in the Chemical laboratory Edited by N O R M A N V. STEERE, 140 Melbourne Ave., S:E. Minneapolis, Minn. 5541 4
CXIII.
The Laboratory Fire Safety Standard Being
Developed by the National Fire Protection Association Norman V. Steere, CSP, Safety Consultant, Norman V. Steere & Associates. 140 Melbourne Ave. S.E.. Minneapolis, Minn. 55414
Standards for fire protection and safety in all laboratories using chemicals are being developed by the National Fire Ptotectian Association (NFPAI. These standards should be of great interest to labotatory supervisors and employers in the United States since the final document is likely to become part of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards as many other NFPA standards have. The NFPA committee that is developing the standard has voted to submit its final draft for adoption as a Tentative Standard a t the NFPA Annual Meeting in May, 1974. Copies of the proposal are printed in the I974 NFPA Technical Committee Reports which can be obtained from the National Fire Protection Association, 470 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02210 until May 15, 1974 for about $15.00. Copies of the NFPA Tentative Standard for Fire Protection in Laboratories Using Chemicals, as adopted a t the Annual Meeting, will be available from NFPA far about $2.00 sometime in July or August. Comments are invited and will be considered by the Committee, which may finalize its proposal for an Official NFPA Standard by September, 1974. The schedule for official adoption may be revised as new NFPA standards-making procedures are put into effect. Comments may be directed to the Chairman or Secretary of the Committee, or to members of the committee, including the author. The Chairman is Dr. Richard Y. LeVine, Olin Corp., 120 Long Ridge Rd., Stamford, Conn. 06904, and the Secretary is Chester I. Babcock. NFPA, 470 Atlantic Ave., Boston, Mass. 02210. In order to meet a need far guidance for protection of life and property in laboratories where chemicals are handled, the NFPA in 1969 chartered a committee to develop a standard. The committee examined some of the available records of fire
+ (This article is based on a paper presented as part of a panel a t the National Safety Congress on October 31, 1973 in Chicago, Illinois: three papers by the panel appear in the Transsctions of the Research and Development Section of the National Safety Council, 425 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60611. I
loss experience and found that sprinkler systems and noncombustible construction have been effective in limiting damage and losses. The committee also found a need for 11 better training of laboratory personnel and students in basic fire p r e ~ vention and conduct in fire emergencies; 2) increased attention to electrically-safe systems and equipment; 31 safer storage and handling of flammable liquids and gases and other hazardous chemicals, and 4) better maintenance and inspection of laboratory equipment and ventilation systems. The proposed tentative standard will not apply to laboratories in buildings in which patient care is provided, since those are covered by the NFPA Safety Standard for Laboratories in Health-Related Institutions, NFPA No. 56C-1973. The proposed standard will also not apply to pilot plants, laboratories that are manufacturing plants, nor incidental testing facilities for in-process control that are located within a manufacturing area. The proposed standard does apply to all laboratories using chemicals that have a flashpoint temperature below 200'F. (93.4"C.l. or that have an emergency health hazard as great as toluene (for example), or that have an instability or reactivity hazard as great as styrene or sulfuric acid. (The standard refers to such materials with hazard ratings of 2 or greater ss hazardous chemicals.) The proposed standard does contain requirements for conducting laboratory experiments and far handling and storage of hazardous chemicals. However, the proposed standard does not contain all-inclusive requirements far conducting laboratory experiments safely, nor the specialized procedures and fire protection required for safe handling of radioactive or explosive materials. The proposed standard includes the following sections: 1. General (Purpose, Scope, Definitions) 2. Laboratory Hazard Classification 3. Laboratow Construction and Design 4. Fire ~rotection 5. Explosion Hazard Protection 6. Ventilating Systems 7. Chemical Storage, Handling and Waste Dis~osal 8. Compressed or Liquified Gases 9. Laboratory Operations and Apparatus
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10. Hazard Identification
Laboratory Hazard Classification Laboratories are classified in the proposed tentative standard according to the density of flammable and sombustible salvents used and stored in the laboratory. Laboratories with more than a certain quantity of solvents are classified as Class A laboratories, those in a lesser range as Class B, and those with any below a certain density as Class C. The basic area of the standard is the laboratory unit. It is defined as a space used for experiments or tests and which is separated from ather laboratory units, corridors or non-laboratory areas by a noncombustible partition or fire-resistant partition. Laboratory units may include of^ fices, lavatories, and other contiguous rooms used by laboratory personnel and the corridors between the roams and within the units. A non-laboratory area is a space used for purposes not related directly to chemical experiments or tests or for the support of the laboratory. A labaraton, building is deiined as a structure used wholly or primarily for laboratory use, or in which 50% or mare of the total floor area contains laboratory units. In the educational field, the committee has differentiated between instructional laboratories and the research laboratories of professors and graduate students. An instructional unit is a laboratory unit in an educational occupancy in which the persons conducting the chemical experiments are under the direct supervision of a faculty member or his asaiatant. The st an^ dard limits the quantities of flammable that may be in such instructional laboratory units to one-half that allowed in naninstructional laboratory units.
Evaluation of the Proposed Standard One of the basic concepts that underlies the development of the proposed iire pro^ tection standard for laboratories is that a laboratory building should be "fireworthy" -it should not fail in case of fire, as a seaworthy vessel should not sink in a storm. Perhaps because fire is less frequent than high wnd. n e h a t e hi
