Storage of hazardous materials in 21st Century laboratories

The use of hazardous and combustible materials is part of the daily routine in most laboratories and is unavoidable. What is often quickly forgotten in daily handling: the improper storage of such materials puts people, the environment and property in danger.

• Fires and explosions caused, for example, by the improper storage of combustible liquids
• Pollution of soil, groundwater and surface water e.g. by contaminated fire fighting water or leakages
• Downtimes, for example due to laboratories destroyed by fires
• Endangerment to human life.

Hazardous materials are therefore always very much a current topic for every laboratory. Apart from the proper handling of these health-endangering substances, particularly strict storage regulations must be observed.

Just like a central hazardous material store, the purpose of a safety storage cabinet is the safe keeping of combustible chemicals or compressed gas cylinders. The areas of use are varied: laboratory, industry, handicraft, universities, hospitals, public organizations, etc.

The most important protection aim of a safety storage cabinet is to reliably shield flammables against a critical temperature increase in the event of a fire over a defined period of time.

• Avoid explosions accelerating the fire
• Adequate time for personnel to escape
• Adequate time for rescue/fire services for fire-fighting and rescue missions.

There exist a lot different kinds of safety storage cabinets for flammable liquids, which differ in construction, classification, quality etc.

When purchasing safety storage cabinets one should focus on the following points:

• The construction of the cabinet
• Type classification of the cabinet
• The test criteria of the cabinet
• The approval documentation.

Our presentation will give more information about the state-of-the-art way of storing chemicals in the lab of th 21^st century.