['Hazardous Materials Safety - OSHA']
['Flammable Liquids']
12/12/2024
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Washington’s state requirements regarding flammable and combustible liquids include a substantial amount of regulatory information beyond the federal requirements. Click the link(s) below to view the applicable requirements.
Citations
Washington:
WAC 296-24-330 Flammable and combustible liquidsWAC 296-24-370 Spray finishing using flammable and combustible materialsWAC 296-835 Dipping and coating operations (dip tanks)
Federal: 29 CFR 1910.106, .107, .122, .123, .124, .125, and .126
A summary of the additional requirements includes the following:
- Tanks may have combustible or noncombustible linings, and may be of any shape or type consistent with sound engineering design.
- For the installation of outside above ground tanks, Washington’s regulations contain four tables showing the required minimum distances from such tanks to neighboring property lines and public ways. The tables also govern the minimum distance required between every outside above ground tank and important buildings on the same property.
- Where end failure or horizontal pressure tanks and vessels may expose property, the tank must be placed with the longitudinal axis parallel to the nearest important exposure.
- For above ground tanks, a slope of at least 1 percent away from the tank toward the drainage system must be provided.
- The distance between two above ground flammable liquid storage tanks must be at least three feet (shell-to-shell).
- Spherical and spheroidal tanks must be protected by applicable methods as specified for either vertical or horizontal tanks.
- Washington has amended tables H-14 and H-15 to specify (1) maximum storage heights, and (2) that containers of Class C liquids may not be stored in basements.
- For storage located adjacent to buildings located on the same premises and under the same management, the building must be a one-story building devoted principally to the handling and storing of flammable or combustible liquids or the building must have 2-hour fire-resistive exterior walls having no opening within 10 feet of the storage.
- For additional requirements relating to portable fire extinguishers see WAC 296-800-300.
- Package cargo of flammable and combustible liquids, including full and empty drums, bulk fuel, and stores may be handled over a wharf and at such times and places as may be agreed upon by the wharf superintendent and the senior deck officer on duty. Wharves at which flammable or combustible liquid cargoes are to be transferred in bulk quantities to or from tank vessels must be at least 100 feet from any bridge over a navigable waterway, or from an entrance to or superstructure of any vehicular or railroad tunnel under a waterway. The termination of the wharf loading or unloading fixed piping must be at least 200 feet from a bridge or from an entrance to or superstructure of a tunnel. Tanks used exclusively for ballast water or Class II or Class III liquids may be installed on suitably designed wharves.
- Mechanical work must not be performed on a wharf during cargo transfer, except under special authorization by a delegated person or the delegated person’s authorized representative based on a review of the area involved, methods to be employed, and precaution necessary.
- At service stations, accurate inventory records must be maintained and reconciled on all Class I liquid storage tanks for possible indication of leakage from tanks or piping.
- At automotive service stations provided in connection with tenant or customer parking facilities at or below grade level in large buildings of commercial, mercantile, or residential occupancy, tanks containing Class I liquids must not exceed 6,000 gallons individual or 18,000 gallons aggregate capacity.
- No sale or purchase of any Class I, II, or III liquids may be made in containers unless those containers are clearly marked with the name of the product contained within.
- At service stations, emergency controls must be installed at an acceptable location, but controls must not be more than 100 feet from dispensers. Instructions for the operation of dispensers must be conspicuously posted.
- Dry spray booths equipped with a filter roll which is automatically advanced when the air velocity is reduced should be arranged to cause shutdown of spraying operations if the filter roll fails to advance automatically. Maintenance procedures should be established to assure replacing filter pads before excessive restriction to airflow occurs. Filter pads should be inspected after each period of use and clogged filter pads discarded and replaced.
- Washington state adds anodizing and dyeing operations to its list of examples of dipping and coating operations. However, while federal OSHA includes curtain coating on its list, Washington state is missing curtain coating from its list.
- Some, or all, of the consensus standards (such as ANSI and NFPA) may have been revised. If you comply with a later version of a consensus standard referenced in WAC 296-835, you will be considered to have complied with any previous version of the same consensus standard.
- Limit the vapor area around dip tanks to the smallest practical space by using mechanical ventilation.
- When monitoring the concentration of vapor, the lower flammable limit concentration in the air must be determined after the air passes through the air-cleaning device and before the air reenters the workspace. Most substances will pose a health hazard at a concentration far below twenty-five percent of its lower flammable limit (LFL).
- Inspect or test your dip tank ventilation systems periodically.
- To assist you in tracking your inspections of dip tanks and associated equipment and the actions taken from those inspections, you may want to keep a written record. It is recommended that inspections be at least quarterly even if the system is not operating. Depending on the chemicals in use more frequent inspection may be required.
- First-aid procedures are contained in the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for the chemicals used in the dip tank.
- There are additional requirements that may include providing employee training. See first aid, WAC 296-800-150, and employer chemical hazard communication, WAC 296-800-170.
- Provide a dike or other safeguard(s) to prevent cyanide from mixing with an acid if a dip tank fails. This would also apply to spills or other means by which cyanide could come in contact with an acid in sufficient quantity to produce a hazardous gas.
- There are additional requirements for this type of work. See Welding, cutting and brazing, chapter 296-24 WAC, Part I.
- Store flammable and combustible liquids as required by Flammable and combustible liquids, WAC 296-24-330, in the general safety and health standards.
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