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Laboratory Safety Manual

Storage of chemicals

Chemical products must be stored safely to prevent accidents, health risks, theft and environmental emissions. The head (or equivalent) of the division/school is ultimately responsible for ensuring that chemical products are stored correctly. Each chemical product must be stored according to the product’s characteristics and the guidance provided on the product’s label, hazard pictogram (CLP) and safety data sheet (SDS).

  • Visible pipelines carrying hazardous chemical products (liquids, gases) must be marked with a “hazard” pictogram, the product’s name and an arrow indicating the flow direction.
  • Cabinets / rooms used for storage and handling of infectious materials (hazard groups 2-4), radiation sources (radioactive, non-ionizing) and laser must be marked with the respective sign.
  • Other types of signage may also be necessary in laboratory activities, e.g. instruction signs, emergency signs and signs indicating the location of fire equipment and first aid equipment.

Storage location requirements

All areas where chemical products are stored must be ventilated and clearly marked with a sign or label indicating that the space is intended for chemical products. The rooms must be kept locked to prevent unauthorised access. Cabinets used for storing flammable goods, explosives, corrosives, oxidising substances, gases under pressure, substances that are only toxic or substances that are both toxic and flammable must be labelled with the appropriate hazard pictograms (CLP). Small packages that are already labelled with a “flammable” or “toxic” hazard pictogram do not need to also be labelled with a “gas under pressure” hazard pictogram. Generally different types of chemicals are stored separately, but in cases where there is only one ventilated cabinet and it is individual bottles, co-storage can take place provided the following criteria are met: The safety data sheets must be checked to ascertain whether there are any substances in the cabinet that could react strongly with the bottle’s contents. The single bottle must be stored on a separate shelf and surrounded by its own protective barrier, e.g. a plastic box.

Acids and Bases

Acids must be stored in acid-resistant, ventilated cabinets, and may not be stored together with bases or organic substances. The cabinets must be clearly marked with the type of chemical stored in it. Corrosive chemicals (acids and bases) must not be stored above eye level, and preferably below waist level.

Oxidising substances

Oxidising substances must not be stored together with oxidisable substances (e.g. alcohols).

Flammable products

Flammable and volatile products must be stored in fireproof, ventilated cabinets. Flammable liquids must not be stored together with flammable substances/materials or with gases. Flammable products that need to be stored in a cool place must be stored in spark-free refrigerators. The fire protection class of lockers and storage rooms must be appropriate for the types and quantities of chemicals stored there (for more information on fireproof cabinets, see under Flammable and explosive goods). The amount of flammable goods stored on worktops, etc. must be kept to a minimum and limited to only the amount needed for the day’s work.

  • Flammable gas must be stored in a fireproof location, but not in the same cabinet as flammable liquid.
  • If there is a lack of space, loose containers of flammable liquids may be stored on their own shelves in cabinets where other dangerous chemicals are stored together. The shelves must be labeled.

Peroxide-forming chemicals

Peroxide-forming chemicals (e.g. ethers, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane) must be stored in a cool, dark place (spark-free, Ex refrigerator) and must be checked regularly for any peroxide formation. Chemicals with a clearly detectable peroxide content (≥3 mg/L) must not be used, and must be destroyed. Peroxide testing can be done using test sticks (e.g. from Sigma-Aldrich; Quantofix 1-100 mg/l) or by adding 1 ml of the test chemical to 1 ml of concentrated acetic acid (HOAc) mixed with 0.1 g NaI or CI. Yellow colour = low peroxide content; brown colour = high peroxide content. Packages containing hydrogen peroxide must be stored well sealed in a dry, cool, dark, ventilated area protected by a fire barrier. Such areas must be clearly marked. Hydrogen peroxide must not be stored together with other chemicals or flammable materials. If the hydrogen peroxide is transferred to a new container, the container must be made of materials that neither affect or are affected by the hydrogen peroxide.

  • Prioritise the purchase of small containers over larger ones and, if possible, buy hydrogen peroxide with a lower concentration.
  • Do not store more than a few litres of hydrogen peroxide in the laboratory. Mark new bottles with their arrival date and date the seal was broken. Hydrogen peroxide decomposes and becomes less concentrated over time, so opened bottles must not be stored for longer than one year.
  • Chemical products that pose a serious hazard (toxins and CMR substances) must be stored in locked cabinets marked with the “toxic” symbol.

Especially desirable chemicals such as ethanol and volatile solvents which can cause intoxication when inhaled must always be stored in a way that prevents/discourages this type of use (ordinance 1977:994).

Requirements regarding packaging and receptacles

All hazardous chemicals must be classified and labelled in compliance with the EU Regulation on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP Regulation). This means, for example, that the substances/mixtures, regardless of when they were purchased, must be labelled with white, red and black hazard pictograms (not the old orange and black ones), and must also meet the other requirements under the CLP Regulation, which are also specified in the Swedish Work Environment Authority's regulations on chemical hazards in the working environment (AFS 2014:43).

  • Packages and receptacles must be intact and clean, they must always be sealed when not in use. If a package or receptacle is reused, the obsolete label must be removed. There should be no doubt as to what the receptacle contains.
  • Receptacles containing pure chemical substances must be labelled with the content, quantity and supplier and the relevant hazard pictograms.
  • Receptacles containing chemical mixtures must be labelled in compliance with the CLP Regulation with the product’s name, the hazard pictograms and where applicable, a warning text “may cause cancer”, “may cause allergy”, “may damage DNA” or “may impair reproduction”.
  • The labelling must be clear. The information must be in Swedish, as well as in additional languages if required. Exceptions apply to small packages with a volume under 125 ml, and to short-term storage of receptacles whose content is evident to the user.
  • Receptacles that you fill yourself must be designed for storage of chemicals and be marked with the product’s name and relevant hazard pictograms. If the contents are carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction, the label must indicate this. Exceptions: Receptacles containing hazardous chemical products may be labelled with only the product’s name, or may be left completely unlabelled, if other measures are taken to ensure that this does not increase the risk of ill health or accidents, and if the general requirements on labelling in AFS 2014:43, Section 18 are met. Only labelling the product with its name, or leaving the product completely unlabelled, is normally only permitted if the workplace has well-established work procedures and good general information on risks and safety. In some cases, a hazardous product can be left unlabelled or only labelled with its name if the area where it is kept, e.g. a fume cupboard or a storage area, is marked with hazardous chemical signs. Hazardous chemical products that will only be handled for a short time need not be labelled if it is clear to everyone concerned what the receptacle contains.