Chemical Safety / MSDS :- New Chemical Safety Tools: A Closer Look

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Chapter : Chemical Safety / MSDS

New Chemical Safety Tools: A Closer Look

In this article, we'll take a closer look at the first of OSHA's new tools, an online guide titled Transitioning to Safer Chemicals: A Toolkit for Employers and Workers. Tomorrow, we'll tell you more about the annotated PEL tables and how to access them.

The two new tools designed to help employers protect their workers from exposure to hazardous chemicals.

The first tool helps employers identify safer chemicals and the second is a web resource called the "Annotated Permissible Exposure Limits," or annotated PEL tables, which OSHA says will enable employers to voluntarily adopt newer, more protective workplace exposure limits.

While use of the tools is voluntary, OSHA strongly urges businesses to adopt these measures because many of its exposure limits are outdated and do not adequately protect workers.

At the core of the toolkit is a seven-step process for evaluating current chemical use, considering alternatives, implementing substitutions, and monitoring the outcome. For each step, OSHA provides detailed information and resources to assist employers, including searchable databases of hazardous chemicals and alternatives, case studies, and risk assessment tools.

The seven steps of the process are:

1. Engage. At this step, employers should form a team to develop a plan for transitioning to safer chemical use. Issues to discuss include worker involvement, goals, and scope of the plan. OSHA recommends involving workers who perform a variety of functions across the organization in order to include a range of perspectives and experiences.
2. Inventory and prioritize. After developing a plan, employers should examine their current chemical use. What chemicals currently in use could be hazardous to workers? What functions do these chemicals perform, and are the chemicals essential? After gaining a good understanding of current chemical use and hazards, employers can set priorities by considering where the most serious hazards exist and the potential for a chemical or process change to improve workplace safety and health.
3. Identify alternatives. This step is about identifying alternatives with the potential to enhance worker safety. Employers should consider not only chemical substitutions but also changes to processes, design, technology, or materials that could lead to reduced exposure to hazardous chemicals.
4. Assess and compare alternatives. After identifying alternatives to the chemicals in use, employers should compare those that seem most promising on dimensions like price, performance, and safety. It's important to ensure that one chemical hazard isn't simply being replaced with another, so employers should make sure they fully understand any hazards of potential replacement chemicals and how they compare to current hazards.
5. Select a safer alternative. Based on the information they've gathered, employers can now choose a chemical or process change to adopt. Worker input during this stage can be helpful in weighing the advantages and disadvantages of various alternatives. Once a decision is made, employers should make sure to communicate it to all affected parties and develop a plan for implementation of the new method and/or chemical. When selecting a replacement chemical that comes with potential hazards of its own, those who will be exposed to it will need to be trained according to OSHA's hazard communication standard.
6. Test the alternative. Employers should begin by using the new process and/or chemical on a small scale in order to evaluate its performance, safety, and other key factors before making a larger commitment to the change.
7. Implement and evaluate the alternative. Employers should create a plan to implement the new chemical or process on a larger scale and communicate it to those who will be involved, making sure to consider any necessary organizational or technological changes. Once the alternative is fully implemented, continuing evaluate its performance in the workplace is important. Does the alternative meet expectations for safety, performance, and other key factors? How do workers feel about the changes? Finally, companies shouldn’t stop evaluating their chemical use after successfully making one transition. Rather, they should keep informed about the new and constantly evolving methods, chemicals, and other innovations that can improve worker safety.

