Storing Cleaning Chemicals Safely in a Food Business

Store cleaning chemicals well away from food, packaging and food-contact surfaces — ideally in a separate, ventilated, lockable cupboard, never above or beside food. Keep every container clearly labelled (including decanted spray bottles), keep Safety Data Sheets accessible, and never reuse food containers for chemicals. Doing this helps you meet your obligations under the Food Standards Code and work health and safety law, and prevents dangerous chemical contamination. Key takeaways: Cleaning chemicals should be stored separately from food, packaging and food-contact surfaces — never on shelves above food or in food prep areas.. Every chemical container needs a clear, English label, and this includes any chemical you decant into a spray bottle or bucket.. Keep Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for each hazardous chemical current and easily accessible to staff who use them.. Never reuse food or drink containers to hold chemicals, and never store chemicals in unlabelled containers that could be mistaken for food.. Requirements sit across the FSANZ Food Standards Code and state/territory WHS law — confirm the detail with your local council and work health and safety regulator, as rules vary by jurisdiction.. Why chemical storage is a food safety issue, not just a cleaning one Cleaning and sanitising chemicals are among the most common causes of chemical contamination in food businesses. A sanitiser stored above an open food container, a degreaser decanted into an unlabelled bottle that looks like cordial, or a caustic cleaner splashing onto a prep bench can all make food unsafe — and unlike bacteria, chemical contamination is often invisible and can cause immediate harm. Under Standard 3.2.2 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, a food business must take all practicable measures to prevent the likelihood of food being contaminated, and contamination expressly includes chemical contamination. Storing cleaning products correctly is one of the clearest, cheapest ways to help meet that duty. It also overlaps with your work health and safety (WHS) obligations, because most cleaning chemicals are classified as hazardous chemicals for the people who handle them. Chemical contamination can cause acute illness and is a recognised cause of food recalls and complaints.. The risk is highest where chemicals and food share the same space, shelving or containers.. Good storage protects both your customers (food safety) and your staff (WHS).. Keep chemicals physically separate from food The single most important rule is separation. Cleaning chemicals should be stored in a dedicated area that is physically separate from where food is stored, prepared, displayed or served — and from food packaging and single-use items like cups and containers. In practice this usually means a designated chemical cupboard or store that sits outside the food preparation flow. Where a separate room isn't possible in a small kitchen, use a clearly designated low shelf or cupboard well away from food, and never store chemicals above food, food-contact surfaces or clean equipment, because leaks and drips fall downward. A lockable cabinet is strongly recommended, and secure storage may be required for certain hazardous chemicals under WHS rules — check the SDS and your state or territory regulator's guidance. Store chemicals below and away from food, packaging and clean utensils — never above them.. Use a dedicated, clearly identified cupboard, shelf or store room for chemicals only.. Keep the area dry, ventilated and, where practical, lockable to prevent tampering and accidental access.. Keep incompatible chemicals apart — for example, don't store acids next to chlorine-based (bleach) products, which can release toxic gas if mixed.. Label everything clearly — including decanted containers Every chemical container in your business should carry a clear, legible label in English identifying what it is and its hazards. Manufacturer containers arrive labelled to the Globally Harmonised System (GHS), and you should keep those labels intact and readable. The step most businesses get wrong is decanting. When you pour a concentrate or bulk chemical into a smaller spray bottle, bucket or container, WHS law generally requires that new container to be labelled too — at minimum with the product name in English and the key hazard information. There is a narrow exception where the chemical is used immediately and the container is then thoroughly cleaned afterwards. Where a container is repeatedly used for decanting as part of normal procedures, a permanent label should be attached. For anything left sitting on a shelf or trolley, label it — unlabelled spray bottles are a genuine poisoning and contamination risk in busy kitchens. Keep original manufacturer labels intact, clean and legible.. Label every decanted spray bottle, bucket or container in English with the product name and hazard information.. Use consistent, waterproof labels that survive a wet kitchen environment.. Never leave a chemical in an unlabelled container overnight or between shifts.. Never reuse food or drink containers for chemicals Reusing an empty ice-cream tub, water bottle or sauce container to hold a cleaning chemical is a recipe for a serious incident. Someone can easily mistake the contents for food or drink, and residues can transfer between uses. This practice should be banned outright in your