| CHEMICAL STORAGE AND TRANSPORTATION |  |
Flammable and Combustible Liquid Storage
The storage of flammable and combustible liquids in a laboratory, shop, or building area must be kept to the minimum needed for research and operations. Flammable liquids have a flash point below 100° F. The storage of flammable liquids in the laboratory must not exceed a 2-day supply or 10 gallons, whichever is less. Excess amounts should be transferred to the Central Stockroom. Whenever possible, flammable liquids should be stored in a flammable liquid storage cabinet. Flammable liquid storage cabinets are not intended for the storage of highly toxic materials, acids, bases, compressed gases, or pyrolitic chemicals.
| 1. | Store only compatible materials inside a cabinet. |
| 2. | Flammables should not be stored in areas exposed to direct sunlight. |
| 3. | Refrigerators, freezers and other cooling equipment used to store or cool flammable liquids must be "laboratory safe" and should be labeled as such. (i.e., This refrigerator has been designed to permit safe storage of materials producing flammable vapors) |
| 4. | The quantities of flammable chemicals stored in the laboratory, shop, or building area should be kept to a minimum. |
Click on Safe Handling of Flammables for more information.
General Considerations for Chemical Storage
Carefully read the label before storing a hazardous chemical. The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) will also provide any special storage information and incompatibilities.
Do not store unsegregated chemicals in alphabetical order or incompatible chemicals in close proximity to each other. Care must be exercised to ensure that the substance cannot accidentally come in contact with another with which it is incompatible. Such contact could result in a serious explosion or the formation of substances that are highly toxic or flammable or both. (This care must also be exercised when transporting, using and disposing of chemicals).
Chemicals should be separately stored by chemical class as follows:
Solids
* oxidizing solids
* flammable solids
* water reactive solids
* all other solids
Liquids
* acid liquids
* caustic liquids
* oxidizing liquids
* perchloric acid solutions
* flammable or combustible liquids
Gases
* toxic gases
* flammable gases
* oxidizing and inert gas
Once separated into hazard classes, chemicals may be stored alphabetically. Click for examples of incompatible chemicals.
Use approved storage containers and safety cans for flammable liquids.
Use plastic spill trays under containers of strong corrosive reagents.
Do not store liquids above eye level.
Dispose of old chemicals promptly.
Ensure that all containers are properly labeled. For more information on chemical storage, contact your supervisor or the Safety Department. Click here for more information on labeling in the Hazard Communication Program.
Stability refers to the susceptibility of the chemical to dangerous decomposition. Ethers, olefins, etc. form peroxides on exposure to air and light. Since these chemicals are packaged in an air atmosphere, peroxides can form even though the containers have not been opened. Write the date received and date opened on all containers of peroxide formers.
Unless an inhibitor was added by the manufacturer, closed containers of peroxide formers should be discarded after 1 year.
Open containers should be discarded within 6 months of opening.
In the Department of Chemistry, refilled cans of ether or peroxide formers should be so labeled and re-dated.
The label and Material Safety Data Sheet will indicate if a chemical is unstable.
The following are examples of materials that may form explosive peroxides. Click here for more compounds that form peroxides during storage.
| acetal | dimethyl ether | methyl acetylene |
| cyclohexene | dioxane | tetrahydrofuran |
| decahydronaphthalene | divinyl acetylene | terahydronaphthalene |
| diacetylene | ethyl ether | vinyl ether |
| dicyclopentadiene | ethylene glycol-dimethyl ether (glyme) | vinylidene chloride |
| diethylene glycol | isopropyl ether |
Click here for information on the safe handling of reactive and peroxide forming chemicals. In addition, you can contact your laboratory supervisor or the Safety Department.
Shock sensitive refers to the susceptibility of the chemical to rapidly decompose or explode when struck, vibrated or otherwise agitated.
Some chemicals become increasingly shock sensitive with age. Write the date received and date opened on all containers of shock sensitive chemicals. Unless an inhibitor was added by the manufacturer, closed containers of shock sensitive materials should be discarded after 1 year. Open containers of shock sensitive materials should be discarded within 6 months of opening.
The label and Material Safety Data Sheet will indicate if a chemical is shock sensitive. Wear appropriate personal protective equipment when handling shock sensitive chemicals.
The following are examples of materials that can be shock sensitive:
| acetylides of heavy metals | amatol | ammonium nitrate |
| ammonium perchlorate | ammonium picrate | calcium nitrate |
| copper acetylide | dinitroethyleneurea | dinitroglycerine |
| dinitrotoluene | dipicryl sulfone | fulminate of mercury compounds |
| fulminate of silver | fulminating gold | guanylidene |
| heavy metal azides | hexanitrostilbene | lead azide |
| lead picrate | lead salts | mannitol hexanitrate |
| mercury tartrate | mononitrotoluene | nitroaminotetrozole |
| nitroglycerin | nitroglycol | nitroparaffins |
| nitronium perchlorate | nitrourea | organic peroxides |
| picramic acid | picric acid | picryl chloride |
| potassium nitroaminotetrazole | silver acetylide | silver azide |
| sodium amatol | sodium picramate | tetrazene |
| tetranitrocarbazole | trimonite | trinitrobenzene |
| trinitrobenzoic acid | trinitronaphthalene | trinitrophloro-glucinol |
| trinitrotoluene | tritonal | urea nitrate |
Click on safe handling of reactive and peroxide forming chemicals for more information.