Chemical Safety / MSDS :- React to Reactive Chemical Hazards

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Chapter : Chemical Safety / MSDS

Chemical Safety / MSDS :- Common HazCom Mistakes and Tips for Compliance

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Chapter : Chemical Safety / MSDS

Common HazCom Mistakes and Tips for Compliance

As per standards all employers must have to get trained workers who may be exposed to hazardous chemicals in the workplace on the dangers these chemicals may pose and how to protect  themselves.
So what pieces of the HazCom law tend to trip employers up the most?
The most common HazCom mistake is not having a written plan. Other common errors include:

• 
  Inadequate employee training
  
• Improper labels on chemical containers
• Lack of, or lack of access to, safety data sheets (SDSs)

Not Having a Plan

During an inspection, the written plan is often the first piece of your HazCom system an inspector will ask to see. Key elements of a written HazCom plan include the following:

• Identification of key personnel
• Description of the methods an employer will use to inform employees of the hazards of non-routine tasks and hazards associated with chemicals contained in unlabeled pipes in work areas
• Designation of the person(s) responsible for ensuring proper labeling and description of the labeling system .
• Designation of the person(s) responsible for obtaining and maintaining SDSs, procedures for employee access to SDSs, and description of the SDS management system
• Designation of person(s) responsible for employee training, description of the training program, and procedures for training new employees and employees who become exposed to a new hazard
• A list of all hazardous chemicals present in the workplace Inadequate Training
• Employees must be trained on hazard communication when they are initially assigned to a work area or duty in which they could be exposed to a hazardous chemical and whenever a new chemical hazard is introduced into the work area.
• Training must include information about the specific chemical hazards the employee could encounter and the appropriate PPE, control measures, and procedures for working safely with these chemicals. Employees should also be trained to read and interpret new GHS-compliant chemical labels and the 16-section SDS.

Inadequate Labeling

Each container of hazardous chemicals must be labeled, tagged, or marked. The only exceptions are pipes and piping systems and portable containers for immediate use. The labels must be in English, legible, and prominently displayed on the container or readily available throughout the work area. Other languages may be present on the label in addition to (not instead of) English if necessary.

• Hazardous chemical containers must include either the label shipped with the chemical container or a product identifier and combination of words, pictures, and/or symbols that provides information about the physical and health hazards of a chemical. There are several alternatives to these labeling procedures, but it’s important to remember that an SDS is not an acceptable substitute for a label.

Lack of SDSs

• Employees must be able to immediately access an SDS for every hazardous chemical present in the workplace at all times, without a supervisor’s permission or other barrier. Employees must be trained on how and where to access SDS, as well as how to interpret the information contained there.
• If you use an electronic SDS management system, make sure it is reliable, and have a backup system in place for emergencies and other occasions where the electronic system does not function properly.
• For mobile operations and multi employer worksites, the SDS collection can be kept at the primary workplace facility (instead of having a separate copy at each individual job site), as long as the SDS can be accessed immediately in case of emergency.

 

Chemical Safety / MSDS :- Make Sure Your HazCom Employee Training Is GHS-Compliant

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Chapter : Chemical Safety / MSDS

Make Sure Your HazCom Employee Training Is GHS-Compliant

Topic: Training

Training on label elements must include information on the type of information employees would expect to see on the new labels, including:

• Product identifier. This refers to how the hazardous chemical is identified. This can be (but is not limited to) the chemical name, code number or batch number. The manufacturer, importer or distributor can decide the appropriate product identifier. The same product identifier must be  both on the label and in Section 1 of the SDS (Identification).
• Signal word. This is used to indicate the relative level of severity of hazard and alert the reader to a potential hazard on the label. There are only two signal words, "Danger" and "Warning." Within a specific hazard class, "Danger" is used for the more severe hazards and "Warning" is used for the less severe hazards. There will only be one signal word on the label no matter how many hazards a chemical may have. If one of the hazards warrants a "Danger" signal word and another warrants the signal word "Warning" then only "Danger" should appear on the label.
• Pictogram. OSHA's required pictograms must be in the shape of a square set at a point and include a black hazard symbol on a white background with a red frame sufficiently wide enough to be clearly visible. A square red frame set at a point without a hazard symbol is not a pictogram and is not permitted on the label. OSHA has designated eight pictograms under this standard for application to a hazard category.
• Hazard statement(s). Describe the nature of the hazard(s) of a chemical, including, where appropriate, the degree of hazard. For example: "Causes damage to kidneys through prolonged or repeated exposure when absorbed through the skin." All of the applicable hazard statements must appear on the label. Hazard statements may be combined where appropriate to reduce redundancies and improve readability. The hazard statements are specific to the hazard classification categories, and chemical users should always see the same statement for the same hazards, no matter what the chemical is or who produces it.
• Precautionary statement(s). This means a phrase that describes recommended measures that should be taken to minimize or prevent adverse effects resulting from exposure to a hazardous chemical or improper storage or handling.
• Name, address and phone number of the chemical manufacturer, distributor, or importer.
• Employee training should also cover how employees might use labels in the workplace. For example:
  
