Flammable and combustible materials

Combustible scrap, debris, and waste materials (oily rags, etc.) stored in covered metal receptacles must be removed promptly from the worksite. Proper storage must be practiced to minimize the risk of fire, including spontaneous combustion. Fire extinguishers must be selected and provided for the types of materials in areas where they are to be used. NO SMOKING rules should be enforced in areas involving the storage and use of hazardous materials. 

All floor surfaces are to be kept clean, dry, and free fiom protruding nails, splinters, loose boards, holes, or projections. Where wet processes are used, drainage is to be maintained, and false floors, platforms, mats, or other dry standing places are to be provided where practical. 

Every hatchway and chute floor opening must be guarded by a hinged floor opening cover equipped with standard railings to leave only one exposed side or a removable railing with toeboard on not more than two sides and a fixed standard railing with toeboards on all other exposed sides. 

Every floor hole, into which persons can accidentally walk, shall be guarded by either a standard railing with standard toeboard on all exposed sides, or by a floor hole cover that should be hinged in place. While the cover is not in place, the floor hole is to be attended or to be protected by a removable standard railing. 

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) defines a powered industrial truck as a mobile, power-propelled truck used to carry, push, pull, lifi, stack, or tier materials. Powered industrial trucks are also commonly known as forklifts, pallet trucks, rider trucks, fork trucks, or lift trucks. Each year, tens of thousands of forklift-related injuries occur in U.S. workplaces. Injuries usually involve employees being struck by lift tmcks or falling while standing or working from elevated pallets and tines. Many employees are injured when lift trucks are inadvertently driven offloading docks or when the lift falls between a dock and an unchecked trailer. Most 

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The characteristics of flammable and combustible materials can be displayed on a ternary (triangular) graph. The characteristics of several common flammable and combustible materials are presented in Table 2. 

Fire and Explosion Prevention. Prevention of fire and explosion takes place in the design of chemical plants. Such prevention involves the study of material characteristics, such as those in Table 1, and processing conditions to determine appropriate ha2ard avoidance methods. Engineering techniques are available for preventing fires and explosions. Containment of flammable and combustible materials and control of processes which could develop high pressures are also important aspects of fire and explosion prevention. 

Spray Finishing Using Flammable and Combustible Materials, Code No. 33, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Quincy, Mass., 1989. 

Identify the inventories of flammable and combustible materials within the process plant and the physical conditions under which they are contained. Similarly, identify other materials or process conditions that can result in explosion events, including condensed-phase explosions, physical explosions, or uncontrolled chemical reactions. 

The petroleum and related industries deal with tremendous bulk quantities of flammable and combustible materials daily. These materials are handled at extremely high pressures and temperatures where explosive, corrosive and toxic properties may also be present. It is therefore imperative not to become complacent about their destructive natures and the required protective arrangements that must be instituted whenever they are handled. 

Damaging fires are uncontrolled chemical reactions, so fire hazards involving ordinary flammable and combustible materials could be included in the above definition of chemical reactivity hazards. However, this publication seeks to supplement basic fire prevention and protection measures by addressing how to successfully manage other chemical reactivity hazards in the work environment. Consequently, the use of the term "chemical reactivity hazards" in this publication will not include explosion, fire and dust explosibility hazards involving the burning of flammable and combustible materials in air. Storage and use of commercial explosives is also outside the scope of this publication. 

If intentional chemistry is performed, chemical reactivity hazards can be expected to exist at your facility. An exception is intentional, essentially complete combustion with air, such as the burning of propane in a gas-fired heater. The burning of ordinary flammable and combustible materials has been excluded from our definition of chemical reactivity hazards and is adequately treated elsewhere. If the answer to Question 5 is YES, then the rest of this section on intentional chemistry need not be considered further, and you should proceed to Question 2 at the beginning of this chapter. 

Are all flammable and combustible materials kept away from containers, tanks, and feed lines ... 

In order to estimate the duration of potential fires, it is necessary to identify inventories that can be isolated. An inventory of flammable and combustible materials should be developed for each process unit and storage area within a facility. This list should contain the quantity, storage configuration, material characteristics, and location. 

