Caustic Soda

[Tefal]

When I was a kid in the 70s my parents taught me that any bottle with ridges on the side was poisonous. Whatever happened to such bottles having ridges nowadays? It just occurred to me that most don't now. It used to be a thing that anything dangerous had such bottles so everyone including blind people knew the contents were bad.

Baked beans and bitrles water has ridges


Plastics and materials not stronger so dont need the same reinforcing ridges

 

[Boycey0211]

Baked beans and bitrles water has ridges


Plastics and materials not stronger so dont need the same reinforcing ridges

It goes all the way back to victorian times, nothing to do with reinforcing with the thing hes referencing to, I watched a documentary on something similar a couple of days ago and apparently because all medicines toxic or not were in similar shaped colour bottles they put ridges on the poisons to make them easily identifiable.

 

[Angilion]

I hate it when irresponsible parents take their 2 year old kids to ikea. They lose track of them for 30 secs and boom, all of a sudden you have a badly assembled bedside table with the wrong length screws used and a few leftover plugs

And then the 2 year old kids come back and tell their parents how to put the table together properly?

 

[Angilion]

i think things like that should be down low, it just seems safer to me rather than picking it up from a high shelf and it splits and pours down your face and body instead of just on your feet.

I agree with this. Anything at all dangerous will have an increased risk of causing damage if it is at head height or higher. In fact, almost anything can be dangerous if it's above head height simply from impact.

I bought some caustic soda from my local Wilko a while ago. It was on a shelf about waist height to me, so within reach of even a young child. It was in a very tough, very well sealed container with more warning labels than product labels. I think that's the key safety precaution. I'd have been a lot more worried if it was higher up. I would not want that stuff anywhere near my face. In fact, if anything I'd prefer it to be on the lowest shelf, below head height even for a small child.

Come to think of it, the one seriously dangerous chemical we use at work comes with an order to store it at floor level for that reason. It's worse than caustic soda, apparently. Full protective gear is enforced when handling it.

 

[Mynight]

I burnt myself with a drop of beer line cleaner we had to store it down low just in case it spilt over someone (never was quite sure how that would happen being a closed container).

I can understand why it's down low certainly if it's liquid.

Asda near me has the "nasty" household cleaning fluids at the floor level as well so I imagine it's a common practice.

 

[Tefal]

It goes all the way back to victorian times, nothing to do with reinforcing with the thing hes referencing to, I watched a documentary on something similar a couple of days ago and apparently because all medicines toxic or not were in similar shaped colour bottles they put ridges on the poisons to make them easily identifiable.

Never heard of this or ever experienced it.

Although if its from victorian times im guessing its to do with mass illiteracy rather than protecting the blind

 

[JBuk]

Pfft when I was a lad we used to bath in caustic soda, kids these days don't know they were born!

 

[Hades]

It goes all the way back to victorian times, nothing to do with reinforcing with the thing hes referencing to, I watched a documentary on something similar a couple of days ago and apparently because all medicines toxic or not were in similar shaped colour bottles they put ridges on the poisons to make them easily identifiable.

Yes that's it. Just googled this:

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/bottles/poison-bottles

 

[Chris Wilson]

Why did it matter that it was an "Asian" supermarket?

Would you have included that comment were it a "British" supermarket?

Here, print this out and hand them around as you see fit.... Good God, bet you are a laugh to be out with...

As the throwing of caustic substances as a disfiguring attack is a problem in some Asian countries maybe Asians are more acutely aware of their danger?

 

[Avenged7Fold]

Why did it matter that it was an "Asian" supermarket?

Would you have included that comment were it a "British" supermarket?

Eastern supermarkets are less like the normal shop floors of Tesco/Sainsbury and closer to a large warehouse with tills. I would imagine OP assumed some sort of regulation was not being followed.

 

[jpod]

Where I live shops are the places parents(?) take their kids to play or discipline them.

This is a good solution

 

[MichaelAwkward]

I think you are exactly right to raise a concern. Bravo. If I saw it I would do exactly the same.

Households with kids don't have bleach and similar within easy access of kids. Everyone knows that is danagerous because children don't know better.

Rest assured that the forum members who trolled you here did so when they were not in possession of all the facts.

What are you talking about? When I was growing up, bleach and other cleaning products were always kept under the sink.

The facts are that if this was illegal, every single shop in the country would be breaking the law. If the product is in a child-proof container and displays the appropriate warning symbols, the store can locate it at any height provided they follow any related storage regulations (proximity to other combustible substances etc).

 

[maklabouhlel]

Eastern supermarkets are less like the normal shop floors of Tesco/Sainsbury and closer to a large warehouse with tills. I would imagine OP assumed some sort of regulation was not being followed.

Exactly. Anyway, if it was your child who ingested caustic soda because a shop stored it within reach, I'm sure you would blame the shop for keeping it there. Just look at these images of what damage it can do.

