The provision and management of clean dry and well ventilated covered accommodation for the storage of goods; these conditions alone, however, do not guarantee freedom from rodent, bird or insect infestation.
Cramped storage should be avoided; ideally there should always be ample space for the quantity of goods held, with adequate access and light. Allocation of storage should be made in advance of deliveries so that space can be cleaned and inspected. The goods themselves should receive detailed inspection and if necessary be treated before or on arrival.
Stacks should not be built against walls or into corners; they should be kept clear of floors, windows and any ventilation
The best practice is to mark out the stacking plan with painted lines on the floor leaving a minimum 600 mm around each stack for cleaning purposes. The same procedures should be adopted in corners and at floor wall junctions since this encourages effective cleaning in the very places where residues accumulate and where the first signs of infestations are likely to occur
Goods known to be infested or susceptible to attack should be held apart from those which are not, thus helping to limit the spread of pests.
In warehousing the practice of using the oldest stocks first, making a contribution to pest control by minimizing the time during which pest populations can grow within stacks or individual containers.
Pallets should never be placed so close in storage as to prevent inspection of goods at intervals along a stack, or so close as towalls as to prevent access between the wall and the stack
Good article Eris. It would make a good hand out for commercial client customers.
Byrne