Hi Would anyone know of any firm guidance (preferably from the HSE) relating to the external storage of pallets. I know you have to keep pallets away from a building, incase they catch fire. I also know the bigger the pallet stack the further away they should be from the building, but ive been trying to find some specific guidance that gives actual safe distances. The only thing I can find is various guidance documents from insurers, which do infact quote safe distances but they all seem to vary slightly.. Cant find anything from the HSE though...anyone help?

large buidling/ warehouse/ typical goods yard. Empty euro pallets, typical standard size 1200 x 800 that you would find in most. maxiumum external storage of between 100 to 200 pallets (ish)

stonecold Not aware of any HSE guidance; but your insurers may well be of some assistance; I have in the past had dealings with insurers who have stipulated no closer than anything between 3 to 10 metres from any building for pallets, waste skips etc. Unless you have a huge site then this may not be possible, so the best you can aim for is as far from buildings as is reasonably practicable. If you need pallets in close proximity to a building then perhaps you could ensure that they are brought inside when premises are unoccupied (granted that space restraints may be a factor); and of course if you have one large central storage location for pallets and by nature of the site, then this is close to a building then your options are limited. Possibly keeping stock to the lowest possible level may be something you could look into (this may well incur additional delivery costs, if you need more frequent/smaller deliveries). Site security in out of office hours (locked gates, palisade fencing, security personnel/patrols etc.) can also assist in reducing the likelihood of arson. HTH smitch

Yes thanks

I concur - 6 metres SBH

smitch at #5 rightly mentions site security. If kids, teenagers or any other intruders can access a site without much difficulty out of hours, there's a foreseeable risk that they can take pallets from a stack and use them as improvised climbing aids and/or set fire to them, fairly irrespective of how far the stack is from building/s. The same applies to anything else which is combustible and can be set alight with relative ease using matches/lighters and a smallish amount of combustible kindling such as paper, cardboard or plastic. Therefore, measures to exclude/deter intruders are important. Another relevant factor in how near pallets (or other combustible items) can be stacked to a building is surely the composition of the sides and roof of the building facing the stack. Thus, a stack can be located notably nearer to a continuous wall of brick, stone or concrete than it could to a wall of similar construction which incorporates any windows, doors, vents or other 'perforations' with little resistance against fire. In addition, the dimensions and volumes of actual or proposed stacks should be considered. Thus, each location needs to be assessed with regard to the building/s and stacks involved. This might explain the apparent dearth of general advice about how far outdoor pallet stacks should be from buildings. Also, why the emphasis on advice from HSE? In the event of a fire involving a stack, the local fire service would normally be involved in putting it out, so why not seek advice from its people? Fire services are surely experts regarding measures to prevent/minimise fires as well as to extinguish them.