How to Store Chemicals Properly
Chemicals should be stored properly and it is important to know how to do it especially if you have a lab or a research center. There are guidelines or requirements for chemical storage that are given by the Occupations Safety and Health Administration or OSHA, that should be carefully considered. Below are the requirements given by OSHA for proper storage of chemicals.
There is more to storing chemicals than just putting them on shelves. They should be separated and stored according to their different kinds. Different chemicals should not be put together in a cabinet but rather there should be put in different storage places or cabinets for different kinds of chemicals.
Remember that chemicals interact, and so this should also be considered when they are stored. If there is negative interaction between two types of chemicals, they should be kept far away from each other. To give an example, solvent should be kept in fire resistant cabinets but must not be stored together with oxidizing agents. Acids (nitric, hydrochloric, and sulfuric) should be kept away from bases (sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, slaked lime, sodium carbonate, and aqueous ammonia). Mixing acids and bases generate heat and thus put the storage facility at risk. Labeling chemical containers is important and for cylindrical ones the label should be on the shoulders.
OSHA recommends that the number of storage cabinets for chemicals should be at least five cabinets. There should be one for general storage where you can put the chemicals depending on their categories or hazardous rating, the acid area where only acids are stored, an area for corrosive acids, one for corrosive bases, and another one for flammable chemicals. These cabinets should be far from sinks or water sources and should always be locked. Take precautions when storing liquid chemicals in cabinets. It is best to put these cabinets away from the sunlight but in cool, dry places. There should be hazardous signs installed on the doors of the cabinets or storage places.
To help identify chemicals quickly, it has been recommended by OSHA to create a color coding system because they do not have a specific system that everyone should follow. An example color coding scheme would be as follows: red for flammable chemicals, yellow for reactive or oxidizing agents, blue for chemicals hazardous to health, white for corrosive chemicals, and green and gray for chemicals that are moderately hazardous.
The people that are handling the chemicals should receive training on the safety storage procedures. There should be training every few months as recommended by OSHA. Staff should be informed about new chemicals and should also be taught of its proper storage. The proper storage of chemicals is something that should not be neglected for its importance. If done well, your property and your people are protected. The training and qualification of personnel is very important when it comes to handling chemicals.
Source: spill barrier