in the Chemical laboratory Edited by NORMAN V. STEERE, 140 Melbourne Ave., S.E. Minneapolis, Minn. 5541 4
CXXVI. Standard to be Adopted for Fire Safety in Laboratories Norman V. Steere, CSP, Safety Consunant. Norman V. Steere & Associates, 140 Melbourne Ave. S.E., Minneapolis, Minn. 554 14 If your lahoratory uses sulfuric acid, solvents, or any other chemical with a moderate degree of hazard, your lahoratory will most likely he regulated in the near future by a standard being completed for adoption in November, 1975. The proposed standard deals broadly with laboratory operations, ventilation, chemical handling and storage, compressed gases, fire prevention, and emergency procedures. Entitled "Standard for Fire Protection for Laboratories Using Chemicals," the proposal has been under development since 1969 by the Sectional Committee on Chemistry Laboratories, of the National Fire Protection Association. The present proposal far a national standard includes changes made by the Sectional Committee since May 1974 when the National Fire Protection Association adapted a "Tentative Standard on Fire Protection for Lahoratories Using Chemicals." The proposed standard establishes hasic requirements for protection of life and property through prevention and control of fires and explosions involving hazardous chemicals, and is designed to protect persons from the effects of toxic, corrosive or otherwise hazardous chemicals to which they may be exposed as a result of a fire or explosion. Many of the requirements in the standard will serve to protect persons from exposure to nanfire health hazards of chemicals, although the standard does not attempt to deal with health hazards that are not related in fires or explosions. The National Fire Protection Association assembled and chattered the NFPA Sectional Committee on Chemistry Laboratories a t the prompting of school, industrial, research and governmental authorities who felt an urgent need for standard guidance in the fire protection of lahoratories. If adopted as expected, the standard will become part of regulations governing lahoratory construction and operations as part of the National Fire Codes used by many municipal and State fire authorities, and as part of the standards that are likely to be adapted as regulations of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The standard is also likely to be used as a guideline by insurance companies, and guvernmental agencies that award grants and contracts for lahoratory activities. A352 / Journal of ChemicalEducation
The proposed standard is available now for review. Single copies can he obtained a t no charge from the National Fire Protection Association, 470 Atlantic Ave., Boston, Mass. 02210, by requesting the "NFPA Technical Committee Reports-1975 Fall Meeting." The Technical Committee Reports for the 1975 Fall Meeting include the proposed "Standard for Fire Protection for Laboratories Using Chemicals," also referred to as NFPA No. 45. Comment on the proposed standard and specific recommendations for changes had to he mailed to reach NFPA before Monday, July 7, 1975, the closing date for changes which can be considered by the NFPA Sectional Committee on Chemistry Laboratories. The revised standards-making procedure of the National Fire I'rotection Association will require the Committee to review all recommendations suhmitted and to document the action of the Committee by August 8, 1975 so that the documentation can be published in September 29, 1975 for public review. The proposed standard with any changes made by the Committee will be submitted far final adoption at the NFPA Fall Meeting at the Hilton Hotel in Pittshurgh, Pa., November 17-20, 1975. No amendments for change will he accepted then that were not submitted before July 7, 1975. The NFPA procedural regulations specify that "An amendment to a Technical Committee Report may be presented at a Meeting of the Association only by one who has previously proposed in writing the same amendment to the Technical Committee during the eomment period specified." At the NFPA Fall Meeting, the NFPA members voting may adopt the report as published or as modified hy the Technical Committee, adopt the report as amended according to the specified prwedures (noted above), or return the report to the Technical Committee for further study. Based on past experience, the voting members present at the Fall Meeting are expected to adopt the report as submitted by the Technical Committee.
INSTRUCTIONAL LABORATORIES For the purpose of limiting the exposure of students to flammable liquid chemicals, the proposed standard has defined instruc-
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tional lahoratoriea and established maxmum quantities of flammable liquids that may be in such laboratories. An instructional lahoratory is one in an educational occupancy (grade school, high school, college), in which the person or persons conducting chemical experiments or tests are under the direct supervision of a faculty member or his assistant. Laboratories used for graduate ar post-graduate research are exempt from the quantity limitations placed on instructional laboratories defined above.