  • Explain how information on the label can be used to ensure proper storage of hazardous chemicals.
  • Explain how the information on the label might be used to quickly locate information on first aid when needed by employees or emergency personnel.
  Employees must also be trained in a general understanding of how label elements work together. For example:
  
  • Explain that where a chemical has multiple hazards, different pictograms are used to identify the various hazards. The employee should expect to see the appropriate pictogram for the corresponding hazard class.
  • Explain that when there are similar precautionary statements, the one providing the most protective information will be included on the label.

  SDS Training

  Training on the format of the SDS must include information on:
  
  • Standardized16-section format, including the type of information found in the various sections For example, the employee should be instructed that with the new format, Section 8 (Exposure Controls/Personal Protection) will always contain information about  exposure limits, engineering controls and ways to protect yourself, including personal protective equipment.
  • How the information on the label is related to the SDS. For example, explain that the precautionary statements would be the same on the label and on the SDS.

Chemical Safety / MSDS :- Chemical Spill Response Training

Spill Response Training

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Chapter : Chemical Safety / MSDS

Chemical Spill Response Training

Topic: Training

Why Training Requires: 

• Chemical spills can cause great damage in the workplace and in the community.
• As such, they need to be immediately identified and reported so that they can be contained as quickly as possible.
• Training is key to stopping chemical spills in their tracks.

Here are some key actions employees need to be trained to take if they identify a chemical spill:

• Once you have identified a spill and safely evacuated the spill’s immediate area, it is safe to call for help.
• Contact your company’s emergency response team by following the procedures outlined in the Emergency Response Plan.
• Request additional resources if necessary.
• Ask for instructions on what you should do until help arrives.

When reporting the spill, you need to provide responders with some vital facts on the ground, such as:

• Information to the emergency response coordinator, including the name(s) of the chemical(s) involved in the release and the hazards of the chemical(s).
• Description of the location of the release and how it has released, such as a gas into the air, a liquid spray, or a liquid flowing over the ground
• Estimation of the quantity of released material.
• Description of the site conditions such as fire, fumes, and smoke. Describe if the chemical release has reached or soon will reach environmentally sensitive areas.
• Description of whether the area has been evacuated and if there are victims of the release that will need rescue or emergency medical treatment.

To protect yourself and others:

• Once you have determined that a release of a hazardous chemical has occurred, report it to others in the immediate area so that they can evacuate with you.
• Signal an alarm or yell to warn the other employees.
• Retreat to a predetermined assembly area or to a shelter-in-place that is a safe distance from the spill or release.

How to secure the area:

• Once you have reported the spill or release to the response personnel, secure the area around the release to keep unauthorized personnel out while waiting for the response team to arrive.
• Use caution tape, rope, cones, and barricades to create a safe zone around the area. Your emergency response plan might call for the use of specific equipment; however, you may be required to barricade with whatever is available.

Up to this point, a first responder at the awareness level (this is a level of emergency response training) has been in control of the spill scene. Once response personnel arrive, they will take over responsibility for the incident.

Customize your training around the answers to such questions as, “what reporting procedures are used at your company?” and “do you respond to spills in-house?”

Chemical Safety / MSDS :- Spill Clean up

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Chapter : Chemical Safety / MSDS

Spill Clean up

Chemical spill prevention plans required by state and federal law must include provisions for spill cleanup. 

