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Guidelines for Warehousing

GUIDELINES FOR WAREHOUSE TO BE USED AS STORAGE FACILITIES FOR TEA

1. Teas to be catalogued for auction only to be stored in warehouses approved by the CTTA.

2. The warehouse should be located within the demarcated as stated in the CTTA By-Laws interpreted as follows:

“All such warehouses should be located within the Municipal limits of Colombo. However, warehouses may also be located within three kilometers off the main Colombo-Negombo Road with Welisara Town limit as a demarcation point, or three kilometers of the main Colombo-Kandy Road with Kiribathgoda Town limit as the demarcation point, provided the access roads to such warehouses off the main Colombo-Negombo Road and the main Colombo-Kandy Road, are in good condition and wide enough for the easy passage of two vehicles”.

3. The access road to the warehouse should be in a reasonable condition and wide enough for vehicles to pass each other comfortably.

4. As far as practically possible the warehouse should be located in an environment,
1. Which is free of pollutants and bad odours
2. Surrounding should also be clean without overgrown shrubs and grass
3. Area should be away from rubbish dumps and the surroundings must not have open drains along the perimeter boundary

5. The location of the warehouse should be such that it is not in a low lying area which it would be subject to flooding during heavy rain. Adequate manholes, including an effective water drainage system should be in place.

6. There should be adequate space for parking vehicles, including containers. The space should be such that there is free movement for loading, unloading as well as maneuvering of vehicles.

7. The warehouse building should be of sound construction. The flooring should be free of cracks and also be damp-proof. The roof should be leak-proof, particularly as the roof junctions, and high enough for easy stacking of chests / paper sacks.

The walls must be damp-proof and free of cracks and proper gutters and down pipes. An appropriate drainage system should be in place with adequate manholes to enable rain water to flow off without flooding. The area around the warehouse must also be cemented / tarred and the boundary well secured.

8. The warehouse should be thoroughly cleaned and aired prior to storing teas, especially if the warehouse has previously been used for storage of chemicals and / or spices, and if required properly fumigated by a reputed pest control organization. The pest control method should not contaminate or be harmful to the tea.

9. The warehouse should be free of birds nesting inside the building. Precautionary measures must be in place to prevent birds, rodents and insects gaining access into the warehouse by covering all inlets including ventilation holes with wire mesh.

10. The warehouse should have adequate lighting, and good ventilation.

11. There should be an adequate number of reasonably large doors to ensure the smooth loading / unloading of teas within a turnaround time of 45 minutes, provided the consignment is fault free, upon presentation of relevant documents to Stores Personnel. This will also be applicable to the Ex-estate Deliveries at Buyers Stores.

12. An adequate number of scales either electronic / mechanical with weighing capacity of 50 kg or more must be made available.

13. Test weights should also be made available, in the event any one wishes to check the accuracy of the scales.

14. Entrance to doors should have suitable canopies for loading / unloading during rainy weather.

15. Basic utilities such as electricity, telephone and water should be available.

16. Facilities should also be provided for staff / labour with lunch rooms, wash rooms, adequate toilets, including changing rooms.

17. Adequate fire precaution equipment should be made available in keeping with insurance requirements.

18. Any person engaging in the warehousing of tea should provide adequate insurance based on the value of the daily stocks of tea.

19. A name board containing the following particulars should be displayed prominently at the entrance to the warehouse:
1. The Registration Number issued by the Tea Board
2. The category to which such warehouse belongs (Sellers, Brokers, Buyers, Transporters, Forwarders, Processors)
3. The registered address of the warehouse
4. The name of the holder of the Certificate of Registration issued by the Tea Board in respect of such warehouse

20. The warehouse should display signage such as ‘No Smoking’, including identification number for the bays where teas are stored.

21. Adequate security arrangements should be in place at all times.

22. The warehouse should have basic first-aid facilities.