals be stored?
You must store pool chemicals in a ventilated, dry, clean area separate from the pool and spa zone. Such an area is likely a chemical storage room or cabinet inside or next to your plant room. Signage, locks, and security measures are mandatory for storage spaces. They must be adequately secured and accessible only to authorised personnel.
2. Where do I put pool chemicals?
Each chemical should be placed where it is compatible. Oxidisers, acids, and alkalis must not be stored side-by-side or on top of one another under any circumstances. Employ separate storage shelves or lockers and spill trays or bunds below. All of these chemicals should be stored at a minimum of 3 metres apart, subject to volumes kept on site.
3. Can pool chemicals be stored together?
Pool chemicals must never be kept together unless they are from the same hazard class and are compatible. For example, chlorine and acid, even in sealed containers, create a highly explosive and poisonous situation.
How Amotto Consultancy Can Help
We at Amotto Consultancy are not just independent aquatic professionals. When running your establishment, we partner with you to improve safety, compliance, and peace of mind.
We’re proud to support New Zealand’s schools, councils, holiday parks and retirement villages in creating safer, more compliant aquatic spaces for all users.
Contact us today and we’ll help you confidently bring your facility up to standard.
