I've been asked to look at the H&S in my workplace by my employer and I am looking for some broad advice on how to proceed. It's been a while since my NEBOSH and I'm feeling a little rusty. 

I work in a small motor vehicle repair business with a workshop and parts department. Workshop is broadly ok for me to deal with, however the parts department I'm finding a bit trickier. Parts dept. stores numerous COSHH items, flammable aerosols and highly flammable substances (as per MSDS) such as windscreen wash. They also stores flammable and none-flammable gas by way of aircon refrigerant cylinders. Everything is stored on standard racking with no drip trays.

The area is used for storage and is a fire compartment. There is restricted access to stores personnel with items being picked for specific jobs and passed to the workshop technicians through a hatch. I'm looking for guidance on best practise before I carry out RAs and get my employer to commit money to my recommendations.

• DSEAR - I need to carry out a DSEAR risk assessment, however would the highly flammables need storing in a fire proof container in stores? The standard argument will be that Halfords don't do that. We are talking about 40x 200ml bottles.
• COSHH - Basic COSHH risk assessment to plan for a spill. Control measure of drip trays under shelves at 110% of largest item. Regular cleaning regime in place.
• Cylinders - Not in use flammable gas cylinders to be stored in a cage outside the building, not in the store. None flammable compressed gas cyclinders can be stored in Parts Dept subject to being safely secured and protected from impact. There will be concerns about theft from external cages.
• Aerosols - no special storage requirements.
• Airbags (new) - Hazmat Class 9 so not a requirement for an airbag locker, just a recommendation.

Any advice or direction would be greatly appreciated!

Just a word of caution regarding the guidance mentioned. It is of doubtful quality when it comes to skin protection. Indeed skin is hardly mentioned. On page 28 the guidance mentions single-use nitrile gloves as adequate protection. These will only provide at maximum one or two minutes protection against the solvents that are found in hardeners and paints due to permeation breakthrough. Not only will the solvent then be inside the glove but there is a high probability that it will have acted as a vehicle to take substances such as isocyanates throught with it. Not only can isocyanates cause occupational skin disease but there is abundant evidence that skin exposure to isocyanates can trigger an asthmatic reaction in someone already sensitised. Selection of gloves will depend on a number of factors and proper advice should be sought.