 

[Deleted member 651465]

What are you talking about? When I was growing up, bleach and other cleaning products were always kept under the sink.

The facts are that if this was illegal, every single shop in the country would be breaking the law. If the product is in a child-proof container and displays the appropriate warning symbols, the store can locate it at any height provided they follow any related storage regulations (proximity to other combustible substances etc).

It's not illegal, but it may increase the risk. I think the OP has perceived a bigger risk than there actually is.

As for shops breaking the law.. many businesses break the law every day and get away with it due to the sufficient lack of enforcement intervention. I could find something in every premises that would contravene at least one piece of legislation or an approved code of practice. Normally, if it is a serious breach I will inform the store manager or write a letter*

*I've written one letter to a wedding venue after their shower (family room) was so hot, it gave me minor burns. I recommended the installation of TMVs (thermostatic mixing valves) and they were grateful for the advice.

 

[Avenged7Fold]

Rest assured that the forum members who trolled you here did so when they were not in possession of all the facts.

What facts?

I know all the facts:

It is not illegal

There are no restrictions in height product placement, only the individuals store policy

It must be in a sealed childproof bottle


I also know full well the effects of caustic soda, just like everyone else who attended year 9 chemistry. I admit that some members are trolling but only because OP sees danger on a shelf when it is just paranoia born from the freak accident published every handful of years in news papers, for the sake of shocking a reader into being interested.

 

[MichaelAwkward]

It's not illegal, but it may increase the risk. I think the OP has perceived a bigger risk than there actually is.

As for shops breaking the law.. many businesses break the law every day and get away with it due to the sufficient lack of enforcement intervention. I could find something in every premises that would contravene at least one piece of legislation or an approved code of practice. Normally, if it is a serious breach I will inform the store manager or write a letter*

So? What's that got to do with this shop selling caustic soda in the same way that every shop in the land sells it?

It's either legal or it isn't. The OP hasn't actually clarified how it's being stored so it may in fact be illegal, but I highly doubt the shop is selling caustic soda out of help-your-self bucket.

If it was such a massive risk, we'd have had a string of incidents in the news with children being horribly disfigured and a subsequent ban on selling caustic soda by now.

 

[Deleted member 651465]

So? What's that got to do with this shop selling caustic soda in the same way that every shop in the land sells it?

It's either legal or it isn't. The OP hasn't actually clarified how it's being stored so it may in fact be illegal, but I highly doubt the shop is selling caustic soda out of help-your-self bucket.

There's no legislation that says it cannot be stored on the bottom shelf. I have quoted the CLP regulations above which state it must be labelled and have suitable child-proof packaging.

I don't think anyone has made the stretch to assume they're dishing it out of a help-your-self bucket, so the safe assumption is they've done nothing wrong except increase the risk that an unsupervised child may be granted better access.

 

[MichaelAwkward]

There's no legislation that says it cannot be stored on the bottom shelf. I have quoted the CLP regulations above which state it must be labelled and have suitable child-proof packaging.

I don't think anyone has made the stretch to assume they're dishing it out of a help-your-self bucket, so the safe assumption is they've done nothing wrong except increase the risk that an unsupervised child may be granted better access.

Nobody was saying otherwise apart from the OP and jpod???

They haven't increased the risk at all, because that's how every shop sells it. This isn't a new thing (although clearly it is for the OP).

 

[Deleted member 651465]

Nobody was saying otherwise apart from the OP and jpod???

They haven't increased the risk at all, because that's how every shop sells it. This isn't a new thing (although clearly it is for the OP).

I know, which is why the OP has perceived a problem where there isn't one or at least a negligible hazard.

They have increased the risk (even slightly and if only for children) by storing it on the bottom shelf. Unsupervised children have direct access to it and given time may be able to get inside the container. On the flip side, storing it on the top shelf introduces other risks such as spills, increased strain on lifting bags above waist height e.g. manual handling etc. Just because every other shop sells it like this, doesn't make it "correct", it just means on the balance of probability this is the safest place to store it.

Low down where children may have access (but should be supervised anyway) vs. storing it up high and introducing the hazards described above. A good compromise would be waist height but then you can never truly remove risk, so it depends how far you wish to peruse this risk.

 

[Tefal]

I know, which is why the OP has perceived a problem where there isn't one or at least a negligible hazard.

They have increased the risk (for children) by storing it on the bottom shelf. Unsupervised children have direct access to it and given time may be able to get inside the container. On the flip side, storing it on the top shelf introduces other risks such as spills, increased strain on lifting bags above waist height e.g. manual handling etc. Just because every other shop sells it like this, doesn't make it "correct", it just means on the balance of probability this is the safest place to store it.

Low down where children may have access (but should be supervised anyway) vs. storing it up high and introducing the hazards described above. A good compromise would be waist height but then you can never truly remove risk, so it depends how far you wish to peruse this risk.

im thinking between nipple and navel is optimum hight now....i am so bored....