Is a flame arrestor required in a “safety can”?
Not meant to be a trick question, but as it turns out, it actually is! It depends on if your workplace is a “general industry” or “construction” worksite. Now stick with me as I explain the difference…
Flammable Liquids, Portable Tanks, and Polyethylene Containers
Polyethylene (e.g. plastics) containers and portable tanks (e.g. totes) have found their way into the flammable and combustible liquids market. Although many insurance companies take issue with their use, OSHA has had an official position on their use since 1984. Their compliance position is the following:
Frac Tank Explosion Presentation from XTO Energy
First I would like to say THANKS to XTO Energy for stepping up and sharing their lessons learned from thier incidents!! These days, this is very rare, but this presentation is just too good not to share with others. My only wish is that I had seen this before 1996, when I experienced my first
CAUTION! Frac Tanks are NOT designed for Flammable and Combustible Liquids
This article is overdue, as many businesses use these mobile tanks for almost anything on the planet! Unfortunately, these mobile storage tanks are NOT designed for everything on the planet. Without getting into materials of construction concerns and compatibility issues, I want to touch on my biggest concern: using these mobile tanks in some flammable
A breakdown of the NFPA 30-2012 changes
NFPA has released the 2012 edition of NFPA 30 – Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code. There are some changes in this new 2012 edition. They are intended to respond to newly identified risks:
Flammable Liquid Storage Tanks and Venting
Flammable liquids are “volatile liquids” with relatively low boiling points. This means it does not take much to get these materials boiling, especially on a hot summer day. And just like that pot of boiling water on our stove, the flammable liquids in these above-ground tanks can generate tremendous volumes of flammable vapors, which can
Flammable Storage Cabinets… Did you know?
A flammable storage cabinet is much different from a regular office cabinet! They may look similar in size and shape, but that is where their similarity ends. A flammable storage cabinet MUST have special features to comply with NFPA 30 and/or 1910.106(d)(3).
Did you know the LEL of a vapor and the MEC for a combustible dust can be lower when mixed together?
A lot of folks know about flammable liquids and their vapors. A smaller group of folks know about combustible dusts. Yet there is a even a smaller group that knows that when a flammable vapor/gas and a combustible dusts are mixed together, both the vapor and the dust will have a LOWER LEL than if
GASOLINE SAFETY – Educator’s Guide
A Community Fire and Burn Prevention Program Supported by the United States Fire Administration Federal Emergency Management Agency General Background Information Selected gasoline-related injury statistics Technical Background Fact Sheets for Community Distribution Portable gasoline containers Portable container and vehicle filling procedures Small engines and gasoline powered equipment Static electricity and gasolineAutomobile carburetors Transporting and storing
Why it is IMPORTANT to have your gas can ON THE GROUND when filling it
If you have ever pumped gasoline for your vehicle, you have seen all the warning signs about static and cell phones. I will reserve my comments about cell phones @ gas pumps causing fires, but one thing I can almost guarantee is that if your PLASTIC gas can is sitting on the carpeted floor board
Class I Hazardous Locations, Static Electricity, and Flooring
In my last article, I wrote about “grounding” and the types of hazards that can be introduced into a hazardous process involving flammable liquids and gases. A worker moving through air will generate a static charge. It is our hope that this charge will go to the ground as fast as it is generated, thus
Flammable Liquids… Static Generation and the floor we walk on!
Most everyone who works around flammable liquids knows about bonding and grounding; but, do workers and engineers really UNDERSTAND the principles behind bonding and grounding. In this article, I will try to explain “grounding” in very simple terms in the hopes that more workers can understand exactly what they are trying to achieve when they