The following Best Management Practices will help prevent runoff in the event of a spill:

1. Properly clean up and dispose of any spilled substance immediately to protect personnel from potential fire and health hazards and the environment.
2. Ensure that no spilled materials are washed into the streets, gutters, storm drains, or creeks.
3. If possible, use dry cleaning methods to clean up spills to minimize the use of water.
4. Use a rag for small spills, a damp mop for general cleanup, and absorbent material for larger spills.
5. Never hose down or bury dry material spills. Sweep up the material and dispose of properly.
6. Clean up chemical materials with absorbents, gels, and foams. Use adsorbent materials on small spills rather than hosing down the spill. Remove the adsorbent materials promptly and dispose of properly.
7. If the spilled material is hazardous, then used cleanup materials are also hazardous and must be handled as hazardous waste.

Chemical Safety / MSDS :- Spill Prevention

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Chapter : Chemical Safety / MSDS

Spill Prevention

Typically, most businesses and public agencies that generate hazardous waste and/or produce transport, or store petroleum products are required by state and federal law to prepare spill control and cleanup plans.

A Spill Prevention Plan is applicable to facilities that transport, transfer, and/or store hazardous materials, petroleum products, or fertilizers that can contaminate storm water runoff. 

Regulations include the following provisions:-

• Spill response and prevention plans should clearly state measures to stop the source of a spill, contain the spill, clean up the spill, dispose of contaminated materials, and train personnel to prevent and control future spills.
• Spill prevention plans are most applicable to construction sites where hazardous wastes are stored or used.
• The preliminary steps include: 
1. Identifying potential spill or source areas such as loading and unloading, storage, and processing areas; places that generate dust or particulates; and areas designated for waste disposal; and, 
2. Evaluating stationary facilities that include manufacturing areas, warehouses, service stations, parking lots, and access roads.
• Employees must be trained in spill control response procedures, post-spill response procedures and be provided with emergency phone numbers.
• Emergency spill containment and cleanup kits should be located at the facility site. The contents of the kit should be appropriate to the type and quantities of chemical or goods stored at the facility.
• Spill kits must be inspected and maintained in all activity areas.
• Re-fuel equipment in a designated area to minimize contamination. Pay attention to location so that spills would not enter water streams or storm water. Consider dikes or a secondary containment system.

Chemical Safety / MSDS :- Responding to Chemical Spills: First Critical Actions

Responding to Chemical Spills: First Critical Actions

Topic: Chemical Safety

When hazardous chemicals are present at a facility, it is essential for employees to be trained to respond effectively in the event of a spill.

Here are some key actions employees should take immediately if they detect a spill:

• Once a spill has been identified, employees should evacuate the spill’s immediate area, retreating to a predetermined assembly area or shelter-in-place that is a safe distance from the spill or release.
• When they are safe, workers should report the spill, contacting the company’s emergency response team by following the procedures outlined in the Emergency Response Plan.
• Employees should ask for instructions about what they should do until help arrives.

When reporting the spill, employees should provide responders with key information, such as:

• The name(s) of the chemical(s) involved in the release and the hazards of the chemical(s)
• The location of release and how it has released, such as a gas into the air, a liquid spray, or liquid flowing over the ground, etc.
• An estimate the quantity of released material
• Site conditions such as fire, fumes, and smoke
• Indications that the chemical release has reached or soon will reach environmentally sensitive areas
• Whether the area has been evacuated and if there are victims of the release that will need rescue or emergency medical treatment

Employees should also be trained to secure the area, if appropriate. For example:

• If safe to do so, designated employees may secure the area around the release to keep unauthorized personnel out while waiting for the response team to arrive.
• They may use caution tape, rope, cones, and barricades to create a safe zone around the area. (Your emergency response plan might call for the use of specific equipment; however, employees may be initially have to barricade with whatever is available.)
• Turn over control of the spill area to emergency response personnel once they arrive on the scene.

Chemical Safety / MSDS :- How To Handle Chemical Spills

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Chapter : Chemical Safety / MSDS

How To Handle Chemical Spills

Your safety training helps ensure things go right when you do your job. Your training also includes what to do when things go wrong. You are trained to prevent spills when you work with chemicals, but your training also tells you how to respond to one.

