Flammable Liquids

Years ago, WorkSafe British Columbia (BC) put out a really nice video about a fatality caused by a worker welding on a used Acetone Drum.  Although the video states the drum is a 44-gallon drum, it is in fact a 55-gallon drum.  44 imperial gallons is equal to 52 US gallons – which we call…...

The major hazard involved with transferring flammable liquids is static build-up due to charge separation with the potential for discharge resulting in fire and subsequent loss of containment. Certain non-polar liquids can be charged while flowing through piping. Detectable and hazardous charges must be expected if the specific resistance of the liquid exceeds 108 ohms…....

I studied this incident closely while at MSU and I have never forgotten the dramatic images of what 18,000 gallons of a flammable liquid can do in a sewer! On Feb. 13, 1981, at 5:16 a.m. a series of explosions occurred in the sewer lines of  Louisville, KY. The explosions happened after a soybean extraction…...

Enclosed processing areas (vs. outside and open processing areas) that are handling/using the following, shall be ventilated at a rate sufficient to maintain the concentration of flammable vapors within the area at or below 25% of their lower flammable limit (LFL). Class I flammable liquids or as OSHA calls them Category 1/2 flammable liquids, Class II…...

Liquid storage areas where dispensing is conducted must have either a gravity ventilation system or a continuous mechanical exhaust ventilation system. If the dispensing involves Class I liquids (e.g. Category 1 & 2 liquids per OSHA terminology) mechanical ventilation is the ONLY acceptable option.  Regardless of the type used there are some FUNDAMENTAL requirements that…...

For the 2021 edition of NFPA 30, the committee introduced a sweeping change in the classification scheme for liquids. The term ignitible liquid has been introduced to initiate a process whereby the terms flammable liquid and combustible liquid are no longer used. This causes the requirements in NFPA 30 and other codes and standards to…...

WELDING on USED drums! At 12:00 p.m. on November 5, 2019, Employee #1 was making a small spot weld on a piece of metal. He was performing the weld on a drum of that contained flammable windshield washer fluid. There was an explosive reaction, and the cover of drum hit the employee’s face. Liquid splashed…...

Back in my HAZMAT days, we did a lot of transfers from damaged containers to proper containers to mitigate the release of hazardous materials.  When the HAZMAT was a flammable liquid, we oftentimes had to construct our own grounding grid.  This was more than not a massive challenge for us as we did this all…...

Many large scale processes that use Cat 1, 2, and 3 flammable liquids may also rely on a Nitrogen purge system to ensure the space within the process vessel is BELOW the Limiting Oxidizer Concentration (LOC) – sometimes called the Minimum Oxygen Concentration (MOC).  This safety system is based on the simple fact that if…...

Many of us use Safety Data Sheets (SDS) on a regular basis and most of us have come to the realization that these documents fall far short of providing us the safety information we really need.  For example, when working with flammable liquids do you trust the SDS data to provide an accurate Flash Point…...