Well, we knew it would just be a matter of time until someone did this. Again, the fear of contracting a virus has apparently overridden all rational thinking. This picture was shared this morning in one of my favorite Facebook Groups Fire Inspectors With No Borders. We do not know the background of the…...
This past month we have lived with the COVID19 pandemic and the fear that comes with it. I have spent hours trying to stop one of the social media myths about COVID19 and gas pump handles. There have been viral posts suggesting that people use plastic shopping bags to handle the…...
Gas Pumps, COVID19, and plastic shopping bags Read More »
Earlier this week I explained the OSHA requirements for storing Flammable Liquids “outside”, using Ethanol as my example since so many businesses have been converted over to making hand sanitizers, many of which have never managed such a large inventory of flammable liquids. Part 2 is to cover those businesses who wish to store their…...
The humanity and compassion that many ordinary businesses are showing during this pandemic are heartwarming and patriotic. But it is also very concerning and quite frankly dangerous to see some of the images from their public announcements of their efforts. As a profession, we need to step up and help these businesses manage their hazardous…...
Outdoor Storage of Flammable Liquids in containers and portable tanks Read More »
My March 16th article about the hand sanitizers being a CAT 3 Flammable Liquid caused quite the ruckus. Many did not want to accept the fact until they went and found out on their own that these alcohol-based hand sanitizers are indeed flammable liquids. And once they came to this realization the questions started to…...
Hand sanitizers that have 60% Alcohol are Category 3 FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS (Part II) Read More »
When your hand sanitizer has 50% more Alcohol it will be at least a Category 3 Flammable Liquid – just review the SDS for your product of choice if you doubt me. In fact, some hand sanitizers with higher Alcohol percentages may be a Category 2 Flammable Liquid. In the light of COVID-19 virus pandemic,…...
Hand sanitizers that have 60% Alcohol are Category 3 FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS Read More »
Earlier this year I wrote an article about the International Fire Code (IFC) and its practice of limiting flammable liquids outside of proper storage means, such as cabinets and rooms. In that article I posted the OSHA requirements but did not explain how the OSHA requirements applied to workplaces, rather I chose to use the…...
OSHA’s Incidental storage or use of flammable liquids (.106)(e) Read More »
Styrene has been a chemical I just can not seem to get away from. I dealt with it throughout my career in the petro-chem industry and now as a consultant, I have a number of clients who use this flammable liquid in a number of different processes. In 2005 I was consulted about a leaking…...
At 1:00 p.m. on July 24, 2019, two (2) employees were filling a tanker truck from a portable bulk container (IBC) when a flash fire occurred. Employee #1 was standing on top of the ethanol tanker truck and his body, clothing, the tanker, tote, and hose caught on fire. Employee #1 attempted to slide down…...
Fatal flammable liquid (Alcohols, (Ethanol), n.o.s.) transfer (Tanker to tote) Read More »
At 3:11 p.m. Employee #1, who had worked with the company for three months as a forklift operator/ repacking, was working alone in the repacking area making a transfer of acetone (flammable liquid) from an elevated 793-gallon stainless steel intermediate bulk container (tote) to a 350-gallon stainless steel tote on the floor. In order to…...
Flammable Liquid transfer WITHOUT a spring-loaded CLOSE valve Read More »
A client has allowed me to share work I did several years ago when OSHA’s GHS threw a wrench into the flammable liquids world! There was so much confusion between Class and Category of flammable liquids, and during an engineering review, it was discovered that the engineering group had made a conversion error when going…...
Flammable Liquids Conversion Table (NFPA class vs. OSHA GHS Category) Read More »
One part of managing flammable liquids is minimizing fuel load in the event there is a fire. Both state codes and OSHA utilize what is called “maximum allowable quantity per control area“. This practice is based on the “degree of hazard” or as OSHA calls them today “Hazard Category” of the flammable liquid or gas…...
Flammable Liquids per Control Area Read More »
