Many industries use 55-gallon drums to store and move chemicals, oils and other products. Storing materials close to their point of use is convenient for operations. In the cases of certain machinery and equipment, this means storing some drums outdoors, even if most of the drums remain in a central warehouse.
Everyone appreciates manicured lawns, beautiful gardens and the smell of fresh cut grass in the summer. Not everyone has the time to devote to yard maintenance. Landscaping and lawn care companies provide this valuable service. They use fuel-powered equipment like lawnmowers, chain saws and blowers daily. But working with gasoline comes with risks of fire and explosion.
Safety cans are used to safely store and transfer chemicals. But did you know putting an incompatible chemical into a safety container will affect the integrity of the can? Eventually it could rupture causing an incident and potential injuries.
From violent volcanoes to terrifying twisters, you never know when disasters will strike. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) protects and serves Americans during emergencies. A significant part of their mission involves emergency preparedness.
Many workshops, industrial facilities and laboratories generate small quantities of hazardous waste. Anything from contaminated solvents, used oil and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) waste needs temporary storage before safe disposal. OSHA inspectors check for flammable liquids in open containers. They impose fines for non-compliance to regulations and putting employees at risk.
Using a safety can to store and dispense flammable liquids might seem like a minor issue when running a busy waste collection facility. Yet, one company learned the severity of non-compliance the hard way. OSHA cited the company for improper transfer of flammable liquids, along with other unsafe conditions. The penalty? Nearly $300,000 in fines.
Corrosive liquids are hazardous. These could be acids with a pH of below 2 or bases with a pH above 12.5. Either way, corrosives have the potential to eat away metal components. It’s not just the liquid that is corrosive. Fumes of these chemicals combine with humidity to condense onto metal surfaces. As the moisture evaporates, a corrosive residue remains behind.
Laboratories use flammable chemicals for experiments and analytical tests. Safely dispensing into vials, flasks and test tubes limits the risk of fire. It only takes a moment for a flammable liquid to catch fire and cause serious injury.
Flammable storage cabinets help prevent the heat of a fire from reaching chemicals stored inside. Flammable chemicals become more volatile and vaporous when exposed to high temperatures. As the temperature of a flammable liquid increases, the molecules in the liquid speed up. Some acquire enough energy to escape into the air as a vapor.
