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Hi All, Is there any specific guidance for Paint Mixing rooms (No spraying just mixing) regarding storing flammable liquids in the actual room. Im sure I saw somethin a while back but it was aimed at a spraying booth thats tated you shouldnt stored them in teh room. The reason I ask is that we have 99 x25 litre containers of thinners stored in the room. We have LEV in the room and it has been specifically designed as a paint mixing room.
Hopefully I can get some guidance other than "Its down to your risk assessment" :)
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Rank: Super forum user
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HSG51 Storage of flammable liquids in containers
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 1 user thanked Ian Bell2 for this useful post.
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Of course, it is down to your risk assessment but to helpful I am assuming that you want to know what questions to raise in that risk assessment. When you say thinners, you need to be specific what sort of thinners you are using. Thinners is just generic term (like paint or fuel) and does not describe are particular substance. The SDS that comes with the product will tell you what it is and tell useful information such as the what is its flashpoint. So, if for example if the sub has flashpoint below room temperature you would have to think a bit harder than if its flash point was above 60 °C. You also have to look at what the process of mixing involves: if it was nice gentle manual mixing, you will not produce much in the way of volatile flame vapour on the other hand aggressive mechanical mixing will almost certainly give rise to a significant amount of flammable or even explosive vapour/aerosol. Then you need to look at the ignition sources in the mixing room. Is all of the equipment intrinsically safe? You may need to look at the zoning requirements under DSEAR. You mention that the room has some form of LEV. Is it adequate for the job? With LEV its not a case of if it has an arbitrary level of “suck”; what you need to look at is if reduces the level airborne hazard to something acceptable. What’s the LEV for? Is it to protect operatives from the health effects of the vapours etc ie it’s a COSHH thing or is it intended to prevent the build up of flammable/explosive atmospheres ie a DSEAR thing? Can it do both? Is there an emergency damper that will prevent explosion or fire travelling up the duct work? Does it need it? Are you storing the minimum amount of flammable stuff in that room? Should it be kept in cabinets? What size containers are you using? How catastrophic would be the spill involving the entire contents of the largest containers? How would clear up a spill like that? Do you have bunding or sump to collect a big spill. Is it big enough? How do empty it safely? There is more questions…
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1 user thanked A Kurdziel for this useful post.
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Firstly Paint Mixing rooms dont have LEV systems as such its Mechanical Ventilation as its design usually draws paint fumes across to face of the operator into their breathing zone depending where the operator is mixing paint and the extreaction position for the room. An LEV system should always capture the fumes and vapours before it gets into the operators breathing zone without drawing it across his face. Is there any Spray Gun Cleaning equipment in the Mixing Room or perhaps Solvent Stills or paint bucket wash units which is usually the case, these normally state in their manufacturers instructions that they have a perticular DSEAR Hazardous Zone that needs to be applied around them. As you are decanting and mixing in the room the amouth of stored flammable substances should be kept to a minimum. And preferably in a Flammables Locker as opposed to just on racks.
Are the substances bunded to capture spillage and so forth.
Mixing rooms are designed to generically be classed as Zone 2 Hazardous Areas with perhaps localised Zone 1 areas around Spray Gun Cleaners and such like. Which is why all the lights are outside the room shining through glass panels and switches are mounted outside.
I am afraid it will be down to good working practices, safe systems of work for decanting and mixing, and risk assessment for everything else that is reasonalby forseeable in the end I hope this helps somewhat.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Good practice is to only store a day's usage in the work area. Anything else should be stored separately. In the event of a fire there will be a lot less to burn.
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