Hazardous materials storing

Prepare and implement an emergency preparedness and response plan. Such a plan is required because of the large quantities of ammonia and other hazardous materials stored and handled on site. 

Are hazardous materials stored according to best practice ... 

The amount of hazardous chemicals on-site can be reduced by methods other than altering the scale of production. For example, the amount of hazardous material stored on-site can often be significantly reduced, and if not, the hazardous materials can be stored in many small containers in separate facilities rather than in a single container. Therefore, if a container fails, the size and catastrophic potential of the release are much reduced. In addition, the amount of material needed in the production process can be reduced by using specially designed equipment (such as Higee columns, which replace conventional distillation columns). 

Due to the containerized nature of limited hazardous material stored in the HCF, the small quantities that are used in HCF processes, and the well-confined and well-ventilated process areas where hazardous materials are used, workers are not expected to receive any measurable occupational exposure to chemicals. If exposure is anticipated or suspected, SNL industrial hygiene personnel will assist in establishing the potential for exposure or in estimating exposures and will make recommendations to implement any necessary corrective actions. There have been no chemical over-exposures associated with past activities in the HCF. 

Volumes of hazardous materials stored on a site should be kept to a minimum [24], and incompatible materials should be kept separate. The practical minimum storage volume will depend on process demands, die size of the standard shipping container, and the logistics of delivery. Large storage vessels often are needed, and these have their own seifety criteria. Standard vessel geometry depends primarily on the volatility of the liquid ... 

The NFPA and insurance firms recommend that flammable liquids and aerosol containers be separated from general storage. Hazardous materials stored in chemical operations must be identified and dealt with appropriately. 

Within each of the occupancy groups are subcategories called Divisions. The types of hazardous materials stored or used within the facility (Physical or Health Hazards as described below) dictate the Division of the H Occupancy which applies. Note also that Article 80 of the UFC may be used to determine the correct division. The following descriptions are paraphrased and abbreviated from the UBC definitions of Group H facilities (refer to Sec. 307.1.1) ... 

This is similar to the previous scenario but differs in two important respects. First, the hazardous chemical shipment is in transit, rather than at a fixed site. Second, the quantity of hazardous chemicals in any one truck or rail shipment is usually far less than the amount of hazardous materials stored at a fixed facility—large truck shipments are typically on the order of 40,000 pounds, while rail shipments can be four times higher than this. ... 

In terms of composition, earthquake waste is predominantly construction and demolition waste, that is, waste generated from the demolition of earthquake-affected structures and infrastructure. Waste materials may include metal, concrete, brick, timber, plasterboard, pipes, asphalt, etc. In some cases, where buildings collapse during the earthquake or where buildings are not safe to enter following the earthquake, the waste will include the contents of the building. This could include personal property (e.g., essential documents, money, mobile phones), carpet, furniture, electronic and electrical equipment, plastics, paper, whiteware, putrescible waste, and potentially hazardous materials stored on site (e.g., gas cylinders, oils, pesticides). The exact composition of this waste will depend on the type of building construction and nature of the earthquake impacts. 

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) detailing the chemical and physical properties of hazardous materials stored or handled in the workplace, and specific emergency response measures to be implemented to contain these materials in the event of an emergency... 

Identify and label all hazardous materials stored, handled, produced and disposed of by your facility. Follow government regulations that apply to your facility. Obtain material safety data sheets (MSDS) for all hazardous materials at your location. 

The carbonates should be plainly labeled and stored in cool, dry areas away from sources of ignition. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Hazardous Materials Regulations control the shipment of carbonates as described in Table 8. 

IntensiHcation This involves using so little hazardous material that it does not matter if it all leaks out. For example, at Bhopal, methyl isocyanate (MIC), the material that leaked and killed over 2000 people, was an intermediate for which it was convenient but not essential to store. Within a few years many companies had reduced their stocks of MIC and other hazardous intermediates. 

Attenuation Another alternative to intensification is attenuation, using a hazardous material under the least hazardous conditions. Thus large quantities of liquefied chlorine, ammonia, and petroleum gas can be stored as refrigerated liquids at atmospheric pressure instead of storing them under pressure at ambient temperature. (Leaks from the refrigeration eqmpment should also be considered, so there is probably no net gain in refrigerating quantities less than a few hundred tons.) Dyestuffs which form explosive dusts can be handled as slurries. 

