OSHA’s Flammable Liquids regulation, 1910.106, applies to all persons who handle, use, store, or transport flammable liquids. A flammable liquid means any liquid having a flashpoint at or below 199.4°F (within that definition, there are four categories of flammable liquids).

Action steps

• Ensure flammable liquids are stored and handled properly.
• Familiarize yourself with the different categories of flammable liquids (this will determine storage and usage requirements).
• Ensure containers meet the design requirements in 1910.106.
• Provide adequate drainage, dikes, and walls for tanks.
• Take precautions to prevent ignition by eliminating or controlling sources of ignition.
• Ensure the design (including selection of materials) fabrication, assembly, test, and inspection of piping systems containing flammable liquids is suitable for the expected working pressures and structural stresses.
• Provide suitable emergency and fire protection.
• Ensure adequate ventilation.
• Install electrical wiring properly.
• Follow proper procedures for dispensing liquids.

Training action plan

Any employee involved in storage, transfer, use, or disposal of flammable liquids needs to be trained to handle them safely and to follow your company’s established procedure.

Generally, training content should cover:

• Categories of flammable liquids,
• Handling procedures,
• Storage procedures, and
• Spill cleanup.

In addition, if your company receives, stores, or handles flammable liquids in storage tanks in areas that have the potential to flood, you need to have employees trained on emergency response procedures.

A hands-on approach is appropriate in this part of the training session. In fact, you may want to demonstrate how to do specific procedures related to flammables at your facility. Then allow each employee to try the procedure, so they can perform them correctly and so they will remember them better.

Tips

• When transferring flammable liquids, always bond and ground the containers.
• If purchasing plastic containers of five gallons or less for use with flammable liquids, purchase those with a built-in metal grounding strip.

Checklist

Review these checklists to ensure flammable liquid safety at your facility.

Containers

• Are all connections on drums and piping, vapor and liquid tight?
• Are all flammable liquids kept in closed containers when not in use (e.g., parts cleaning tanks, pans, etc.)?
• Are approved containers and portable tanks used for the storage and handling of flammable liquids?
• Are bulk drums of flammable liquids grounded and bonded to containers during dispensing?
• Are flammable liquids, such as gasoline, kept in an approved safety can?
• Are portable storage tanks equipped with emergency venting that will relieve excessive internal pressure caused by fire exposure?
• Are safety cans used for dispensing flammable liquids at a point of use?
• Are storage cabinets used to hold flammable liquids, labeled “Flammable — Keep Fire Away”?
• Are storage tanks adequately vented to prevent the development of excessive vacuum or pressure as a result of filling, emptying, or atmosphere temperature changes?

Handling

• Are all containers over 30 gallons in inside storage rooms stacked individually?
• Are firm separators placed between containers of combustibles or flammables, when stacked one upon another, to assure their support and stability?

Storage

• Are “No Smoking” rules enforced in areas involving storage and use of hazardous materials?
• Are all solvent wastes, and flammable liquids kept in fire-resistant, covered containers until they are removed from the worksite?
• Are all spills of flammable liquids cleaned up promptly?
• Is proper storage of flammable materials practiced to minimize the risk of fire including spontaneous combustion?
• Is there one clear aisle at least 3 feet wide?