Flammable Liquids
Are "safety cans" created equally? Nope, and which UL standard they meet will dictate how much "safety they provide." OSHA's 1910.106 defines a "safety can" as
NFPA has a slightly different definition: Membership Content
Have you ever walked up to a atmopsheric storage tank and seen the paint bubbling and the hazard signs/placards faded/peeling off? Look up and you will most likely see the atmopsheric vent line on that side of the tank. What are these indicators of? The tank being over filled, which is a serious event and is certainly a Loss of Primary Containment (LOPC) event. But these days, these events should be a thing of the past, as the IFC and most state Fire Codes now require these flammable liquid Storage Tanks to have "Overfill" safety systems. (emphasis and revised structure by me)
Although it is done often, most state Fire Codes PROHIBIT the use of DOT tank vehicles and tank cars as "Flammable Liquid Storage Tanks." We call this "dropping trailers," and my 2014 Article "Dropping Trailers of Flammable Liquids" got quite the debate going. But trust me, there are sound engineering reasons why we can not and should not use DOT shipping containers as "flammable liquid" storage tanks. In this article, I provide those sound engineering reasons. Hint: Materials of Construction! NOTE: this unsafe practice can also have an impact on PSM/RMP coverage! Here is the OH Fire Code language (mimics the IFC) (emphasis by me)
This is another opportunity for facility sitting to apply specific metrics to the exercise. Just as the distances for Tank Truck and Rail Car Unloading/Loading facilities are intended to protect our bulk storage tanks, this is intended to prevent BLEVE(s) that could impact the above-ground storage tank. (emphasis by me)
SAFTENG members can download the image depicting this requirement
In some cases, we can actually put specific measurements in our "facility siting" analysis. Take, for example, an old but often missed distance between the tank truck/railcar and the closest aboveground tank. (emphasis by me)
Here is what this looks like: SAFTENG Members can download the full image without watermark and the analysis of NFPA 30 as it applies to these requirements...
A common question we get regarding flammable liquids is: Do we have to ground and bond non-conductive containers smaller than 5 gallons?
The proper question should be... what do we need to do to SAFELY transfer flammable liquids into non-conductive containers that are 5 gallons and smaller?
The British Columbian Worker's Compensation Board standard says it best and offers us four (4) means/methods by which we can control static when filling these smaller, non-conductive containers. |
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