Fire Cabinets Blog

Flammable Cabinet Features

admin — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:43:07 +0000

Here is the best presentation I have seen regarding the safety features of the Justrite Flammable Safety Cabinets. Justrite is the market leader in Flammable Goods Storage cabinets.

The Justrite cabinets meet NFPA and OSHA requirements and exceeds the the US FM Rating.

Best way to find out about the features is to quickly watch this three minute video.

Globalindustrial.com is a supplier of these Justrite cabinets in North America whilst the Justrite cabinets are distributed by Big Safety in Australia.

Technorati Tags: fire cabinet, Fire Proof Cabinet, flammable cabinet, justrite

Laboratory Fume Cabinets Fire Test

admin — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:48:20 +0000

http://www.firetrace.co.uk
Firetrace Automatic Fire Extinguisher
For use in Laboratory Fume Cabinets

Duration : 0:3:3

Technorati Tags: Cabinets, extinguishers, Fire, Firetrace, Fume, Laboratory, Laboratorys, Safety

Fire Cabinets and Flammable Substances in the workplace

admin — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:20:37 +0000

Cleaning fluids, adhesives, thinners, aerosols, paints, inks – these are the common flammable substances, frequently kept in most workplaces, which need to be stored in fire resistant cabinets. There may be other flammable substances specific to your business.

Don’t fall down on your OH&S responsibilities – or risk jeopardizing your insurance!

The main risks from the keeping and storage of hazardous substances include and not exclusive to:
o Personal injury or ill-health caused by exposure to escaping substances;
o Fire and explosion involving flammable or unstable substances in the containers;
o Fire and explosion involving flammable or unstable substances as escaping liquid, gas or vapour.

These risks may arise from either the substance leaking, spilling or seeping from its container which creates a potential fire hazard waiting for a simple form of ignition.
Alternatively, a small fire caused by some other means, may be fuelled out of control very quickly by inappropriately stored flammable substances.

However, a well-designed and properly used storage facility, and the segregation and separation of incompatible hazardous substances, should therefore present a very low risk.

So the simple answer is to keep these substances in specifically designed and labelled cabinets.

Suitable fire cabinets will have internal arrangements to contain any leaked substances. They should also have flame protected seals around openings and appropriate labelling.

To see a range of specially designed fire resistant cabinets for the storage of flammable substances, click here

Technorati Tags: Fire Cabinets, flammable substances, hazardous substance storage

Factory threatens residents having extreme amounts of dangerous goods in storage

admin — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 03:45:01 +0000

Factory stores over 400,000 litres of flammable chemicals
* EPA has rejected applications for expansion due to failure to meet standards
* Committee found factory non-compliant with environmental standards
* Company denies allegations

By Abdul Manan

A multinational paint factory in the vicinity of the Model Town Society and Ittefaq Hospital on Ferozepur Road stores about 400,000 litres of highly flammable chemicals, sources in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) told Daily Times on Saturday.

According to sources chemicals like Benzene, Toluene, Zylene, Mono-ethylene Glycone and Methyl Acrylate, acids like Taraphalic acid, organic acids, Ammonia, Dimethyle Pharmyde and Vinyl Acetate were used by the factory and were highly flammable, toxic and hazardous.

Environment Impact Assessment Director Mian Khalid Mehmood told Daily Times that he had rejected the application of the paint factory for the expansion of its existing plants because of its failure to meet requirements set by the EPA. He said that the factory dealt with highly dangerous goods, which posed a threat because of the lack of a disaster management plan.

In April, H-Block residents and Ittefaq Hospital Chief Operating Officer Abdul Qaddus filed an official complaint saying that the factory was situated near a residential area, and was putting the residents in constant danger.

In April, 2008 the EPA constituted a committee comprising experts and environmentalists to inspect the factory. The committee issued a report pointing out the following drawbacks:

· 1) The storage of dangerous goods and substances in bulk with total reported quantities of 397,638 litres without acquiring a mandatory licence/approval;

· 2) Discharging untreated sewage effluents exceeding national environmental quality standards;

· 3) Lack of proper documentation for safe management and ultimate disposal of hazardous sludge/solid waste;

· 4) Lack of proper control on emissions of fumes of hydrocarbon solvents;

· 5) Lack of buffer zone to minimise the nuisance and noise/dust;

· 6) Lack of a proper disaster management plan for the safety and protection of the surrounding community in case of a major chemical or fire accident.

On August 16, the EPA rejected the response of the company on the basis of investigation data contained in the EPA report, concluding that the unit was causing a negative effect on the environment and a threat to the nearby areas.

The EPA director general, on the same date, issued an Environment Protection Order (EPO) directing the company to stop any further expansion of the unit in terms of production capacity and installation of new equipment. The order directed the company to bring its sewage quality within the required parameters by installing a treatment facility, as well as to maintain proper documentation for the safe management and disposal of hazardous wastes. The order also directed the company to submit a disaster management plan as well as submitting a plan for the phasing out of flammable/explosive solvent-based activates at the current site to the satisfaction of the agency. The order placed a 30-day deadline on the company for compliance.

