Handling of flammable and explosive goods

Before working with flammable and explosive goods, the person responsible for the activity must ensure that the persons handling the flammable and explosive goods have the necessary knowledge for the work to be carried out. An important part of this responsibility is to provide information on the risks associated with the substances in question and any risks associated with their use. It is particularly important to provide information about the zones in which explosive atmospheres may occur and what equipment may be handled in explosive environments. Always read the product’s safety data sheet, which contains detailed information about each product. Staff handling flammable and explosive goods must have good knowledge of the measures to be taken in the event of an incident or accident. An important aspect of handling flammable and explosive goods is for staff and students to have good knowledge of what actions to take in the event of a fire and how to deal with spills and sudden emissions. The employer must ensure that staff who do not handle flammable and explosive goods at the work site in question on a daily basis have adequate knowledge of risks and what actions to take in the event of incidents and accidents. Examples of such staff are cleaners, other service staff and tradespeople. In an area where flammable or explosive substances are used, the use of fire or other ignition sources is forbidden if it entails more than a negligible accident risk.

Open handling and decanting

Open handling of flammable products increases the risk of fire and explosion. For this reason, closed systems should always be preferred. All open handling must be carried out in a fume hood, fume bench or with a spot extractor. If fume hoods without interlocked sockets are used, electrical equipment used in the fume hood must be explosion-proof. Decanting of flammable liquids must take place in a dedicated decanting room, and not in storage rooms where flammable goods are stored. All containers that a flammable liquid is decanted into must be labelled in the same way as the original package.