Purchasing hazardous cabinets is great for safely storing flammable liquids; however, the cabinet itself cannot ensure complete safety. In order to guarantee maximum safety, it’s essential that best practice considerations are taken into account.

Here are three key things to consider when storing flammable or other dangerous substances:

Position

Where dangerous cabinets are kept on the premises is an essential consideration for the safe storage of the materials within. For example, as some flammable vapour is heavier than air, it can collect in lower areas such as drains or gullies. This can pose an explosion risk.

Similarly, the cabinets themselves should never be kept in direct sunlight. Make sure you prevent the cabinets from dramatic shifts in temperature, particularly rising heat. Always ensure each container has enough air space to allow for the expansion of flammable liquid with changing room temperature.

Segregation

The storage of the materials within the cabinet is also essential to maintaining optimum safety. It’s important to never store incompatible substances together in the same cabinet.

For example, anything that has cardboard packaging is going to present a significant combustion risk. The flammable liquid cabinet should be used for flammable liquid storage only. In the event of a fire, many materials will simply serve to make the flames worse, so consider carefully what you store in each locker.

Security

The right security precautions are essential for maintaining safety when storing flammable or otherwise potentially hazardous supplies. Ensure that the cabinet you choose is made to be resistant to tampering. Also make sure you can properly lock it whenever necessary.

Only those who have relevant training and experience in the safe handling and usage of hazardous materials should have access to the cabinet. Lock the cabinet and keep the key as safe as possible when the cabinet is not in use. Set up a regular inspection of the contents to ensure they have not been tampered with.