Refrigeration Loss of containment of a liquefied gas under pressure and at atmospheric temperature causes immediate flashing of a large proportion of the gas. This is followed by slower evaporation of the residue. The hazard from a gas under pressure is normally much less in terms of the amount of material stored, but the physical energy released if a confined explosion occurs at high pressure is large. 

Refrigerated storage of hazardous materials that are stored at or below their atmospheric boiling points mitigates the consequences of containment loss in three ways ... 

Instrumentation (Arthur D. Little, Inc., and Levine, 1986.) Instrument systems are an essential part of the safe design and operation of systems for storing and handling highly toxic hazardous materials. They are key elements of systems to eliminate the threat of conditions that could result in loss of containment. They are also used for early detection of releases so that mitigating ac tion can be taken before these releases result in serious effects on people in the plant or in the public sector, or on the environment. 

You should be familiar with various occupancies and locations in your community where hazardous materials are used, stored, transported, or produced. To accomplish this familiarization, you must complete pre-emergency planning and inspection activities. 

Identifies hazardous material training program requirements and stores training information and schedules ... 

Refrigeration, like dilution, reduces the vapor pressure of the material being stored, reducing the driving force (pressure differential) for a leak to the outside environment. If possible, the hazardous material should be cooled to or below its atmospheric pressure boiling point. At this temperature, the rate of flow of a liquid leak will depend only on liquid head or pressure, with no contribution from vapor pressure. The flow through any hole in the vapor space will be small and will be limited to breathing and diffusion. 

Is it possible to generate hazardous reactants on site from less hazardous materials, minimizing the need to store or transport large quantities of hazardous materials ... 

Are there suitable faeilities for emergeney flushing of the eyes and body loeated near areas where hazardous materials sueh as aeids or eausties are stored (in partieular, near the waste water treatment plant) [OSHA Referenee. 151(e)]... 

Identify any potentially hazardous materials, their location and the quantities stored and in... 

Many of the incidents in this book were the result of leaks of hazardous materials, and the recommendations describe ways of preventing leaks by providing better equipment or procedures. As we have seen, equipment can fail or can be neglected, and procedures can lapse. The most effective methods, therefore, of preventing leaks of hazardous materials are to use so little that it hardly matters if it all leaks out (intensification or minimization) or to use a safer material instead (substitution). If we cannot do this and have to store or handle large amounts of hazardous material, we should store or handle it in the least hazardous form (attenuation or moderation). Plants in which this is done are said to be inherently safer because they are not dependent on added-on equipment or procedures that might fail the hazard is avoided rather than controlled, and the safety is inherent in the design. 

Stated simply, the extent of potential ha2aid depends on how much hazardous material a facility uses and the conditions under which it is contained. The quantity of material stored provides a measure of the size of any release that could result from a loss of plant integrity. The conditions under which it is contained can influence the extent of any damage that might result from the release. 

When deciding which facilities have priority, consider the inherent risk (which depends on the type and quantity of hazardous materials and the conditions under which they are processed and stored) and the extent to which these risks are controlled. 

Storage facilities for raw materials and intermediate and finished products may be located in isolated or adjoining areas. Hazardous materials should be isolated because they menace life and property when stored in large quantities. 

Cleanse tools, equipment, and clothing that have been exposed to hazardous materials before storing or reusing them. 

It is important to keep the amount of potentially hazardous waste in the laboratory to a minimum at all times. Periodically, contents of the laboratory waste containers will be transferred to appropriate containers for final disposal. These must be stored in a safe location, often outdoors, while awaiting pick-up by a disposal service. There will be local restrictions for such storage. A locked storage area may be needed, for example, to prevent unauthorized access to hazardous materials. The fire department niiay set strict limits as to how much flammable material may be present. All containers must be marked with contents, and the storage area will no doubt require warning signs. 

An account of materials stored and the hazards associated with loss of containment for various levels of release, ineluding... 

Subtitle I of RCRA was enacted to control and prevent leaks from underground storage tanks.16 It regulates substances, including petroleum products and hazardous material. Tanks storing hazardous wastes, however, are regulated under Subtitle C, and are not the concern of this chapter. 

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