Flammable Liquid Fires – and How You Can Prevent Them

Flammable liquid fires are serious incidents which can be catastrophic for businesses and those in the community. These fires are often fast-burning, toxic blazes which may cause injuries, fatalities and major damage to businesses, communities and the environment.

To help you understand the dangers associated with flammable liquid fires — and how you can prevent them in your own workplace — we’re going to introduce some real-life examples of fires that have occurred due to simple mistakes with handling and storage of these Class 3 dangerous goods. 

Real Work Incidents of Chemical Fires

You don’t have to search your news feed for long before finding an incident that involves a chemical fire. From small blazes to major incidents, we’ve found 5 real world incidents where chemical fires and explosions occurred. 

Fire Incident 1: Paint Ignited with Pilot Light

So let's start with a story about a worker who was spraying a flammable paint primer under a gas water heater. Unfortunately, they didn't turn off the pilot light at first.

The flame ignited the paint, causing a flashback, and the worker was hospitalied with serious burns.

Prevention: Clear Work Processes, Isolate Ignition Sources

The key takeaway for prevention of a fire such as this is to develop clear work procedures for handling and storing flammable liquids, including pre-operational checks for all tasks that involve the use of flammable liquids. Before using these chemicals, workers should always clear the area of ignition sources, shut down gas and electrical appliances, ensure proper ventilation and wear the correct PPE.

Paint is flammable, and must be carefully handled and store to reduce the risk of fires.

Fire Incident 2: Boiler Oil Leak Ignited

A worker was adjusting fuel flow between two strainers when pressurised oil leaked from a boiler. The oil sprayed across the room, ignited and caused second degree burns. Another worker, who was trapped at height, had to be rescued by fire services.

Prevention: Equipment Maintenance, Leak & Spill Prevention

This terrifying incident was preventable, as the equipment regularly leaked oil, meaning this accident could have been avoided with routine maintenance and inspections in place.

Some key areas to check include air vents and ducts to prevent dust ignition. Lubrication to avoid heat and sparks spill. Sumps or spill bunds to stop flammable waste from accumulating. And electrical connections to eliminate sparks and discharge.

Fire Incident 3: Diesel Fire Sparked by Falling Torch

This case involves a diesel mechanic who was cleaning a workbench with alcohol. They left the container open and when a torch fell and sparked, it ignited the vapors. The worker suffered burns and spent 12 days in hospital.

Prevention: Chemical Safety Training

That worker had not received any chemical safety training. Training workers on chemical hazards is essential. They need to understand what causes a chemical to ignite, the fire and explosion risks of the chemicals they use proper storage and handling and housekeeping procedures like keeping the lids on.

Fire Incident 4: Chemical Mixing Leads to Fire Fatality

This next case is heartbreaking. A worker was transferring toluene in an enclosed mixing room right next to an almost empty drum of methyl isobutyl ketone. An ignition occurred, triggering a flashback explosion. The worker suffered burns to 90% of their body and tragically passed away 11 days later.

Prevention: Segregation and Risk Assessments

A devastating loss, and one that could have been avoided with proper chemical segregation. Every workplace should conduct risk assessments for all highly flammable liquids. Follow Australian standards for segregating dangerous goods, store high-risk flammables in dedicated flammable liquids cabinets and remove empty chemical drums promptly.

Fire Incident 5: Jerry Can Ignited

Finally, let's talk about flammable liquids cabinets. A worker was welding when a spark flew into an open jerry can of fuel. The vapors ignited instantly, leading to serious burns.

That's why chemical containers should never be left open If they're not in use. They must be stored in a compliant Class 3 flammable liquids cabinet. These cabinets contain vapours, spills and leaks, reduce fire risks. Keep hazardous substances properly contained.

How and where your flammable liquids must be stored, the required separation distances from protected places and the maximum quantities that can be stored in minor storage are all determined by the packing group of your flammable liquids.

As flammable liquids release vapours, it's important to store them in containers with lids or caps - in a Class 3 cabinet.

Importance of Packing Groups for Fire Prevention

Packing groups are hazard groups applied to dangerous goods as assigned in the Australian Dangerous Goods Code, the ADG code.

Flammable liquids may be assigned to one of three packing groups. The packing groups are listed in Roman numerals, from most to least dangerous on a scale of one to three.

The packing groups for flammable liquids are

• Packing Group 1 (PG I) High danger
• Packing Group 2 (PG II) Medium danger
• Packing Group 3 (PG III) Low danger
  

You can learn more about Packing groups in the next Chemical Safety at Work podcast episode (see below for the audio version or stream on your preferred podcast platform).

Flash Point of Each Packing Group

But why are flammable liquid packing groups important? The classification of these dangerous goods can affect how they are handled and stored. To clarify, the packing groups of flammable liquids are defined as per their flash point – that is, the temperature at which flammable vapours will be sufficiently emitted from the substance – posing an ignition risk

Flammable liquid packing groups are:

• Packing group I (which represents high danger) has a flash point LESS than 23 degrees Celsius, with initial boiling point EQUAL or LESS than 35 degrees Celsius.
• Packing group II (which represents medium danger) has a flash point LESS than 23 degrees Celsius, with initial boiling point greater than 35 degrees Celsius.
• Packing group III (which represents low danger) has a flash point EQUAL OR GREATER THAN 23 degrees Celsius and EQUAL OR LESS THAN 60 degrees Celsius.

GHS 4: While there is no packing group assigned for goods with a GHS category of 4, these flammable liquids are low risk with a flash point GREATER than 60 degrees Celsius and EQUAL OR LESS THAN 93 degrees Celsius. 

Quick Tips for Chemical Fire Prevention

To recap, the 5 ways to avoid fires and explosions when working with flammable liquids that we discussed today are conduct pre-operational checks, carry out preventative maintenance, train workers on chemical hazards, segregate dangerous goods properly and store chemicals in a compliant flammable liquids cabinet.

For more chemical safety tips and industry news, stream and subscribe to the Chemical Safety at Work podcast. And don't forget to share with your team so everyone can stay protected and compliant.