Flammable cabinets have been around for ages and their use case is pretty simple: they protect your workers and the environment from flammable and dangerous chemicals you may need to store on site.
But if you’re new to flammable liquid cabinets, it’s smart to get all the tips you need before you get started!
Tip 1. Know Your Chemicals
You’ll need to audit your workplace to know which chemicals you have in your lab so you are aware of what needs to be stored in the cabinets. Form here, there are different types of cabinets to choose from as below:
Flammables
Flammable cabinets come in yellow and are the most general option for your needs. They hold most classes of flammable liquids. But you should be careful to keep different chemical classes away from each other to prevent non compatible materials from mingling.
Corrosives & Acids
When storing things like acetone or hydrochloric acid corrosive storage cabinets are helpful and made to withstand corrosion with steel and polyethylene options on the market. Often corrosive safety cabinets come in blue.
Other Materials
If you have paints and pesticides or lab chemicals, you may need to mix and match flammable cabinet types to make it match your unique needs. Some common colours include green for pesticides and insecticides and red for paints and inks and white can be used for toxic chemicals.
Tip 2. How Much Space Do You Have?
The size of space you need to set aside for your flammable cabinets depends on the amount of liquids you want to store and the space you have, as the cabinets need to be stored away from ignition points and staff activity areas.
So, let’s look at the options:
Undercounter Cabinet:
These are made to fit seamlessly with your other cabinetry in a seamless manner and they can come with some cool features such as a toe kick space, adjustable shelves, locking mechanisms and a sump.
Stackable Cabinet:
If you have limited space and its safe to do so, some flammable cabinet types can be stacked on top of each other (depending on the class of the liquids), and these come with the bonus of saving space and keeping all your hazards together.
Floor Cabinet:
These take up the most space but are also the safest as they can be stored far from hazards. These come with adjustable shelves, levelling feet and a liquid tight sump to name a few extras.
Tip 3. Where Do You Buy From?
In Australia, when you buy a flammable cabinet, the dream is to buy one that is already compliant, has the right signage, comes with all the right extras and is easy to use. This is why Aussie companies trust Spill Station Australia for their flammable cabinets and their overall workplace safety. Regardless of if you just need to buy the flammable cabinets or if you need guidance with things like risk assessments and workplace audits, you can always count on Spill Station!