subject: Storing Chemicals with Safety Cabinets [print this page] Storing Chemicals with Safety Cabinets Storing Chemicals with Safety Cabinets
If chemical handling is part of your workplace, safety cabinets need to be available for storing any hazardous substances. Not all safety cabinets are the same, however, and certain chemicals should not be kept adjacent to each other. Otherwise, two incompatible chemicals may produce harmful gasses or vapors or result in a fire or explosion.
Safety cabinets are color coded for specific chemicals: Red is used for storing combustibles and corrosives, green for pesticides, yellow for flammables, and white or gray for waste. If you are unsure of a chemical's nature, however, do not simply place it in any safety cabinet. Consult the MSDS and then use the correct safety cabinet.
Metal cabinets are the most popular, but the material may not always be best. Some containers, instead, should be kept in polyethylene safety cabinets. No matter the material used, the safety cabinet must be self closing and provide ventilation when necessary.
Ventilation, however, must not be used for cabinets storing pesticides or poisons. If ventilation is used, it should not affect a cabinet's protection during a fire. The ventilated cabinet, as well, must be equipped with capped bung openings and be ducted directly outdoors.
Take precautions and follow OSHA and NFPA regulations when storing chemicals in safety cabinets. No cabinet should be placed near heat or direct sunlight but, at the same time, should not be kept under a sink. The chemicals themselves should never be stored alphabetically inside, and the cap on each container needs to be secure in order to prevent leaks.
Even when chemicals are assigned to the proper safety cabinets, only certain amounts can be inside. Chemicals are divided into classes: Class 1A, 1B, and 1C are used for flammables, and combustibles are Class II or III. Each chemical is kept in a 60-gallon drum and then added to a safety cabinet. When combustibles and flammables are placed in a cabinet together, Classes I and II must not exceed 60 gallons each, and Class III should be no more than 120 gallons. When multiple containers are placed in a safety cabinet, no more than 120 gallons total should be placed inside.