COMPOUNDS THAT FORM PEROXIDES DURING STORAGE
Three Months Peroxide Hazard Generated During Storage:
Compound
Divinyl acetylene Sodium amide Isporopyl ether vinylidene chloride Potassium metal Twelve Months Peroxide Hazard:
Acetal Methylcyclopentane Cumene Methyl acetylene (Propyne) Cyclohexene Methyl isobutyl ketone Diacetylene Tetrahydrofuran Dicyclopentadiene Tetrahydornapthalene (Tetralin) Dioxane Vinyl ethers Ethyl ether Ethylene glycol dimethyl ether (glyme) Twelve Months Hazard Due to Peroxide Formation or Initiation of Spontaneous Polymerization *:
Acrylic acid Tetrafluoroethylene Acrylonitrile Vinyl acetate Butadiene Vinyl acetylene Chloroprene Vinyl chloride Chlorotrifluoroethylene Vinyl pyridine Styrene
When stored as a liquid, the peroxide forming potential of the Group 3 chemicals increases and certain of these monomers should then be considered as Group 1 compounds. (Especially butadiene, chloroprene, and tetrafluoroethylene)
TRANSPORTATION OF HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS
The transportation of hazardous chemicals in buildings provides the greatest potential for chemical exposure to the building occupants. Spills occurring outside storerooms, shop areas, mechanical rooms and laboratories may lead to hazardous concentrations of vapors and gases being distributed throughout the building.
a. General:
Chemicals, substances and research materials must be clearly labeled with the correct chemical name when transported. Hand-written labels are acceptable; chemical formulas and structural formulas are not acceptable. (Except for small quantities of compounds synthesized in the laboratory. Research samples must have labels that will not fall off and that are written in permanent ink. Include researcher’s name). All chemicals in the laboratory or work area must be labeled properly.
b. The following guidelines should be observed when transporting chemicals outside the laboratory:
Whenever chemicals are transported outside the laboratory or work area,the container should be placed in a secondary, non-breakable container.
Chemicals must be transported in one of the following:
| Acid/Solvent resistant rubber buckets | ||
| Carts with sides on each shelf used that are high enough to retain the containers. |
| Cart wheels must be large enough to prevent the carts from being caught in floor cracks, door and elevator thresholds, and trolley tracks (if applicable). See the Cart Policy. |
| Rigid outside containers | ||
| Original outside shipping containers |
Before moving containers, check and tighten caps, taps, or other enclosures.
Wherever possible, flammable liquids should be transported in rugged pressure-resistant safety cans.
Personnel transporting chemicals must wear chemical resistant gloves and safety glasses.
Personnel at the destination area should be informed of the transport.
| 1. | Elevators |
| a. | Freight elevators shall be used where available to transport hazardous materials. |
| 2. | Flammable Liquids |
| a. | Flammable liquids shall be transported in rugged pressure-resistant safety cans. | ||
| b. | Original containers of flammable liquids shall be placed in an outside container or acid-carrying bucket. | ||
| c. | No more than 5 gallons of flammable liquids in glass containers shall be transported on the freight elevator unless the original shipping carton (box) is used and the materials are on an appropriate cart. |
| 3. | Corrosives or Oxidizing Materials |
| a. | Original glass shipping containers holding liquid acids and bases must be placed in an outside container or acid-carrying bucket. | ||
| b. | Incompatible chemicals, for example chromic acid (oxidizing acid) and ethyl acetate (flammable liquid), should not be transported on the same cart unless they are in original shipping cartons and physically separated. |
| 4. | Water Reactive Chemicals |
| a. | Wherever possible, use the original outside shipping containers (packaging) when transporting water reactive chemicals. | ||
| b. | Once opened, water reactive chemicals must be placed in a rigid outside container or acid carrying bucket for transporting. |
| 5. | Pyrophoric (spontaneously igniting) Substances |
| a. | Whenever possible, the original outside shipping container (packaging) must be used to transport pyrophoric substances. | ||
| b. | Once opened, pyrophoric substances must be placed in a rigid outside container or acid carrying bucket for transporting. |
| 6. | Acutely Toxic Compounds (Click for list of acutely toxic chemicals) |
| a. | Whenever possible, the original outside shipping container (packaging) must be used to transport acutely toxic compounds. | ||
| b. | Once opened, acutely toxic compounds must be placed in a rigid outside container or acid carrying bucket for transporting. |
| University of the Sciences in Philadelphia • 600 South Forty-third Street • Philadelphia, PA 19104-4495 • phone: 215-596-8800 • email: safety@usp.edu |