Class C Instructional Laboratory Units Without any restriction on the size of the laboratory, an instructional lahoratory would he allowed to have up to one gallon (or about four liters) of flammable liauid in open storage or conventional laboratory furniture for every 100 square feet of laboratory area, with a maximum quantity of 37.5 gallons in the laboratory unit. For enample, a lahoratory 15' by 20' would have an area of 300 square feet and an allawshle quantity of 3 gallons of flammable liquids on shelves or in laboratory furniture storage cupboards. Such instructional lahoratories would he oermitted to have an eaual amount of flammable liquids in approved safety cans (with spring-closing lid) or in approved storage cahinets (one-inch plywood or special douhle-walled metal cahinets). Such laboratories would also be allowed to have equivalent quantities of combustible liquids in the open and in special approved storage containers or storage eabinets. Taking again the example of the 300 square foot laboratory, if it were sprinklered and half the quantities were in approved safety cans or storage cabinets, the lahoratory would he permitted to contain 6 eallons of flammable liauids and 6 eallons of combustible liquids. The proposed standard allows the total quantities of flammable and combustible liquids in a lahoratory unit to increase as the area increases, up to a point. For unsprinklered instructional laboratories, the maximum allowable quantity of flammahle liquids is 75 gallons if half or more is in apnroved safetv cans or storaee cabinets. and of combustihe liquids is ;5 gallom additiunal i f half or more is in approved stmage. If the insrruetronal laboratory is sprinklered, these maximum quantities may he dauhled. (These quantities and densities of flammable and combustible liauids are eonsidered too great by a number of university and government safety personnel. How low could the quantities he without seriously interfering with lahoratory instruction?) (The approach to selecting the quantity limits proposed by the Committee was based on limiting ins,tructional laboratories to 50% of the quantities allowed for indus-
trial lahoratories, which were based on comnromises that would cause little intere~ ference with existing practices used by some Committee member's employer.) ~~~~~
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Class B Instructional Laboratory Units If the area of the laboratory unit is restricted to less than 20,000 square feet, an instructional laboratory may have greater quantities of flammable and comhustihle liquids than have been described earlier. Maximum quantities of flammable liquids per 100 square feet of laboratory increase to 2% gallons in the open or in conventional furniture, and an additional 2% gallons in approved storage containers or storage cabinets. Combustible liquid quantities may he 5 gallons per 100 square feet in the open or in conventional furniture, plus 5 gallons in approved storage. Allowable total quantities that may not he exceeded regardless of lahoratory size are 150 gallons of flammable liquids and 200 gallons of both flammable and comhustihle liquids in an unsprinklered lahoratory building, and 300 and 400 gallons respectively in a aprinklered huilding.
CLASS A LABORATORY UNITS Class A lahoratory units are not allowed to be used as instructional laboratories (except for graduate and post-graduate research) because of the quantities of flammable liquids that are permitted. Class A laboratory units are permitted to have 40 gallons of flammable and comhustihle liquids per 100 square feet, up t o a maximum of 1600 gallons in a sprinklered lahoratory. Because of the allowable quantities of flammable and comhustihle liquids, unsprinklered Class A laboratory units are limited t o 1,000 square feet in ordinary huildings, and 5,000 square feet in noncombustible huildings or fire-resistant huildings. Sprinklered Class A laboratory units may be up t o 10,OW square feet in area in any building. There may be more than one Class A laboratory units in a lahoratory huilding, with separations hetween units and hetween units and non-laboratory areas. The allowable areas of the units and the duration of fire resistance required for the separation (walls, doors, fibers, and ceilings) will depend on the type of construction of the lahoratory building and whether or not i t is sprinklered.
MEANS OF EGRESS The proposed standard would require two doors out of all laboratories that exceed 1,000 square feet, and out of all laboratories that exceed 500 square feet within a Class A laboratory unit. The proposed standard would also require a second door out of a lahoratory (a second means of access to an exit) if a laboratory hood is located adjacent to the main door of the laboratory, and the laboratory is within a Class A or Class B lahoratory unit. (It should be recognized that the proposed standard is a minimum standard, and that there may be laboratories smaller
than 1,000 or 500 square feetin which there will be hazards that will justify two doors or means of access to a n exit. I t is unlikely that lahoratory huildings designed after adoption of this standard will have more than the minimum number of laboratory exits unless laboratory management spells out specific requirements before the design is begun.)
SEPARATION OF LABORATORIES FROM OTHER AREAS The proposed standard contains rather detailed requirements for separation hetween lahoratories and other parts of laboratory huildings as one means of limiting the area that may become involved in a fire. Let's examine the definitions and requirements, and see how they would apply t o theoretical lahoratory huildings. A laboratory is defined as a raom or space for testing, analysis, research, instruction or similar activities which involves the use of chemical materials. A "lahoratory unit" is defined as an enclosed space used for experiments or tests, and may contain any number of separate lahoratories. Laboratory units may inalude offices, lavatories and other contiguous rooms maintained for or used by lahoratory personnel, and include corridors within the laboratory units. Nonlahoratory area is defined as any space within a huilding not included in a laboratory unit. A laboratory huilding is defined as a structure consisting wholly or principally of lahoratory units. In the simplest case, an open one-story huilding used entirely for laboratory purposes and by lahoratory personnel, the entire building can he considered a lahoratory unit, with no nonlaboratory area. If the huilding were sprinklered, used for instructional purposes, and the total quantity of flammable and comhustihle liquids in the huilding did not exceed 200 gallons, the huilding could he classified as a Class C lahoratory unit, with no area limit. (If the inventory were between 200 and 400 gallons, the huilding would he a Class B lahoratory unit; no greater quantity would he permitted in an instructional lahoratory unit.) If half the huildine.. iust described were used by lahorntory personnel as a C1ss.i C matructiunal laboratory unit. the propused standard would require the lsborst
