This page in Swedish

Laboratory Safety Manual

Storage, signage, labelling and marking

The amount of flammable product stored must always be kept to a minimum. This applies in particular to flammable products stored openly in the laboratory. Although it is not possible to establish the exact volumes of product that may be stored openly, they should be limited to only the amount needed during the day’s work. Also:

  • Flammable goods must never be stored or temporarily placed in an escape route.
  • Flammable liquids and fire-reactive substances must be stored separately from each other in different flammable storage cabintes, to avoid aggravating a fire, flammable gases.
  • Flammable liquids must not be stored together with flammable gases.
  • Flammable goods must not be stored together with goods that could cause an increased risk in the event of fire, such as toxic or corrosive chemicals.
  • Materials that can easily catch fire, and that could aggravate the severity of a fire, must never be stored with flammable products.
  • 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 labelled.

Fire compartment

A fire compartment is a part of a building, e.g. a room or a storey, which is constructed to provide a barrier that prevents fire and smoke from spreading to other parts of the building for a given length of time, depending on the purpose of the building and the number of storeys. A properly constructed and installed fireproof cabinet can be considered to constitute a fire compartment and can therefore be used for the storage of large quantities of flammable goods.

Storage of flammable liquids

Up to 500 litres of flammable liquid may be stored inside a fire compartment in ventilated metal chemical cabinets. In the case of indoor storage of loose containers containing flammable liquids with a flash point of 30 °C or less and a total volume of more than 500 litres, or a flash point greater than 30 °C and a total volume of more than 4 000 litres, the space shall be separated from the fire and otherwise adapted to the storage. The fire compartmentalisation should be at least equivalent to EI 30 for volumes up to and including 1000 litres and at least equivalent to EI 60 for volumes over 1 000 litres and up to 10 000 litres.

If a flammable substance needs to be stored in a refrigerator, the refrigerator must be spark-free to prevent fire from occurring.

Storage of flammable gas

In the event of a fire, all types of gas pose a risk because of the high temperature, which can cause gas containers to explode. To avoid the storage of gases in laboratories, central gas distribution systems should be preferred. Flammable gas should preferably be kept outdoors. Any flammable gas that has to be stored indoors must be stored in ventilated gas cabinets with a fire rating of at least EI30. Such cabinets must be classified according to EN 14470-2. Volumes of over 250 litres (container volume) stored inside a fire compartment must be stored in ventilated EI60 gas cabinets compliant with EN 14470-2, or in separate gas storage. All gas containers must be secured with a non-combustible chain that is easy to unhook.

Signage

Cabinets and storage rooms where flammable goods are stored must be marked with signs. The purpose of the signs is to inform people handling flammable goods in the workplace of the location in which those goods are stored. The signs are also important because in the event of an emergency, they enable emergency workers to quickly locate the whereabouts of the flammable goods. The signs must make it possible to find the flammable goods from the nearest corridor. This means that in some cases, signs are not only needed on the door of a storage room or cabinet where flammable goods are stored, but also on the door leading from the corridor to the storage room or cabinet. All signs must have a level of resilience appropriate for the surrounding environment and be displayed prominently.

Labelling and marking

Flammable goods must be marked with symbols and warning texts that inform the user of the dangers. The labelling is determined by the product’s classification. See the safety data sheet. Responsibility for classification and labelling of flammable goods lies with the person who releases the product onto the Swedish market, e.g. manufacturers, suppliers and retailers. If a substance is transferred to a new storage container, the new container must be labelled as prescribed on the safety data sheet.