What is Hazmat Manifest Box
Any business with hazardous chemicals or products onsite should have a Hazmat Manifest Box. It’s an essential part of protecting your workplace and staff.
Does your company handle dangerous substances as a part of the work that you do? Then you may need to take some extra precautions.
Many worksites contain hazardous materials. To protect those working with them, as well as anyone in the area, companies handling these materials are required to comply with the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. In some cases, this means creating a hazmat manifest box.
What is a Hazmat Manifest Box?
A Hazmat Manifest Box (HM Box) is a secure storage container designed to hold hazardous materials manifests, shipping papers, and other documents related to hazardous materials. The HM Box is designed to protect documents from weather, theft, or tampering, and ensures the information for dangerous material shipments is readily accessible in emergency situations during transportation.
To ensure everyone is aware of the hazardous chemicals in the workplace, the hazmat manifest box contains up-to-date information on the dangerous substances held there. This information includes:
Chemical information: Any chemicals or hazardous materials must be listed in the box. This allows for proper measures to be taken if there’s a spill or other emergency.
Emergency contact information: You need at least two emergency contacts who can be reached during or after work hours. Should there be an emergency, the fire officers or other first responders can reach out to them for more information.
Emergency plan: What is your emergency plan? If there’s a fire or spill, what is the protocol? If there are explosive or flammable substances stored in the workplace, everyone needs to know how to react. Fire officers will need to be aware, too, since they could put their lives at risk as they attempt to extinguish a fire.
The hazmat plan takes time to develop, but it’s a necessary safety precaution.
What Worksite Needs Hazmat Manifest Boxes?
A worksite with hazardous materials on-site may require a hazmat manifest box. The requirement depends on whether you exceed the threshold of specific hazardous materials such as:
- Flammable gases
- Unstable explosives
- Acutely toxic substances
- Self-reactive substances
- Organic peroxides
Keeping your workplace secure means knowing exactly what is in the space. It also means providing that information to everyone who may need the knowledge, including employees and emergency responders. The hazmat manifest box provides all this in one easy-to-find place. You can learn more about the requirements here.
How to Set Up a Hazmat Manifest Box?
Creating a hazmat manifest box isn’t difficult, but it can be a little time-consuming. All information must be provided, but it’s all available on the info sheets you receive from your supplier. You simply need to organise this information and collect it all in one place.
You should store paperwork in a specialist weatherproof box, and you should also laminate the entire manifest to prevent water damage.
Preparing a Manifest of Hazardous Materials
The manifest must contain all relevant information so the right people can be contacted if there is an accident. You need to include:
- Workplace address
- PCBU and Trading Name
- Date of manifest creation or last amendment
- Business hours and phone numbers for a minimum of two contacts, as well as after-hours contact information.
The manifest will also need to have information on each type of hazardous material held in the workplace. Any relevant information should be included, such as the name, where it’s stored, how much is stored, and the correct shipping name and methods.
For hazardous chemicals, you also need:
- The proper shipping name
- UN Number
- Dangerous goods class, division, and packing group
For flammable items, you need to include the words Combustible liquid and the product name.
Location to Place the Box
Your MSDS document storage box or hazmat manifest box should be easily spotted. It’s usually red with large letters announcing its purpose. Anyone entering the space should easily be able to find the hazmat manifest box.
Where should you keep the hazmat manifest box? It needs to be as close to the entrance as possible, on the left-hand side of the workplace. This standard position allows fire officers to rapidly find the box. You may also need duplicates, depending on how many main entrances there are.
Notifying Staff
Staff should know where to find the box, but they also should be aware of what is in the workplace. Let them know exactly what to do in an emergency, so you can ensure the safety of everyone who works in the space.
How to Get Started with a Hazmat Manifest Box
The first step is to compile all the necessary information for the box. You’ll also need a Hazmat manifest box, which should be red, waterproof, and clearly labelled. Then all the information is laminated and placed within the box.
Your hazmat manifest box could save lives. It’s important to keep it up-to-date and ready to read. Get started today by purchasing your hazmat manifest box from EcoSpill.