Unplanned release of a chemical can have devastating effects. Skin and eye burns, damage to the lungs, fire and explosion, corrosive damage to materials, pollution of air, soil and water, and danger to the public are just some of the possible consequences of a chemical spill.

Chemical spills can be in the form of liquids, solids such as pellets, gases and vapors. They can be flammable (quick to burn or explode), corrosive (damaging to human tissue or other materials), or toxic (poisonous to humans and other living things).

The time to deal with a chemical spill is long before it happens, by rehearsing what you will do and obtaining the supplies you will need for self-protection and cleanup.

First, you need to learn all you can about the chemicals used and stored in your work area. What are the hazards? What would happen if the chemical were exposed to air, oxygen, a spark, water or even motion? Is the chemical corrosive, causing burns to human tissue?

If breathed in, could it damage the respiratory system, cause unconsciousness or death? Are there possible long-term effects from chemical exposure, such as cancer? You will get this type of information from your training, the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), container label and other sources.

Here are some basic procedures you can learn for dealing with a spill. Be sure to get the specific steps you should take for the chemicals you work with.

• Alert people in the area of the spill.
• Call the appropriate emergency numbers, which should be posted at each telephone.
• Attend to any injured persons, removing them from exposure and getting to a safety shower if necessary.
• Depending on the nature of the chemical, you might need to open windows and doors to provide ventilation, close up the affected area to contain spills or turn off heat and other ignition sources.
• If you are trained and authorized, use the appropriate materials to absorb or contain the spill. For instance, you might have kits to neutralize spilled acids or bases. For other chemicals, you could be required to sprinkle an absorbent litter on a spill, or surround the spill with a dam.

Do not attempt cleanup under these circumstances:

• You don’t know what the spilled material is.
• You don’t have the necessary protection or the right equipment to do the job.
• The spill is too large.
• The spill is highly toxic.
• You feel symptoms of exposure.

Learn your part in the spill response plan for your department. If there is no such plan, ask your supervisor to work with the management and safety department in establishing one.

Chemical Safety / MSDS :- Emergency Chemical Spill Response

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Chapter : Chemical Safety / MSDS

Emergency Chemical Spill Response

In the event of a chemical spill, the person who caused the spill is responsible for cleaning it up. It’s also their responsibility to have clean-up materials and equipment readily available. For these, and other safety reasons, it’s very important to know the properties of the chemicals you work with or handle. Use the SDS sheets on each chemical to learn about the level of protection required, proper handling and cleanup of chemicals used. Let’s review the guidelines for responding to emergency chemical spills.

Materials & Equipment for Cleanup

• PPE: Chemical resistant gloves, aprons, footwear, and splash proof eye/face protection. You should only use respiratory protection if you’ve been trained, approved, and fit tested for proper and safe use
• Absorbents: spill socks, vermiculite, or clay (kitty litter) can be used to contain and soak up spills
• Containers: Approved plastic bags can be used to collect absorbents on small spills. Five-gallon pails or 20-gallon drums with liners may be appropriate for larger quantities
• Pick-up equipment: a brush and scoop, or broom and shovel, for picking up contaminated absorbent material
• Neutralizers: made for acid or alkalines, many show a color change when neutralization is complete
• Detergents and cleaning supplies: to thoroughly clean surfaces of any residual chemical