business. Equally, don't store food in containers that previously held chemicals. Purpose-made, correctly labelled chemical containers and dispensers are inexpensive and remove the ambiguity entirely. If a container's label is missing or unreadable and you can't reliably identify the contents, treat it as unknown and dispose of it according to the SDS and your local requirements rather than guessing. Prohibit reusing any food or drink packaging for chemicals — put it in writing in your procedures.. Use only purpose-made, labelled containers and dispensers for decanted chemicals.. Dispose of unidentifiable containers safely rather than risking a wrong guess.. Keep Safety Data Sheets (SDS) current and accessible For each hazardous chemical you use, the supplier must provide a Safety Data Sheet, and under WHS law a business generally must keep the current SDS readily accessible to workers who use or could be exposed to that chemical. The SDS tells staff how to store, handle, use and dispose of the product, what protective equipment to wear, and what to do in a spill or first-aid situation. Keep a simple chemical register or folder — physical or digital — listing each product with its current SDS, and store it somewhere staff can reach quickly, not locked in a manager's office. An SDS is generally expected to be no more than five years old, so review it when you introduce a new product or change suppliers, and remove SDSs for products you no longer use. This documentation is also exactly what an environmental health officer or WHS inspector will ask to see. Obtain an SDS from the supplier for every hazardous chemical you use.. Keep SDSs current (they should generally be no older than five years) and accessible to the staff who use the product.. Maintain a chemical register listing each product, its location and its SDS.. Use the SDS to set your storage, handling, PPE and spill procedures.. Build safe chemical handling into daily routines and training Storage rules only work if staff follow them under pressure. Make chemical safety part of induction and ongoing training: where chemicals live, how to read a label and SDS, correct dilution, which products must never be mixed, and what to do after a spill. This connects directly to the skills and knowledge requirements that apply to food handlers under the Food Standards Code, and to the food safety supervisor and management arrangements introduced by Standard 3.2.2A for many higher-risk businesses. Build quick checks into opening and closing routines — for example, confirming spray bottles are labelled and returned to the chemical store, not left on benches. Provide the personal protective equipment the SDS calls for, and make sure diluting and decanting happens away from food and food-contact surfaces. Cover chemical storage, labelling, dilution and spills in staff induction and refresher training.. Add a labelled-and-returned chemicals check to opening/closing routines.. Dilute and decant away from food, benches and clean equipment.. Provide and require the PPE specified on each product's SDS.. Worked examples: The unlabelled spray bottle: A staff member decants degreaser into a spare spray bottle during a busy shift and leaves it on the bench with no label. Because it can't be identified and could be mistaken for something harmless, it is a genuine poisoning and contamination risk. Label every decanted container in English with the product name and key hazards, and never leave a chemical unlabelled between shifts. Sanitiser stored above the prep bench: A cafe keeps its sanitiser on a shelf directly above the sandwich bench to save space. Leaks and drips fall downward onto food and clean equipment, so this breaches the separation rule. Move chemicals to a dedicated cupboard below and away from food, packaging and food-contact surfaces, ideally dry, ventilated and lockable. Checklist: Chemicals stored in a dedicated area physically separate from food, packaging and food-contact surfaces. No chemicals stored above food, benches or clean equipment. Storage area is dry, ventilated and lockable where practical. Incompatible chemicals (e.g. acids and bleach) kept apart per their SDSs. All manufacturer labels intact and legible. Every decanted spray bottle, bucket and container labelled in English with name and hazards. No food or drink containers reused for chemicals; no unlabelled/unknown containers on site. Current SDS held for each hazardous chemical and accessible to staff who use it. Chemical register maintained and up to date. Staff trained on storage, labelling, dilution, mixing rules, spills and PPE. Diluting and decanting done away from food and food-contact surfaces. Local council and WHS regulator requirements confirmed for your jurisdiction. Common mistakes: Storing sanitiser or cleaners on shelves above food, benches or clean utensils, where leaks drip down onto food.. Leaving decanted chemicals in unlabelled spray bottles that staff can't identify or could mistake for something harmless.. Reusing empty food or drink containers to hold chemicals — a leading cause of accidental poisoning and contamination.. Storing incompatible chemicals together, such as acid-based and chlorine (bleach) products that can release toxic gas if mixed.. Keeping SDSs out of date, missing, or locked away where the staff who actually use the chemicals can't reach them.. Diluting or decanting chemicals on food prep benches instead of a separate area, spreading residues onto food-contact surfaces..