Safe Handling
Please refer to the guide below in handling and storing nitrocellulose.
- Nitrocellulose should be kept far away from open flame.
- Nitrocellulose warehouses or yards should be isolated from other operations.
- Sprinkler protection should be provided in buildings.
- In heated storage houses, radiators and pipes should be protected so that nitrocellulose barrels can not be placed near them.
- The distance between solvent storage tanks in buildings, or operating areas or otherwise, should be 100 feet or more
- Transfer of solvents should be operated by pump and pipe-line systems.
- Gauge glasses should not be used on tanks because of the increased risk of breakage in fire.
- All storage tanks should be equipped with vent pipes and flash arresters.
- All pipe lines above ground should be grounded to earth.
- All sources of flame should be prohibited.
- Nitrocellulose weighing operations should be isolated to reduce possibilities to cause frictional ignition of dried nitrocellulose dust.
- Floor surfaces should be smooth, avoiding sparking, and be conductive to electricity.
- Any dragging of metal drums, or boxes with exposed nails, should be avoided on the floors of the operating area.
- Cinders, sand, or dirt should not be tracked onto floors of the operating area.
- Barrels, before being taken into the operating area, should be cleared of sand, cinders, and dirt.
- Barrels should be handled carefully to avoid struck sparks on contact with steel or concrete; they should be kept under control and not be allowed to roll free or slide.
- All walls, ledges, floors, and machines should be washed frequently to remove any accumulation of nitrocellulose dust.
- Any spilled nitrocellulose should be cleaned up promptly and wet-down with water and then stored in a steel container with close-fitting cover.
- Each day, the dropped nitrocellulose sweepings should be wetted and collected before they are treated by a qualified waste-disposal operator.
- Oil and oily or soiled rags shall not be piled up, avoiding spontaneous ignition.
- Barrels should be opened with tools only of brass, bronze, or other nonferrous metal.
- It is necessary to be careful in handling of tools around moving machinery to prevent serious accidents occurring from tools being dropped into, onto, or getting caught in moving parts.
- A close inspection of all equipment should be made each day before operations begin.
- All nitrocellulose and other flammable materials should be removed from near any machinery, and the machinery should be getting wet with water before the start of any repair work.
- Clothing soiled by lacquer or solvents is considered as a serious fire hazard and clean clothing should be immediately changed.
- Any accumulation of lacquer drippings on the outside of mixers should be promptly removed to reduce the intensity of any possible fire.
- Samples and over-runs should be kept in a warehouse away from operating buildings.
- Research and experimental work should be done in a building away from regular plant operations. Valuable samples and records should be protected from possible fires.
- ONLY large volumes of water should be used.
- If barrels of nitrocellulose are exposed to high heat, the heated alcohol contained within may cause the explosion and flying-away of drums, so all operators and firefighters must keep a safety distance.
- If an operator inhales brown fumes from buring nitrocellulose, he should be moved to a place with fresh air promptly, waiting for doctor's medical care.