Handling Chemical Spills

• If the chemical is hazardous and in an enclosed area, immediately alert room occupants and evacuate the area, if necessary
• If there is a fire or medical attention is needed, contact 108 (India) for other countries local emergency contact number.
• Attend to anyone who may be contaminated. Contaminated clothing and jewelry must be removed. Immediately flush the skin with water for at least fifteen minutes. Get medical attention and provide information on the chemical to medical personnel. Check the SDS for any delayed or residual effects. Clothing must be laundered before reuse
• If a volatile or flammable material is spilled, immediately warn everyone in the area, control sources of ignition and ventilate the area
• Use personal protective equipment as appropriate to the hazards (Refer to the Safety Data Sheet or other references).
• If the spill is large, if there’s been a release to the environment, or if no one knowledgeable about spill clean-up is available, call 108
• Never enter a contaminated atmosphere without protection or use a respirator without approval and training. If you need to use a respirator, be sure there is another person outside the spill area in communication in case of an emergency
• Contain the spill as soon as possible with a row of absorbents. Protect floor drains or other means from environmental release. Spill socks and absorbents can be placed around drains, as needed
• Loose spill control materials should be distributed over the entire spill area, working from the outside, circling to the inside. This reduces the chance of splash or spreading of the spilled chemical. Bulk absorbents and many types of spill pillows may not work for every chemical. Make sure the spill cleanup materials are appropriate to the chemical
• When spilled materials have been absorbed, put the materials in a container with a broom and scoop or shovel
• If the spill is on outside soil, use a shovel to dig up any contaminated earth. Dispose of the contaminated dirt with the absorbent material to prevent the chemical from entering ground water
• Label container(s) with hazardous waste stickers listing the contents as Spill Debris containing the chemical name
• Remember that using an adsorbent doesn’t alter the chemical properties of that chemical
• Decontaminate the surface where the spill occurred using a mild detergent and water

Check with the local EPA office or local fire, police, or health departments for disposal instructions of hazardous waste, and directions to a suitable disposal site

Chemical Safety / MSDS :- Elements of a Chemical Hygiene Plan

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Chapter : Chemical Safety / MSDS

Chemical Safety / MSDS :- Strategies for Reducing Chemical Exposure Risk

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Chapter : Chemical Safety / MSDS

Strategies for Reducing Exposure Risk

Hazardous chemicals are a real and present danger in workplaces. If yours is one of them, train your workers to avoid the risk of exposure.

1. Know What You're Up Against

• Pay attention to safety training, and learn all you can about potential hazards.
• Ask questions whenever you’re not sure about a hazard or protective measure.
• Read the chemical label and MSDS to learn about:
  -Health problems that can result from exposure, and
  -Routes of exposure.

2. Use Assigned Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

• Read the MSDS to find out which type of PPE will protect you from exposure.
• Select PPE that's in good condition and fits properly.
• Remove and dispose of PPE carefully to prevent the spread of contamination.

3. Handle Chemicals Safely

• Inspect containers regularly, and report leaks and missing or unreadable labels.
• Keep containers closed when not in use.
• Remove from a container only the amount you need for a job.
• Use required ventilation to remove vapors.
• Store and use chemicals away from conditions that could cause hazardous reactions.

4. Practice Good Hygiene

• Keep food, drink, tobacco products, cosmetics, and street clothes out of hazardous areas.
• Wash thoroughly after working with hazardous chemicals.
• Launder separately work clothes that may be contaminated.

5. Know What to Do in an Emergency

• Clean up spills and leaks immediately if you are authorized and trained to do so, or alert trained responders.
• Follow your evacuation route immediately in an emergency.
• Act fast after contact with a hazardous material:
  -Get into fresh air after inhalation; then get medical attention.
  -Flush with water after skin or eye contact; then get medical attention.
  -Get immediate medical attention after swallowing a hazardous material.

Why It Matters

• The basic goal of hazard communication is to ensure your employees understand the hazards of chemicals and the precautions they must take to protect their safety, health, and the environment.
• Now, under the GHS, the Hazard Communication Standard will change,with the international system.
• Employees need to understand the Hazard Communication Standard, the risks of exposure, the new GHS-compliant chemical labels and SDSs, and measures they can take to protect themselves.

Chemical Safety / MSDS :- Flammable Liquids in Industrial Plants

Flammable Liquids in Industrial Plants

Good housekeeping is an absolute requirement when there are hazardous materials in your work. Most industrial plants have some kind of flammable liquids on site. And since the primary hazards are explosion and fire, the consequences of improper storage and handling can be disastrous.

Refer 29 CFR 1910.106(a)(19)

"Flammable Liquid" means any liquid having a flashpoint at or below 199.4°F (93°C).

