Posted By Robert Woods You need to talk to someone with a background in chemistry as you cannot risk assess the outcome of a reaction between the chemicals without the appropriate knowledge. the firm i worked for [before i came into H&S] was fined £150,000 for killing one worker and injuring another when the wrong chemicals were mixed, one of them being methanol.

Posted By Steve Whittle David, If you have decided to use methanol (as opposed to some other less dangerous substance, remember the COSHH heirarchy approach) you need to consider a number of areas. Storage: well ventilated, protected from sources of ignition, bunded, drain protection etc. Ventilation: in the area of use to prevent exposure to high concentrations and the build up of a potentially explosive atmosphere. Control of ignition sources: from electrical equipment, static discharges, hot surfaces etc. Use of inert blankets: e.g. nitrogen Decanting to drums: earthing, ventilation etc Personal Protective equipment - Respiratory Protective Equipment: Canister or supplied air. Disposal of waste material: if contaminated with methanol. HES Books publish a couple of useful guidance documents - HSG140 The safe use and handling of flammable substances and HSG71 - The storage of packaged dangerous substances. Unfortunatly I have witnessed a couple of fires involving methanol that were very difficult to deal with (invisible flame). One due to a static discharge, the other an ignition from an electrical plug socket. Drop me a line at steve.whittle@fluoros.co.uk if you want any more info. Regards, Steve Whittle F2 Chemicals Ltd