Flammable corrosive liquids and substances can be highly hazardous. Therefore, it is crucial to store them correctly or they may end up corroding and harming the containers and the environment surrounding the same. Every industry needs to comply with the rules and laws that create standards for storing any type of corrosive and flammable substance. That is why businesses need to invest in the storage cabinets for these materials. Here is a guide to flammable and corrosive storage cabinets that will help meet the safety standards.
What are corrosive and flammable substances?
Any type of liquid that can cause corrosion to a surface made of metal, plastic, wood, etc., is called a corrosive substance. Most of the time, corrosive substances are either strong acids or strong bases with a pH of less than 2 or more than 12.5. These substances tend to evaporate with time and get settled on the storage walls, and eventually corrode the surface. Corrosion of the surface will cause the fumes to escape into the air outside.
Another type of substance is flammable. Now, these can catch fire and thus pose an explosion danger. Flammable substances are oxidizing in nature, which means the fumes releases oxygen that can catch fire. Many of these corrosive and flammable substances also tend to interact with the storage surface causing chemical reactions that damage the storage surface and also pose damage to the surroundings.
What are the corrosive and flammable cabinets?
To avoid the above-mentioned risks, one can now easily find cabinets that are designed for flammable and corrosive substances. One can find this sort of storage in a variety of types, which ranges from corrosive substance to flammable ones.
Units for corrosive substances are usually made of polyethylene with no metal parts. They also have sump pumps and spill trays that will help catch the spills and easy cleanup. The flammable corrosive substances are stored in units with double steel walls to contain the fire and air space between the walls to reduce the danger.
How to choose one?
Now that it is clear what these types of storage are, here are some points that will help choose the right one:
- Tested and certified: First, make sure that the cabinets are manufactured as per the standards of NFPA 30 and OSHA. Also, check if they are the third party tested to prove their quality.
- Size of the cabinet: Another factor that one should pay attention to is the size of the cabinet. One can find outdoor cabinets for a larger capacity or smaller wall-mounted, on the counter, or under the counter cabinets for storing around 4 to 50 gallons of substance.
- Category of substance: One should also refer to SDS standards and check the flash or boiling point of the liquids. Most of the storage units tend to have a separate rating based on the type of substances which can be stored in them based on the flash point.
Always choose highly reputed manufacturers of flammable and corrosive storage cabinets. Check the reviews, talk to experts and learn about the features and standards to make the right decision to avoid future hazards.