Hafiz Wazir Ali, an environmental lawyer, told Daily Times that the EPA should issue orders for the immediate halt of the plant’s operation until the store of solvents is removed. He said that after the expiry of the 30-day deadline, the case would be sent to a tribunal where it would take months before action is taken. An EPA spokesman told Daily Times that after 30 days the EPA would take stern action against the paint factory.

Technorati Tags: Dangerous goods storage, flammable goods

Are You Putting Your Stock, Facilities or Even Workers’ Lives at Risk, by Ignoring Hazardous Goods?

admin — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:07:52 +0000

By Tod Saunders

Flammable goods storage cabinets are the only way to ensure all of your flammable goods are stored appropriately, however still in reach for the next time you need them.

Flammable safety storage cabinets provide a safe, close-by, secure and time saving method for storing all types of dangerous chemicals and help you maintain good housekeeping practices.

Benefits and features

Some of the significant benefits of having flammable cabinets on site include.

Safely contain hazardous chemicals to reduce the risk of fire, protecting both personnel and facilities

Identify, organize, and segregate dangerous liquids

Offer compliance with federal OSHA regulations and state and local fire codes

Improve efficiency by allowing solvent to be stored near the points of use

Improve security with keyed locking mechanism

Features of the flammable cabinets include:-

- Fully welded construction

- 1.2 mm steel

- Double wall

- 400 mm thermal barrier

- Superior electrostatic high gloss powder coat finish

- Dual vents with built in flash arrestors

- Sequential self closing and latching doors

- 3 point locking mechanisms

- leakproof fully welded 150mm deep containment sump

- shelves with built in troughs to contain spills

- adjustable leveling feet to prevent doors binding.

Additional features of the cabinets can be found by clicking on the following link. http://www.justritemfg.com/pdf/Cabinetsfeaturesbene.pdf

Compliance to Safety Standards

Big Safety stocks only Justrite cabinets. All of the Justrite cabinets are fire tested to comply with the FM rating, something no other cabinet sold in Australia can claim, they also not only comply, but exceed Australian Standards AS 1940.

Big Safety stock a range of dangerous goods storage cabinets including cabinets for flammable goods, corrosive substances, Organic Peroxides and Pesticide storage. Cabinets are available in a range of sizes to cater for a range of market needs. This could range from 30 litres through to our 250 litres cabinets which can store 12 x 20 litre drums.

For the most corrosive acids storage, Big Safety has chemical storage cabinets made completely from Polyethylene. This will prevent the door handle or hinges falling off from corrosion due to Phenol, Nitric Acid, Sulphuric Acid or other substances with highly corrosive vapours.

These cabinets are currently being used extensively for laboratory safety, chemical and acid storage in government agencies, schools and businesses throughout Australia.

Big Safety is currently offering free delivery to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

For more information on flammable storage cabinets please check out www.bigsafety.com.au

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:- Todd Saunders has fifteen years experince in OH&S in Defence, construction and engineering. He has written numerous articles on Personal Protective and Safety Equipment to enhance the level of safety for Australian workers. His website, http://www.bigsafety.com.au provides a wealth of information on products, user guides and safety standards for your business.

Technorati Tags: Fire Cabinets, Flammable Cabinets, flammable goods storage

Is there an aftermarket replacement lock for "Fire King" file cabinets?

admin — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 02:16:21 +0000

The Fire King fireproof filing cabinet has a push-in type lock. It is 3/4" round and about 2" long. It has a long slotted head screw on the back that acts as the actuator for the drawer locking mechanism. They have "Medeco" brand keys and the blanks are not available to locksmiths. I was hoping that someone would know if "Chicago" or another aftermarket lock manufacturer makes a replacement lock.

You can get a replacement lock from Fire King (see first link)
Or you can order replacement keys (see second link)

The third link is to their tech support for "replacement lock"

The third link is a locksmith with an online catalog and 1-888 toll-free service line. You could try them too

Store your Flammable Goods in an approved Fire Cabinet

admin — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:05:24 +0000

Northhamptonshire County Man endangers community

A Northhamptonshire County Man was caught incorrectly storing 75 gallons (340 litres) of petrol stored in his gagrage. This is 17 times the legal limit. The goods were not stored in a fire proof cabinet creating an extremely dangerous fire risk to himself and the surrounding neighbours.

Councillor Liz Tavener, county council cabinet member for community safety, said: “The storage of petrol is strictly regulated because it is an extremely dangerous and highly flammable substance.

By law only 20 litres of petrol can be stored at a home or in a public space, and it must be in 10-litre metal petrol cans.
If plastic containers are used only two five-litre ones can be stored.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “The storage of petrol is regulated for obvious reasons - it increases the potential for starting a fire, speeds up the spread of fire, and increases the fire load, that is the amount of flammable items available.

Unknown quantities of flammable liquids that are not stored correctly in a fire proof cabinet greatly increase the risk of harm to the owners/worksite and the fire department who will extinguish the fire.

Click here to read more on this article http://www.daventrytoday.co.uk/news/Dangerous-amount-of-petrol-stored.4378836.jp

Technorati Tags: fire cabinet, flammable cabinet