To help protect your people and facility from a potential fire, Justrite safety cabinets offer superior fire protection for the storage of flammable liquids, aerosols, and other hazardous materials.
Yes:
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.106(d)(3)(i&ii):
Design, construction, and capacity of storage cabinets (i) Maximum capacity. Not more than 60 gallons of Class l or Class ll liquids, nor more than 120 gallons of Class lll liquids may be stored in a storage cabinet.
Can I store containers in the sump of a safety cabinet?
Yes. The specifications on the sump only states it be 2-inches deep and watertight. Minimum volume is not addressed. The sump can give a safe visual indication and contain a leak before it becomes a problem, allowing the users to correct the leaking container, and clean up a spill as quickly as possible. There is nothing in writing from OSHA, NFPA, IFC, FM, or UL to limit the use of the sump on a safety cabinet for storage. That is not to say you could not limit its use for storage as an internal safety policy. An official having jurisdiction (State Fire Marshal, Building Inspector Local Fire Chief, etc.) at your site might discourage using the sump for storage. However, there is nothing otherwise to preclude storage in the sump.
What types of chemicals should be stored in these cabinets?
These cabinets are intended to store corrosive solids and liquids, flammable solids, organic peroxide formulations, oxidizer solids and liquids, pyrophoric solids and liquids, toxic or highly toxic solids and liquids, unstable (reactive) solids or liquids, and water-reactive solids or liquids. Always ensure that incompatible materials are stored in separate cabinets, and consult your local code authority for any other items in question.
Does my safety cabinet need to be grounded?
It is necessary to ground a safety cabinet if you are dispensing liquids from container(s) inside the cabinet, and the potential of an ignitable vapor is possible. This is not to preclude one from grounding all cabinets as a best practice. Please see our TechTALK on Safety Cabinet Grounding for further information.
Do I need self-closing cabinet?
Flammable liquid safety cabinets self-close requirement depends on your state's fire code. Hazardous material safety cabinets are required to be self-closed everywhere. As a best practice all safety cabinet should be self-close.
Will my modification void the FM Approval and Justrite warranty to a safety cabinet or safety can?
Modifications to any FM Approved products void the approval of that product and the Justrite warranty. The modification falls outside the evaluation for the approval and FM's quality assurance program. Modifications can make a safety product unsafe.
Can I leave my containers in boxes and store them in a safety cabinet?
This question is asked a lot. There is nothing in writing to preclude you from having boxes, papers, etc., in a safety cabinet, but we discourage it. This is an area of best practice not addressed by the law. The standards to which a cabinet is tested limit the internal temperature from exceeding 325°F (163ºC) for 10 minutes in a fire test. This is a conservative temperature below the auto ignition temperatures of the liquids being stored. It makes sense that packaging, such as boxes, are made of materials with auto ignition temperatures higher than the 325°F (163ºC) too. But, what can be dangerous is if those boxes become soiled with residues of the flammable liquids which in turn give off harmful, ignitable, or hazardous vapors. Additionally, it is important to avoid storing materials and combinations of material that can spontaneously combust and create fire inside the cabinet, like oily rags and incompatible materials.
Our vote is on the side of best practice, safety, and of tidy housekeeping. We have heard of OSHA inspectors frowning on this practice even in the absence of law.
Are safety cabinets required to have their bung plugs installed?
Yes, it is required to keep the bung caps tightly in place, unless venting. Please reference the TechTALK on Safety Cabinet Venting for further information.
What does FM Approval mean?
FM Approval is a laboratory registered under OSHA's Nationally Recognized Laboratory program which outlines the responsibility to evaluate and deem materials and equipment as safe. FM has published standards to which they evaluate each product category as safe and in compliance with laws and applicable design standards. They publish a list of approved products available for public reference. They also conduct periodic quality assurance audits to give customers confidence we are providing product of the same quality and design as the product submitted for approval.
