Safety Cabinets 101

Safety Drums Prevent Workplace Fires! 

You have trash cans at home to dispose of your waste. At the same time your workplace will require somethisafetyng similar to store flammable waste products.

Justrite’s selection of safety drums not only store flammable liquids securely, but actively prevent workplace fires!

They can be fitted with a selection of funnels and faucets that are fitted with flame arresters.

These prevent heat from reaching the waste,  preventing stray sparks from igniting a safety drum’s flammable contents.

Know Your Safety Cabinet Colours! 

Storage cabinets and warning signs are colour-coded! This allows first responders to quickly ascertain what kinds of hazardous material is involved in an accident. In general, safety cabinets follow this code for easy reference.

  Yellow  : Flammable material

  Red       : Combustible material   

  Blue      : Hazardous chemicals 

  Green  : Pesticides 

Justrite cabinets follow this colour scheme by default, making it easy to tell what materials they’re best suited for storing at a glance. 

Flammable vs Combustible

Despite the similar names, flammable and combustible mean two different things when it comes to safety. Justrite carries storage options for both flammable and combustible material.  

The difference comes from flash point: the temperature at which spontaneous ignition due to high ambient heat can occur. 

Flammable liquids have a low flash point, usually below 37.8 degrees. This means that it can easily ignite at relatively low temperatures, making the risk high.

On the other hand, combustible materials have a flash point between 37.8 and 93.3 degrees. It will still catch fire if suddenly exposed to a source of high heat, so be careful!

Choose carefully! When in doubt, our friendly staff are available for consultation via our live chat. 

Transporting your hazardous material is important, too!

What use is good hazardous waste storage if they cannot be carried off for disposal easily? 

Waste drums should be placed on pallets for forklifts to easily access them. Safety cabinets should also be kept in secure locations, accessible primarily by workers who require them for their work.

Ensure that workers who frequently access safety cabinets know what to do in the case of an errant spill, and that any worker that comes into contact with hazardous materials knows what to do in the event of a spill.

Absorbents can help before the worst happens!

Consider lining your safety storage areas with absorbent wipes and socks.

These will preemptively block a spill if human error occurs by limiting the area of the spill’s effects.

Keep a steady source of absorbents that match the hazard type nearby and on hand for workers to use in an emergency!

We know our PPE.

Do you see a product on our site? That product is curated by a team with over 25 years of experience in the safety industry. We’ve done the research so you can decide with ease!