Flammable liquids are divided into four categories as follows:

• Category 1 includes liquids having flashpoints below 73.4°F (23°C) and having a boiling point at or below 95°F (35°C).
• Category 2 includes liquids having flashpoints below 73.4°F (23°C) and having a boiling point above 95°F (35°C).
• Category 3 includes liquids having flashpoints at or above 73.4°F (23°C) and at or below 140°F (60°C). When a Category 3 liquid with a flashpoint at or above 100°F (37.8°C) is heated for use to within 30°F (16.7°C) of its flashpoint, it must be handled in accordance with the requirements for a Category 3 liquid with a flashpoint below 100°F (37.8°C).
• Category 4 includes liquids having flashpoints above 140°F (60°C) and at or below 199.4°F (93°C). When a Category 4 flammable liquid is heated for use to within 30°F (16.7°C) of its flashpoint, it must be handled in accordance with the requirements for a Category 3 liquid with a flashpoint at or above 100°F (37.8°C).

When liquid with a flashpoint greater than 199.4°F (93°C) is heated for use to within 30°F (16.7°C) of its flashpoint, it must be handled in accordance with the requirements for a Category 4 flammable liquid.

Flammable Liquids in Industrial Plants

Rules for flammable liquids in industrial plants are found at 29 CFR 1910.106(e). Here's a quick review.

Incidental storage or use of flammable liquids. All storage must be in tanks or closed containers. The quantity of liquids allowed in manufacturing/production areas (outside of primary storage) is limited according to the liquid category and whether a container or a tank is utilized for storage. Transfer of liquids must be separated from other operations by adequate distance or fire-resistant construction. A closed piping system, safety cans, or a gravity system may be used for transfer. Air pressure transfer is prohibited. Adequate ventilation must be maintained. Means of spill or leakage prevention, control, cleanup, and disposal must be provided. Any possible source of ignition must be eliminated when using Category 1 liquids.

Unit-physical operations. Physical operations are restricted to operations not involving chemical change. All buildings and equipment must be accessible for fire-fighting purposes. Unstable liquids and small-scale chemical processes must be isolated by a 2-hour (minimum) firewall. Emergency drainage systems must direct flammable liquids to a safe location. Appropriate ventilation must be maintained when using Category 1 liquids so as to provide adequate air exchange, discharge to a safe location, and proper ventilation of floor areas or pits. Equipment must be of appropriate design for use with Category 1 liquids so as to limit flammable vapor-air mixtures.

Tank vehicle and tank car loading and unloading. The distance of separation from aboveground tanks, warehouses, other plant buildings, or nearest adjoining property lines is based on liquid category. Fire control. Fire control equipment, water supply, and any special extinguishing equipment must be adequately maintained and periodically inspected and be appropriate in quantity and type for the potential hazards. Local fire marshals must be consulted to determine specific requirements.

Fire control. Fire control equipment, water supply, and any special extinguishing equipment must be adequately maintained and periodically inspected and be appropriate in quantity and type for the potential hazards. Local fire marshals must be consulted to determine specific requirements.

Sources of ignition. Possible sources of ignition must be carefully identified and controlled. Dispensing of Category 1 liquids must be done with proper grounding.

Electrical. Locations (including surrounding areas) where flammable vapor-air mixtures may exist under normal conditions must meet Class I, Division 1 standards. Locations (including surrounding areas) where flammable vapor-air mixtures may exist under abnormal conditions must meet Division 2 standards. If only Category 3 and 4 liquids are used, ordinary electrical equipment is permitted.

Maintenance and repair. Maintenance and repair, including hot work, are permitted only under the supervision of a responsible individual in charge. This individual must make an inspection of the area before and after work.

Housekeeping. Housekeeping must be adequate to control leaks and prevent spills. Aisle space must be adequate for fire response access. Combustible wastes and residues must be minimized, stored properly, and disposed of daily. Ground area around buildings and unit operating areas must be kept free of weeds, trash, or other unnecessary combustible materials.