Every day industrial workers transfer potentially hazardous chemicals such as solvents, acetones, lubricants, cleansers and acids from large drums into smaller containers or into machinery. Traditionally, such potentially flammable or combustible liquids have been tipped and poured. Today, such spill-prone methods are no longer considered acceptable, safe or compliant as a fire or explosion can result. 

Younger workers, having seen the resulting physical injuries, chronic respiratory ailments and even deaths endured by parents, grandparents and friends want much safer working conditions. Consequently, there is now a call for greater safety and regulatory oversight to protect vulnerable workers and their families as simply and efficiently as possible.

“It can be catastrophic to a company if toxic or highly flammable material is accidentally released at the point of use,” says Deborah Grubbe, PE, CEng, founder of Operations and Safety Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in industrial safety.  “Companies have to assume that if something can go wrong during chemical transfer, it will and take appropriate precautions to prevent what could be significant consequences. Because there is no such thing as a small fire in this business,” adds Grubbe.

Although the dangers of transferring flammable and combustible liquids are very real, protecting workers from harm can be relatively straightforward. This includes proper safety training, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the use of engineering controls to prevent dangerous spills.

With the potentially lethal consequences from the use of flammable/combustible liquids in so many industrial facilities, it is essential to understand the hazard.

Liquid hazards

In a flammable liquids fire, it is the vapors from the liquid that ignite, not the liquid. Fires and explosions are caused when the perfect combination of fuel and oxygen come in contact with heat or an ignition source. Based on their flash points, that being the lowest temperature at which liquids can form an ignitable mixture in air, flammable liquids are classified as either combustible or flammable.

Flammable liquids (those liquids with a flash point <100° F) will ignite and burn easily at normal working temperatures where they can easily give off enough vapor to form burnable mixtures with air. As a result, they can be serious sources of a fire hazard. Flammable liquid fires burn very fast and frequently give off a lot of heat and often clouds of thick, black, toxic smoke.

Combustible liquids (those liquids with a flash point <100° F) do not ignite so easily, but if raised to temperatures above their flashpoint they will also release enough vapor to form burnable mixtures with air. Hot combustible liquids can be as serious a fire hazard as flammable liquids.

Both combustible and flammable liquids can easily be ignited by a flame, hot surface, static electricity or a spark generated by electricity or mechanical work. Highly volatile solvents are even more hazardous because any vapor (VOCs) released can reach ignition sources several feet away.

The most obvious harm would be the danger of a fire or explosion. “If the vapor is ignited, the fire can quickly reach the bulk liquid. A flammable vapor and air mixture with a specific concentration can explode violently,” according to information on the topic posted online by the Division of Research Safety by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Consequently, minimizing the dangers of handling flammable and combustible liquid chemicals requires proper training and equipment.

Safe handling

Without proper ventilation, the handling of flammable substances has a good chance to create an explosive atmosphere. It is essential to work only in well-ventilated areas or have a local ventilation system that can sufficiently remove any flammable vapors to prevent an explosion risk.

Because two of the three primary elements for a fire or explosion usually exist in the atmosphere inside a vessel containing a flammable liquid (fuel and an oxidant, usually oxygen), it is also critical to eliminate external ignition sources when handling such liquids. Sources of ignition can include static discharge, open flames, frictional heat, radiant heat, lightning, smoking, cutting, welding and electrical/ mechanical sparks.

When transferring flammable liquids from large containers (>4 L), to a smaller container, the flow of the liquid can create static electricity which could result in a spark. Static electricity build-up is possible whether using a pump or simply pouring the liquid. If the bulk container and receiving vessel are both metal, it is important to bond the two by firmly attaching a metal bonding strap or wire to both containers as well as to ground, which can help to safely direct the static charge to ground.

Containment Safety data sheets (SDS) also offer details about proper storage and handling as well.  For flammable and combustible liquids, the advice is very consistent and unwavering across most, if not all, of the SDS. This advice includes:

In most workplaces, supervisors and facility managers have been recommending rotary and hand suction pumps to transfer flammable liquids for decades. However, they are increasingly turning to sealed pump systems designed for class 1 and 2 flammable liquids, which are a more effective engineering control tool for protecting employees and operations.

Flow control

In addition, using the piston and rotary pumps to remove liquid from containers can allow some spillage since there is no flow control device. If a seal fails, liquid can also be sprayed from the pump and onto the user and the floor. As a solution, the industry has developed sealed pump dispensing systems that enhance safety by eliminating spills and enable spill-free, environmentally safe transfer that prevent vapors from escaping the container.

GoatThroat Pumps has developed a sealed, hand-operated or pneumatic-operated pump system, the SCP Pump Series, that complies with NFPA30.18.4.4. so, it can be used to safely dispense flammable and combustible liquids.

The industrial, pail and drum pumps dispense liquids from containers up to 55 gallons in size by developing small pressures (less than 6 psig) on the vapor space over the fluid in the container. Custom configured pumps, fitting and accessories are fluid specific, meet compatibility requirements, and are designed as complete turnkey solutions to fit the users’ exact transfer applications.

Now that the hazards of transferring flammable and combustible liquids are clearly recognized, proactive industrial facilities are beginning to protect their workers and their families by implementing safety training, PPE use, and sealed, grounded pumps. This will help their operations stay compliant, mitigate insurance risks while minimizing the risk of fire and explosion due to spills, vapors, and static shock.

To find out more about GoatThroat Pumps or to request a media interview, get in touch. https://www.goatthroat.com/about-us/press-media

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