Guidance flammability hazards

Injuries and fatalities from asphyxiation are often associated with personnel entry into inerted equipment or enclosures. Guidance on safe procedures for confined space access are provided by OSHA (OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.146, Confined Space Entry Standard, 2000), the American National Standards Institute (ANSI, Z117.1, Safety Requirements for Confined Spaces, 2003), Hodson (Hodson, Safe Entry into Confined Spaces, Handbook of Chemical Health and Safety, American Chemical Society, 2001), and BP (BP, Hazards of Nitrogen and Catalyst Handling, 2003). OSHA has established 19.5 vol % as the minimum safe oxygen concentration for confined space entry without supplemental oxygen supply (see Table 23-18). Note that OSHA imposes a safe upper limit on 02 concentration of 23.5 vol % to protect against the enhanced flammability hazards associated with 02-enriched atmospheres. 

Individual companies, trade associations and professional bodies have issued guidance on area classifications for their particular sectors. For example, the Institute of Petroleum s and the Association for Petroleum and Explosives Administration s publication Guidance for the design, construction, modification and maintenance of petrol filling stations contains, at Chapter 3, comprehensive guidance on hazardous area classification at petrol filling stations. For petroleum and other flammable liquids in containers and bulk storage, reference should be made to HSE booklets ... 

A California statue requiring hazardous materials management was passed in 1985 (24), but guidance for compliance for industries covered by the act was not issued until 1988 (25). A revised standard, which became effective in January of 1994 (26), applies to facilities handling any of 128 toxic materials flammable liquids and gases in quantities of 10,000 lb (4.541) or more, except where used as fuel or in atmospheric pressure, ambient temperature tanks and explosives. 

This document describes the classification criteria and the hazard communication elements by type of hazard (e.g. acute toxicity flammability). In addition, decision logics for each hazard have been developed. Some examples of classification of chemicals in the text, as well as in Annex 8, illustrate how to apply the criteria. There is also some discussion about issues that were raised during the development of the system where additional guidance was thought to be necessary to implement the system. 

The distances attained by LFL concentrations define the hazardous region around a flammable liquid spill or a flammable gas or vapor release. The distances are given in Reference Tables 18, 19, 20, and 21 of the Risk Management Program Guidance [9]. 

It is unlikely that a release of flammable fluid could result in a jet fire that would cause an off-site thermal-radiation hazard, and the EPA guidelines [9] do not provide guidance concerning jet-fire hazards assessment. However, the length of a jet flame can be calculated from [7]... 

Because of the descriptive nature of the flammable solid and oxidizer definitions it is difficult to determine if a material falls within the definition of either hazard class. In efforts to make both definitions more specific and to provide tests which would allow appropriate classification, the Materials Transportation Bureau has requested comments on new definitions and proposed test methods for the flammable solid and oxidizer hazard classes. The reader should become aware of these test methods definitions since they could become part of the regulatory framework. In addition, the test methods could serve as guidance, even at present, for decisions involved in classifying a material as a flammable solid or as an oxidizer. 

Precaution Flamm. solid powd. mod. fire hazard as powd. or dust or when exposed to flame si. explosion hazard as dust incompat. with halocarbons reacts incandescently with fluorine and chlorine reacts with Li, P Hazardous Decomp. Prods. Heated to decomp, in air, emits very toxic fumes of BeO NFPA Health 3, Flammability 1, Reactivity 0 Uses Structural material in space technology moderator In nuclear reactors source of neutrons windows for x-ray tubes in gyroscopes, computer parts, inertial guidance systems additive in solid-propellant rocket fuels beryllium-copper alloys aircraft brakes neutron reflectors... 

A simple identification system used to communicate to workers the hazards of materials. HMIS is somewhat similar to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 704 Hazardous Material placard, which is used for emergency response incidents. Instead of the NFPA diamond shape, which many feared would be confused with the placarding system, the HMIS uses a four-color bar system. The top bar indicates the level of health hazard. The second bar from the top is red for Flammability the third bar from the top is yellow for Reactivity, which is used in the second edition, while Physical Hazard is used in the third edition of the guidance and white at the... 

Where there are flammable materials that constitute an explosion risk, the locations in which the explosion risk exists are called hazardous areas. These areas are classified into zones according to the extent of the risk, using guidance published in BS EN 60079-10 1996 Electrical apparatus for explosive gas atmospheres. Part 10 Classification of hazardous areas. The zones are also defined in the European Directive on minimum requirements for improving the safety and health protection of workers potentially at risk from explosive atmospheres. The zones are ... 

Oxidizers. Oxidizers are not often given as much consideration as flammable and combustible liquids. Unfortunately, while they do not bum themselves, they can increase the burning hazard in ordinary combustibles. In many cases, ordinary combustibles ean bum with the devastating fire potential of flammable liquids when influenced by oxidizers. More guidance is given in NFPA 43 A, Standard for the Storage of Liquid and Solid Oxidizers. ... 

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