Storing Corrosive Liquids Safely

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Whether you are a manufacturing or industrial business chances are high that your employees handle highly-corrosive chemicals while carrying out their jobs. Of course suitable storage of any dangerous substance is required by law, however some managers have concerns about what safety cabinets storage alternatives are to be considered.

Corrosive liquids are ones that burn, irritate, or injure organic tissue. Chemicals with a pH value less than 4.0 (acidic) or greater than 10.0 (basic) are considered corrosive. Corrosive liquids can also mix with other agents to cause fire, explosion, and toxic gases. Because of the harm to people and property that is caused by corrosive liquids, they require proper storage. The OSHA recommended way to do that is in a cabinet specifically designed for this objective, such as those made by Justrite.

Justrite Blue Steel Safety Cabinets, which come in a variety of sizes and models, feature double-wall construction, dual vents, ground-wire connections, adjustable shelves, leak-proof sills, three-point self-latching doors, and leveling feet—all of which provide storage for corrosives safely. To defend against caustic agents, Justrite cabinets also include polyethylene trays attached to galvanized steel shelves and a separate, easy-to-clean, polyethylene liner for the bottom sump. The all-epoxy, baked-on powder-coat finish, which is both inside and outside the cabinet, provides increased chemical resistance.

When storing corrosive liquids in your Justrite cabinet, here are a few procedures to remember.

· Be sure that extraneous items (like wipes) are not stored in your corrosives cabinet.

· Store acids away from reactive metals such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium.

· Store oxidizing acids away from organic acid and flammable and combustible agents—these can blend to cause a fire or explosion.

· Do not store acetic acid with oxidizing acids. Acetic acid is an organic (carboxylic) acid that will react if it comes in contact with an oxidizing acid.

· While nitric acid and hydrochloric acid can be stored in the same corrosive storage cabinet, they must have separate drip trays because, if they combine, they will form chlorine and nitrosyl chloride gases, both of which are toxic.

· Segregate acids from agents that could generate toxic or flammable gases upon contact, such as sodium cyanide, iron sulfide, and calcium carbide.

· Store acids separate from bases—when some acids and bases combine, they can do so intensely.

· Also, keep bases separated from metals, explosives, organic peroxides, and flammable materials.

Safety managers should make sure that they maintain separate cabinets from different chemicals, particularly if it is not acknowledged whether an agent is able to be stored with another. While the outlay may seem unreasonable, the savings in business liability insurance and potential injuries and damage is well worth the precaution.

In conclusion, the final step to proper corrosives storage is appropriate training of employees, particularly new employees who are still learning the properties of chemicals they work with. Even though a business takes the appropriate safety measures by providing corrosives cabinets, errors can be made by unsuitably trained workforce, and regular training programs need to be in place to offer a robust level of prevention.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Mike Richards is a safety expert specilaizing in risk management. If you thought this article was helpful, additional information on methods of storing unsafe materials and agents can be found at Industrial Safety Cabinets.

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