Chemical storage you most often use and what you most need to know

by Tom Hammel

It’s a fact of life: spills happen. Regardless of how or when it happens, how you act both before and after the event is the key to minimizing damage, downtime, injuries and penalties.

“Some of the reasons for a spill can be improper handling of the chemical, whether it’s in the warehouse or in a laboratory; forklift punctures to chemical containers; improper storage (lids not properly closed); employee carelessness and other causes,” says Susan Naser, vice president, sales and marketing for SpillTech Environmental.

“With any chemical you need to know its properties, what it is compatible with and what it will react with. You must make sure like chemicals are stored together and not with chemicals that would cause an instant reaction.”

In addition, Naser advises users to evaluate the consequences of a spill for all chemicals and have a contingency plan for the proper cleanup of that chemical — taking into consideration first the safety of your employees.

Properly responding to a spill can prevent a minor accident from escalating into a catastrophe.

General chemical handling and storage procedures
The following are general safety practices to follow when handling and storing industrial chemicals. Remember, these are just commonsense guidelines, not regulations themselves. Standards and regulations regarding the proper storage and handling, spill cleanup and hazardous waste disposal are guided by standards maintained by the National Fire Protection Association (NFDA), OSHA and other national, regional and municipal regulatory bodies.

Guidelines for specific chemicals are outlined in MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) papers which are available from chemical suppliers as well as online. Be sure you have MSDA sheets on hand for every chemical used and stored in your facility.

Flammable and combustible chemicals
• Avoid energized equipment and sources of ignition.
  If a spill occurs near energized lines or equipment,
  kill power in that area and turn off any other possible
  sources of ignition
• Use proper grounding and bonding techniques
• Use metal containers whenever possible
• Ensure good ventilation
• Make sure all equipment and tools used on or with
  these chemicals are intrinsically safe — those in
  which electrical energy is limited such that it will
  not spark or otherwise ignite a flammable mixture
• Store only small quantities in flammable storage
  cabinets. Quantity limits and arrangements are
  specified in OSHA 29 CFR 1910.106 and NFPA 30
• Control temperature & ventilation
• For aerosols, refer to NFPA 30B for proper aerosol
  storage levels

Corrosives and aerosols
• Avoid metal containers
• Avoid skin contact
• Do not heat or freeze containers
• Do not touch to live electricity sources
• Focus aerosol sprays with extension tubes
• Never concentrate and inhale vapors

Communication and warnings
The best safety storage and handling practices are meaningless without comprehensive communication.
• Follow all OSHA Hazard Communication guidelines
  in the workplace and at exits
• Identify and label all chemicals
• Post hazard warnings
• Include the name, address and contact information
  of each chemical’s manufacturer
• Communication signs may use words, pictures or
  symbols, but they must be legible and prominently posted
• In addition to English, hazard warnings and
  communications must be posted in any other language
  common to that workplace

Training fundamentals
1. Make sure that all employees handling or interacting with chemicals be properly trained on the properties and risks of spills.
2. Train all employees in spill response and how to use the equipment needed to clean up the spill.
3. Have written guidelines with emergency contacts for when a spill happens.
4. Audit your spill kits monthly to make sure they are properly stocked with all the items you might need.

Some chemical suppliers offer training and handling programs of their own. CRC Industries offers a program called the MR Chemicals Risk Reduction Partnership Plan. This program develops individualized best practice action plans to help industrial customers manage the purchase, use, storage and disposal of chemicals with maximum safety and cost efficiency.

“Our Risk Reduction Partnership Plan was created with just these problems in mind,” says Greg Nieberle, product manager for CRC Industries Inc. “In addition, our Stoplight Food Safety program helps food industry professionals in the handling, evaluation and control of maintenance chemicals We have also created a series of hazard communication training sessions for user sites, called ‘Safety Shorts,’ which address different aspects of chemical handling and storage.”

Be prepared
There is nothing quite like the empty feeling when a spill occurs and you realize too late that you are short on cleanup materials. Spill kits are available from a number of manufacturers and utilize products ranging from sand to high-tech materials.

“Our absorbent rolls, pads, socks, pillows and booms are made of 100 percent polypropylene because it is compatible with many chemicals,” says SpillTech’s Naser. “We offer standard kits, but we customize them, too. Plus, many customers add PPE (gloves, goggles, suits, aprons, etc.) to the spill kits according to what chemicals might be spilled, thus customizing them for the areas for which they are intended.”

In addition, SpillTech products are yellow, which provides workers with a visual warning that a spill has occurred.

Spilled milk
Ultimately, no matter how well you prepare, chemical spills will occur. However, following prescribed best practices, training your workers well and having a conscientious chemical storage program in place will help keep you from really crying when the inevitable happens.

This article appeared in the April/May 2008 issue of MRO Today magazine. Copyright 2008.

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