Chemical Storage

Guidelines

See "Lab Safety Survey" for details

1. INVENTORY & DISPOSAL
Inventory & dispose of any unused hazardous chemicals.

The quantity of chemicals stored should not exceed the amount needed for 1 or 2 semesters.

2. SEPARATE CHEMICAL STORAGE ROOM

Store chemicals in a dedicated room separate from the classroom, prep room, equipment storage, sensitive equipment or electrical cutoffs.

3. SECURITY

The room should not be accessible to students or non-science adults (custodians, non-science faculty, etc.), except for designated administrators. Chemicals must be stored in a regulated area w/entry allowed only for authorized personnel.

"Authorized Personnel Only" signs in the regulated areas.

Chemicals should not stored in areas regularly traveled by students or in a classroom.

Poisons must be stored under lock at all times.

4. SPACE

10 sq.ft. of storage & preparation space /student is needed.

Shelves should be no more than12 inches wide for chemical storage.

There must be sufficient space to allow reaching any chemical easily w/o knocking over adjacent containers.

Shelves or cabinets must be secured to floor &/or wall with sufficient # of attachments to keep cabinets from falling.

Portable shelves are secured to walls or ceilings w/ sufficient # of attachments and are thick enough to support substantial amount of weight

5. VENTILATION

Well-ventilated - 6-8 air changes per hour(1 ft3 /min./1 ft2 floor space) is required.

Continuous ventilation in storeroom is required 24 hrs/day, 365 days/yr.

Vented to outside of the building & not recirculated inside the building to recirculate polluted air. The exhaust (on roof) must be ventilated away from air intake.

6. FIRE PROTECTION

The chemical storeroom must have a smoke & fire detector with an alarm. The chemical storeroom should have lockable, fireproof doors that open outward.

There must be a separate dedicated appropriate flammable storage cabinet.

7. COMPATIBLE CHEMICAL STORAGE

Incompatible materials must be separated from each other. Chemicals must be stored in compatible chemical families (not alphabetical or other unsafe methods). See chemical company catalogs for suggested storage patterns (Flinn, Fisher, etc). Most chemical manufacturers have settles on a fice-color scheme for segregating chemicals. Red for flammables, blue for health hazards, yellow for oxidiaers, white for corrosives, and fifth color for less hazardous chemicals.

Store organics separate from inorganics, the further divide them into related & compatible families. Store acids & bases separately. Store flammables & oxidizers separately. Within each of the categories, chemicals can be arranged alphabetically.

Acids, bases, oxidizers, flammables, & toxics should be stored away from other less hazardous chemicals.

Nitric acid must be stored separately from organics.

Corrosives should not be stored above eye level.

Acids must be stored separately on totally non-metal shelves or supports.

Caustics must not stored in metal cabinets or cabinets w/ metal guides or clips.

Do not place an acid storage cabinet on top of a flammables storage cabinet.

There must be sufficient distance between chemical families.

Flammables must be stored in adedicated, grounded, & approved cabinet or safety cans.

Chemicals should be stored no more than 2 containers deep.

No chemicals should be stored on the floor.

Store tall items at back of shelf and heavy glassware on lower shelves

No chemical containers should be stacked double.

8. EYE PROTECTION

Goggles are worn by anyone entering or working in the chemical storeroom.

No chemicals should be stored above eye level.

9. LABEL

Properly label primary container (as required by THCA) w/

a. Name,

b. Hazard (including target organs) alert

c. Name/address of supplier/manufacturer

Properly label (name & hazard w/target organs) any secondary container when a chemical is transferred from the original container.

Other useful label information - date of acquisition,chemical's strength or purity, secure, water-proof label.

10. REFRIGERATOR

Only chemicals & living cultures (no food) can be stored in the lab refrigerator.

Volatile or explosive chemicals (ether, etc.) must be stored in an explosive proof refrigerator.

NOTE: This list is not complete & is intended to cover the information needed in an average school situation.

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