Fire safety in the lab is extremely important. There are
various aspects when it comes to safety, knowledge of chemicals, location of
safety equipment and personal protective equipment as well as many others. In
case of an emergency all employees should have the proper training to know
where to go or if the emergency is containable, know how to use the fire
extinguisher to put out the small fire before it spreads. Other safety equipment
in the lab includes: pull alarms, safety showers, emergency use telephone, fire
egress, and fire blankets. Employees that know all of these things are properly
able to respond to a fire in the lab.
An example we looked at in class is from Duke’s Laboratory
Safety Manual section 6, Fire Safety. In their instruction the employees are
encouraged to follow the RACE method in case of a fire. The acronym RACE stands
for: remove all individuals from the affected area, activate all the pull alarm
and dial 911, close all doors and windows, and extinguish the fire. This
facility follows the codes created by the National Fire Protection Association
(NFPA) for guidelines in their own fire protocol.
Fire safety in the lab is extremely important. There are
specific standards when it comes to storing flammable and combustible liquids
or materials in the lab. Combustible liquids are defined as: any liquid with a
flash point at or above 100 degrees F. Flashpoint is the temperature at which a
particular organic compound gives off sufficient vapor to ignite in air. Flammable
liquids are defined as a liquid having a flash point below 100 degrees F and
having a vapor pressure greater than 2068.6 mm Hg at 100 degrees F. There are
three classes of combustible and flammable liquids with Duke’s system. With the
National Fire Protection Association has an extensive list of flammable and
combustible liquids. Most labs narrow down these lists to make it more specific
to the chemicals used in that lab. OSHA defines flammable liquids into four
categories defined on their flash point and boiling point. OSHA also defines
flammable solids as powdered, granular, or pasty chemicals which is dangerous
if they can be easily ignited by brief contact with an ignition source. The
NFPA has a diamond that is a symbol to identify the hazards that is used for
fire fighters when entering the lab. Class IA and IB flammable liquids have a
NFPA fire hazard rating of 4. Class IC flammable liquids are rated as a 3 and
combustible liquids are rated as a 1 or 2. Four is the highest hazards for fire
and the numbers one and zero are for lower hazards. This can be confusing for
others because it is the opposite order for the GHS Hazard Categories. The fire
hazard is on the upper middle part of the diamond.
Flammable chemicals should be stored in flammable storage
cabinets. The volume of liquids that can be kept in storage cabinets is 20
gallons per one hundred square feet with a maximum of 10 gallons per one
hundred square feet being Class I liquid. The requirements vary depending on
the location and type of storage cabinet.
