TechTALK

Justrite recognizes the health and safety needs of those who work with or around flammable liquids and hazardous materials every day. In addition to fire protection, end users in laboratories, education, and other sectors may need to ventilate safety cabinets. Cabinet ventilation can eliminate exposure to odors, toxins and ignitable vapors and ignitable dust or gas when opening a safety cabinet’s doors. When designing and installing a ventilation system, it’s essential to maintain the FM compliance and the performance of the cabinet in the event of a fire. Per NFPA® 30 Section 9.5.4, venting of storage cabinets is not recommended unless the authority having jurisdiction requires it or if building owners require it for increased health and safety. In such cases, NFPA 30 recommends a thermally actuated damper as the best way to ensure the performance of a ventilated safety cabinet during a fire.

An innovator in workplace safety solutions, Justrite developed the Safe-T-Vent™ Thermally-Actuated Safety Cabinet Vent Damper (patent pending). FM-approved for use in conjunction with a Justrite safety cabinet, Safe-T-Vent is a safe, reliable, and compliant way to ventilate a safety cabinet and still maintain the cabinet’s performance in a fire.

The damper connects a properly designed ventilation system to any Justrite flammable liquids or hazardous material safety cabinet with 2-inch NPT vent openings. It features a fusible link that melts at 165°F (73.9°C) and releases a spring-loaded valve plate, closing the damper and protecting the safety cabinet’s performance in a fire by stopping the flow of air through the cabinet.

Justrite recommends a safety cabinet ventilation system be designed by the owner’s professional engineer, experienced with the hazards of stored materials, local building codes, and good engineering practices. For some of these considerations, please download the full TechTALK.