Question
How should I store hazardous materials?
Answer
Any potentially hazardous product must be kept in its original container. We've mentioned this over and over again, but appropriate dilutions such as a bleach solution or other cleaning solution that has been approved must be in clearly labeled containers. These solutions should meet state licensing or Caring for Our Children regulatory standards.
Use a new pump spray bottle that is clean and hasn't been used for storing anything that was toxic. Don't reuse something else. Label it clearly and put the appropriate dilution in the bottle. This will change from state to state, and sometimes even depending on who is doing the inspection. I've seen cases where bleach solution that is properly made is allowed to be out of reach, but it's used when the children are present and it does not have to be locked away. However, I have also seen licensing inspectors come into a facility and say that it has to be locked up. If in doubt, ask your licensing inspector and follow the regulations for your center. Sometimes it's a little bit of a gray area as to what must be locked up and what must not.
Store those products in a locked storage room or cabinet and away from children's areas. The locked storage rooms and cabinets must have a combination, electronic or magnetic device, key, or equivalent locking device. One Head Start program I visited was in a school and they stored things in the lockers that were in the hallway, so they were out of the children's area and had a combination lock. It was still accessible when they needed to get it, say before children came or after children left, to do cleaning, but it was completely away from the children. If it is a cabinet that's locked and it has a key to it, don't leave the key in the lock, and don't hang the key right beside it. Keep the keys out of sight and out of reach. Other products labeled "Keep out of reach of children" without any other warnings must also be inaccessible to children. It's not saying they have to be locked, but they must be out of sight and out of reach.
Remember, out of sight and out of reach means that the children don't see it, therefore, they're not tempted to get it. Even if they are tempted, they can't reach it. A storage shelf or a cabinet must be at least five feet above the finished floor to be considered out of reach. Even if that cabinet has doors that you shut, for something to truly be out of sight and out of reach, it must be at least five feet above the finished floor. Also, there cannot be access to the cabinet by furniture, ladders, toys, or any other objects. If you had a storage shelf that was mounted on the wall, but you had another little shelf below it, it's not five feet above the finished floor because a child could climb up on that shelf to get to the cabinet.
I saw a two-year-old that somehow managed to get on top of a Little Tikes truck. I don't know how he did it because nobody saw him do it. He was just pushing it along and the next thing you know, he is standing on top of it. Children are creative. They will push a toy or a chair or a little truck up to the wall, stand on it, and get to whatever it is they want to reach.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, Avoiding Exposure to Hazardous Materials in ECE Settings, in partnership with Region 9 Head Start Association, by Charlotte Hendricks, PhD.
