Chemical Storage & Compatibility
Storing chemicals in alphabetical order or wherever there’s room can put an acid next to bleach or an oxidizer next to gasoline. If containers leak or a shelf collapses, incompatible chemicals can react, catch fire or release toxic gas. Good storage keeps them apart and contained.
- General Industry
- Construction
- Labs
Separate by hazard, not by alphabet
| Keep apart | Why |
|---|---|
| Acids and bases (caustics) | Violent reactions and heat |
| Oxidizers and flammables or organics | Oxidizers feed fires and can ignite them |
| Bleach (hypochlorite) and acids or ammonia | Toxic chlorine or chloramine gas |
| Cyanides or sulfides and acids | Deadly hydrogen cyanide or hydrogen sulfide gas |
| Water-reactive materials and water | Fire, explosion or toxic gas |
| Oxygen cylinders and fuel gas cylinders | At least 20 feet or a fire-rated barrier when stored |
Section 7 (Handling and Storage) and Section 10 (Stability and Reactivity) of the safety data sheet list what each product must be kept away from.
Cabinets and rooms
- Flammable liquids go in approved flammable storage cabinets or rooms. OSHA limits a single cabinet to 60 gallons of flammable liquids. Keep cabinet doors closed. See Flammable Liquids.
- Corrosives go in corrosion-resistant cabinets, not metal flammable cabinets, which acid vapor can eat through.
- Store acids and bases in separate cabinets, or at least in separate trays.
- Keep compressed gas cylinders upright, chained and capped. See Compressed Gas Cylinders.
Shelves and containers
- Store large and liquid containers below eye level, and heavy containers on low shelves.
- Use shelves with lips or rails, secured to the wall.
- Put liquids in secondary containment trays or spill pallets that can hold the largest container.
- Keep containers closed and in good condition. Replace rusted, bulging or cracked ones.
- Use the right container material. Some chemicals, like hydrofluoric acid, attack glass.
- Don’t store chemicals on the floor in walkways, in fume hoods, near heat or in direct sun.
- Don’t store food or drinks in chemical refrigerators or areas.
- Don’t put chemicals in food or drink containers.
Labels, inventory and dates
- Every container needs a label. Transfer containers need workplace labels. See Hazard Communication.
- Keep an inventory and the safety data sheets for everything stored.
- Date containers when received and opened. Some chemicals, like certain ethers, form explosive peroxides over time.
- Dispose of unneeded and expired chemicals properly instead of keeping them forever.
- Post NFPA 704 diamonds or other required signs on storage rooms. See NFPA 704.
Emergency readiness
- Spill kit matched to the chemicals stored. See Spill Response.
- Eyewash and shower within 10 seconds of corrosive storage. See Eyewash & Showers.
- Fire extinguisher suitable for the materials
- Ventilation working in storage rooms
- Monthly walk-through: leaks, labels, closed lids, segregation
Standards & references
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