The safe storage of hazardous chemical substances is a vital part of laboratory safety. Chemical storage is complex—there is no one-size-fits-all plan to store chemicals—but there are laws, campus necessities, and best practices that can guide the process. The common idea is to forestall chemical compounds from inflicting harm to individuals, property, other chemicals, or the environment.
In order to totally understand the hazards associated with saved chemical compounds you first have to know what chemical substances are being stored. Safe storage begins with an up-to-date inventory of chemicals and data of the hazards posed by each chemical
General Storage Requirements
All chemicals should be stored in a protected, secure location.
Shelves ought to be degree, stable, and secured to the wall or one other stable
Store chemicals away from direct sunlight, sources of heat, and egress pathways
Hazardous chemicals must be stored under eye stage.
Do not store chemical substances on the floor, window ledges, or balconies.
Keep containers closed except you're dishing out a chemical or adding to the container.
Provide secondary containment for liquids every time possible. Dishpans or polyethylene trays work
Don’t store chemicals in a sink or fume hood, aside from certain poisonous gases which might be so dangerous they can solely be saved in a fuel cabinet or fume
Label containers, and make sure container is compatible with the chemical
Use rated storage cabinets or security cans whenever possible—required for >10 gal. of flammables.
Cold rooms, refrigerators, and freezers have additional necessities, particularly for flammables.
Chemical Segregation
Chemicals ought to all the time be segregated in accordance with their particular hazard(s) to prevent unintended reactions. Begin by categorizing and separating chemicals by the next classes. Note that the order is intentional, as discussed under.
Pyrophorics
Water reactives
Flammables
Corrosives
Oxidizers
Toxics
Other kinds of materials require more particular storage requirements similar to
Explosives
Compressed gases
Cryogens
As a general rule, chemical substances have to be physically segregated from incompatible chemicals; some key requirements are listed under.
Store flammable liquids in permitted safety containers in . Do not store anything but flammable or flamable liquids in these
Segregate acids from
Keep oxidizers away from flammables and combustibles.
Keep corrosives away from substances that they may react with and launch corrosive, poisonous, or flammable vapors
Do not retailer chemicals alphabetically except they are suitable.
Multiple Hazard Classes
Many chemical substances belong to more than one chemical family or hazard class. In many instances, chemicals have to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Ideally, tips for each category should be observed, however this is in all probability not attainable in all situations.
One technique is to prioritize the hazards of a selected chemical. The hazards listed above are prioritized for this purpose, from most severe to least. A pyrophoric chemical, for example, can also be a flammable liquid, but the pyrophoric property ought to outweigh the flammability for storage purposes.
Glacial acetic acid is a typical instance, as it is both a corrosive acid and a combustible liquid. It should be stored away from corrosive bases, such as sodium hydroxide, and in addition from oxidizing acids, corresponding to nitric acid. Storing acetic acid in a flammable storage cabinet could be appropriate, prioritizing the combustibility over the corrosivity. If flammable storage space is at a premium, storage in a corrosives cupboard would also be acceptable; nevertheless, it would need to be additional segregated from the opposite incompatible corrosives by utilizing a number of cupboards or secondary containment.
Storage Limitations
It is finest practice to attenuate the quantities of hazardous chemicals available whenever attainable. Minimization of saved chemical substances is a key way to scale back the likelihood and severity of an incident involving stated chemical compounds. Chemical storage limits, from numerous regulatory bodies and campus policy, are outlined in Appendix D of the campus Chemical Hygiene Plan. https://chemicenter.com/ is important to notice that storage limitations, significantly based mostly on fireplace code, typically extend to massive groupings of labs and even complete floors of buildings. Each area is totally different, so contact Chemical Safety employees for an evaluation..