Using Safety Cabinets to Store Chemicals

When chemicals and other substances are handled and stored in a workplace, safety cabinets are necessary. Such safety cabinets are color coded to identify each type of hazard: yellow for flammable, red for combustible, blue for corrosives, green for pesticides, and white or grey for wastes. Regardless of the color used, incompatible liquids must be kept separate in storage in order to prevent explosions or fires.

NFPA Code 30 sets regulations for safety cabinets in order to protect internal contents from fires outside. Cabinets for flammables, corrosives, or pesticides need a capped bung opening for ventilation. Although not required by a federal regulatory agency, states may require them. If vents are used, they must be ducted directly outdoors and should not change the effectiveness of a cabinet during a fire. Cabinets containing pesticides, however, must not have ventilation.

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Excessive chemical vapors may be a concern when liquids are kept in safety cabinets. The cabinets, in this case, need to be in a cool, dry location away from sunlight.

Not all safety cabinets are made from the same materials. Cabinets for containing corrosives and acids, although not strictly regulated, are made from wood or polyethylene. The EPA requires that such cabinets contain spills and, as a result, polyethylene safety cabinets are welded at the seams in order to provide better spill protection.

All safety cabinets, according to NFPA Uniform Fire Code (UFC) 66, need self-closing doors, with self-latching offering better protection. Although not a national regulation, UCF 66 is followed by most sales and locales.

Before any chemicals are placed inside, make sure that no chemicals are stored alphabetically, as this could lead to a fire. Flammables and combustibles can be kept in the same cabinet, as long as the total amount does not exceed 120 gallons and no more than three cabinets are kept in the same fire area except by a separation of 100 feet.

All safety cabinets have maximum quantities for storage in order to prevent fires. Flammable, classified by class 1A, 1B, or 1C, and combustible, classified as class II or III, liquids are kept in 60 gallon drums or 660 gallon tanks. Class I and II liquids must not exceed 60 gallons each in storage. Class III liquids go up to 120 gallons. A combination of classes I, II, or III must not exceed 120 gallons, with no more than 60 gallons each from class I or II liquids making up this amount. A cabinet, as well, should never hold more than 120 gallons of class III liquids.

Using Safety Cabinets to Store Chemicals