When you work with dangerous or hazardous goods, you need to understand how to store them safely. Class 3 flammable liquids can cause workplace fires and explosions, so it's vital that they’re stored in carefully controlled environments. In this blog, we look at the flash points of commonly used flammable liquids and detail the requirements for their safe storage.
To understand the hazards associated with flammable liquids and their flash points, we should first look at the definition of a flammable liquid.
The Australian Dangerous Goods (ADG) Code, states that flammable liquids are liquids that give off enough flammable vapours — at temperatures of 60 °C closed-cup test, or not more than 65.6 °C, open-cup test — to ignite in the presents of an ignition source (known as the flash point).
The ADG Code explains that the flammable liquids class also includes:
CHAPTER 2.3 - CLASS 3 – FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS
2.3.1.2 Flammable liquids
(a) liquids offered for transport at temperatures at or above their flash point; and
(b) substances that are transported or offered for transport at elevated temperatures in a liquid state and which give off a flammable vapour at a temperature at or below the maximum transport temperature.
NOTE: The results of open-cup tests and of closed-cup tests are not strictly comparable and even individual results by the same test are often variable.
As we have discussed, the flash point of a flammable liquid is the lowest temperature at which vapours of that liquid will ignite when close to an ignition source.
As temperatures increase, and flammable fuels become more gaseous, they will generally give off certain levels of vapour. When there is sufficient vapour to ignite, the flash point has been reached.
Therefore, with the potential for ignition, safety is paramount when you’re considering the storage of flammable liquids. Everyone in your team, and particularly those responsible for WH&S, need to be educated about the flash points of fuels.
Unless all staff are paying close attention to the flash points of these substances, there is the very real threat of fires and explosions.
To get you started, we’ve collated some common examples of flammable liquids and their flash points — from lowest to highest. Read on to learn more about the hazards associated with flammable goods and their respective flash points.
When you’re dealing with flammable liquids with a flash point below 0, you need to treat them with extreme care. These goods can ignite at any temperature.
To prevent the risk of workplace fires and explosions, flammable liquids with a flash point below 0 should generally be stored in a secure, temperature-controlled environment.
Petrol is a flammable liquid with a flash point below 0°C.
The following examples are flammable liquids that have flash points near room temperature. This means that they can produce enough flammable vapours to ignite in normal storage and handling circumstances.
A higher flash point means that the flammable liquid will ignite once temperatures hit a higher range. The following are some common examples of substances that have the higher flash point.
Unfortunately, real-life incidences involving the ignition of flammable liquids are a common feature in news headlines across the globe. From petrol pump fires to factory blazes, we share some examples of the serious hazards associated with flammable liquids and their flash points.
The driver of a black sedan was lucky to avoid disaster as his Skoda Superb caught on fire at the fuel pump.
Having left his vehicle while it was refuelling, the car burst into flames which spread through the handpiece and hose to the gas station.
NDTV reported that petrol spilled over during the refuelling, with the heat from the vehicle causing the fire. Emergency crews reached the scene quickly and were able to contain the fire.
A fire-storey column holding biodiesel at a Missouri stockyard holding biodiesel caught fire, with the top level engulfed in flames.
The fire department suggested that the blaze may have started when the biodiesel residue ignited after being heated by the sun.
News-Press Now stated that members of the fire crew suffered minor burns and one firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion.
A factory containing tens of thousands of litres of flammable and dangerous liquids became a raging toxic inferno when a massive fire broke out.
Fire crews arrived at the scene to see giant fireballs leaping 50m into the air.
Channel 9 reported that local residents were evacuated as 150 firefighters worked for hours to contain the blaze. When the blaze was under control by fire crews, residents were told to stay indoors and keep their windows shut to stop toxic smoke entering their properties.
Chemical fires can occur such as this devestating factory Fire in Sydney
Hazardous goods storage is a serious workplace issue which needs to be taken seriously by your staff. It’s important to understand flammable liquids and their flash points, so you can make sure that they’re handled and stored in the appropriate manner. As a rule of thumb, flammable liquids should be stored in cool, dry, ventilated and secure areas to minimise the potential for fire or explosion. If you’d like to find out if your dangerous goods storage systems are safe and compliant, you can quickly download our free eBook Outdoor Dangerous Goods Storage Checklist.