Not every regulated manufacturing site fits neatly into a sector label. A chemical warehouse is not a chemical plant, but it can carry the same COMAH duties. A distribution centre handling packaged dangerous substances faces zoning and containment questions that its operators may never have been told applied to them. And a great deal of good engineering work sits in the space between named sectors.
Projex Solutions provides multi-disciplinary engineering design, process safety support and EPCM project delivery across the wider process and regulated manufacturing industries, including warehousing and logistics operations attached to manufacturing sites.
Warehousing and logistics
This is the part of the sector most often caught out, and it is worth being direct about why.
Chemical warehouses are frequently COMAH establishments in their own right. Tier status is determined by aggregate packaged inventory, not by whether anything is manufactured on site. Operators regularly do not realise that a distribution warehouse has crossed a threshold, and the first indication can be a regulatory visit rather than an internal review.
The relevant guidance is older than people expect. HSG71, Chemical warehousing: the storage of packaged dangerous substances, dates from 2009 and remains HSE’s guidance. HSG51, The storage of flammable liquids in containers, is in its third edition from 2015 and covers containers up to 1,000 litres.
Fire strategy is usually insurer-led rather than standard-led. BS EN 12845:2015+A1:2019 governs automatic sprinkler systems, but for high-hazard chemical storage the governing document is more often the LPC Rules or an FM Global data sheet, and the design has to reconcile separation distances, storage configuration and containment.
Firewater containment is a design problem, not a bund. Post-Buncefield expectations mean capacity calculation, interceptor and penstock design, and alignment with the environmental permit. CIRIA C736 is the practical reference.
Automation retrofits bring new duties. Automated storage and retrieval systems, conveyors and AGVs bring PUWER and machinery safety into scope, and where flammables are present, equipment selection under DSEAR as well.
Where we add value
COMAH tier determination and safety report support for storage and distribution operations, including the awkward case where a site discovers its status has changed.
DSEAR assessment and hazardous area classification for decanting areas, battery charging, powder handling and flammable storage, to BS EN IEC 60079-10-1:2021.
Fire strategy and sprinkler design coordination, including separation distances and the insurer engagement that usually determines the outcome.
Firewater containment and pollution prevention design, including capacity calculation and permit alignment.
Warehouse extension and new build on operating sites, where CDM 2015, DSEAR zoning, emergency access and an existing safety report all have to be reconciled at once.
Automation and materials handling integration, with machinery safety and PUWER compliance designed in.
Feasibility and FEED studies to establish what a project costs and what it involves before commitment.
3D laser scanning for accurate survey of existing buildings and racking.
EPCM delivery under ISO 9001:2015 certified project methodology.
Beyond warehousing
We work across regulated process manufacturing generally, and a number of our projects sit outside the five named sectors on this site. If your operation involves dangerous substances, pressure systems, a COMAH duty, an environmental permit or a process that has to be demonstrably safe, the engineering disciplines are the same ones we apply everywhere else.
Common examples include general process manufacturing, industrial utilities and site infrastructure, water and effluent treatment, and materials handling and bulk storage.
If you are not sure whether your operation is a fit, the quickest route is a conversation. We would rather tell you honestly that a project is outside our experience than take it on and learn at your expense.
When clients typically call us
- A stock profile has changed and COMAH tier status needs determining or re-determining
- An insurer has required a fire strategy or sprinkler scheme that the current building cannot satisfy
- Firewater containment has been raised by the regulator or identified in an internal review
- A warehouse extension is planned on a site with an existing safety report
- An automation project has brought machinery safety and DSEAR into scope unexpectedly
- A project does not fit a neat sector label and needs engineers who will look at it properly
Why clients work with Projex
We are an engineering business built around regulated process manufacturing, working from Brighouse in West Yorkshire and the Wilton Centre in Redcar. We are certified to ISO 9001:2015, SafeContractor approved, and hold a Bronze EcoVadis sustainability rating.
We deliver projects up to around £20 million in value, and we are equally willing to take on one-off, small-scale or difficult-to-implement contracts that larger consultancies decline.
Frequently asked questions
Our site only stores chemicals, it does not manufacture. Does COMAH apply?
It may well. COMAH tier status is based on the aggregate quantity of dangerous substances present, and packaged storage counts. A number of distribution operations are lower or upper tier establishments without realising it.
Can you deal with our insurer on fire protection?
Yes. For high-hazard storage the insurer’s requirements usually govern over the general sprinkler standard, and the design has to be developed in dialogue with them rather than presented to them.
Do you work outside the sectors listed on this website?
Frequently. The determining factor is whether the engineering and regulatory disciplines match what we do, not the label on the industry.
What size projects do you take on?
Up to around £20 million, and down to single small-scale packages. We are used to being asked to take on work that is awkward rather than large.
Talk to us about your site. Request a call