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) also approves and rates storage tanks. Factors including tank wall thickness, type of metal used, welding procedure, venting, supports, pressure ratings, and other related topics are specifically defined in the approval codes. Guidelines which relate directly to the storage of flammable and combustible materials are provided under UL Code 142. 

Commercial use of ethanol fuel is regulated by NFPA 30, Flammable and Combustible Material Code. For ethanol storage and dispensing systems, the NFPA 30A, Automotive and Marine Service Station Code, would apply. 

Metals, alcohols, potassium permanganate, flammable and combustible materials... 

The consequences of the accident were exacerbated by the lack of a water system dedicated to fire fighting, and by deficiencies in the shared system. When the process water system was extensively damaged by the explosion, the plant s water supply for fighting fires was also disrupted. The water pressure was inadequate for fire fighting. The force of the explosion ruptured water-lines and adjacent vessels containing flammable and combustible materials. The ruptured water lines could not be isolated to restore water pressure because the valves to do so were engulfed in flames. Of the three backup diesel pumps, one had been taken out of service and was unavailable, and another soon ran... 

The flash point is the lowest temperature at atmospheric pressure (760 mmHg, 101.3 kPa) at which application of a test flame will cause the vapor of a sample to ignite under specified test conditions. The sample is deemed to have reached the flash point when a large flame appears and instantaneously propagates itself over the surface of the sample. Flash point data are used in shipping and safety regulations to define flammable and combustible materials. Flash point data can also indicate the possible presence of highly volatile and flammable constituents in a relatively nonvolatile or nonflammable material. 

Flammable and Combustible materials that may ignite if exposed to an open flame or spark... 

Estimated values, based on the stoichiometric concentrations, for flammable and combustible materials. 

This annual symposium (which started in 1967) is organized by Loss Prevention Committee within AIChE s Safety and Health Division. The objective of the annual symposium is to help industry (refineries, chemical industry, and allied industries) to improve their safety performance by providing a forum for people in academia, industry, and the government to exchange ideas. Each symposium has five sessions covering various topics of loss prevention, such as reactive chemicals, static electricity, fires and explosions, storage of flammable and combustible materials, automation, management, and case histories. A case histories session is included. 

There shall be at least one clear aisle at least 3 feet (0.9144 meters) wide in every flammable and combustible material storage room. No container should be more than 12 feet (3.66 meters) Irom an aisle. Containers of 30 gallons (113.5 liters) capacity or larger must not be stacked more than one layer high. 

Heating baths should be in durable, nonbreakable containers and set up on a firm support so that they will not be likely to tip over. They should not be placed near flammable and combustible material, including wood and paper which, if exposed to continuing heat over a sufficient period of time, could reach kindling temperatures, or near sources of water (particularly deluge showers) which could cause the bath liquid to splatter violently from the container. In most cases, the bath temperatures are hi enough to cause severe bums. If it is necessary to move the full container, it should be done while the liquid is cool, again to avoid the risk of bums. 

Fire Protection - Flammable and combustible material control. 11.4.3... 

Storage rooms for flammable and combustible materials (29 CFR 1910.106). Mark an aisle at least 3 ft wide in every inside storage room. 

Recognize the flammable and combustible materials, particularly organic solvents, in the laboratory. Recognize any electrical equipment that may pose a Are hazard or the presence of any active metals. 

Housekeeping Storage Waste property collected and organized Floors clean Flammable and combustible materials properly stored e Materials properly piled stored Adequate storage systems e Restrooms, change areas eating areas clean and properly supplied ... 

Major elements of an occupational safety and health program address recognition, evaluation, and control of hazards. The activities may include risk assessment and charting of probability and severity of potential incidents. The activities may deal with routine functions as well as non-routine functions. Changes in operations and conditions or equipment may also trigger these activities. Inspections, reviews, and other analysis methods will help identify the hazards, the likelihood of occurrence and the potential severity. For example, there should be inspections of repair and maintenance work to ensure that guards and other protections are in place or an area is clear of flammable and combustible materials and sources of heat and fire. Previous chapters offered several methods for hazard recognition and control. 

Inspect the area for flammable and combustible material before welding or cutting begins,... 

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