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Chemicals Storage Safety Guide: What Not to Store Together
What Chemicals Not to Store Together
Chemical reactions can happen any time one volatile substance is exposed to another — including in storage, how should chemicals be stored.
When chemicals are not correctly stored, reactions can happen unexpectedly and have dangerous consequences. They can result in toxic fumes, fires, and explosions, catching workers off guard when they are vulnerable to harm. As the Occupational Safety & Health Administration says, accidental release of chemicals "creates the possibility of disaster."
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "in 2017, 41 U.S. workers died on the job after a single episode of inhaling chemicals and chemical products." This is up from 34 deaths in 2016.
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Safe Storage Starts with Chemical Inventory
OSHA regulates how to use and store chemicals in workplaces safely. OSHA’s Process Safety Management (PSM) regulations and protocols are a blueprint for workplace safety.
The OSHA standard emphasizes the correct management of hazardous chemicals.
"For every highly hazardous chemical, PSM requires that employers compile information on chemical toxicity, permissible exposure limits, physical data, reactivity data, corrosivity data, thermal and chemical stability data, and hazardous effects associated with inadvertent mixing of chemicals that may occur," says the agency.
Creating an inventory of this information is essential to understanding how to store individual chemicals.
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Common Chemicals That Should Not Be Stored Together
Keeping track of how chemicals should be stored and which chemicals not to mix when storing can be complicated. That’s why we’ve compiled a tip sheet on the safe storage of chemicals commonly used on job sites. This quick summary highlights some chemical incompatibility for common substances many businesses, workplaces, and job sites use regularly. This list of reactive chemicals is not complete. Always consult a professional or conduct thorough research before storing any chemicals together or nearby each other.
Chlorine
Common uses:
- Antiseptics
- Plastics manufacturing
- Dyes
- Textiles
- Insecticides
- Solvents
- Paints
Chlorine should not be sorted or stored with:
According to the EPA, some of the items you should keep chlorine away from are:
- Water
- Tools that have come into contact with other substances
- Combustible or flammable materials
Acetone
Common uses:
- Plastic manufacturing
- In cosmetics and personal care products
Acetone should not be sorted or stored with:
- Anything combustible or producing a spark, flame, or heat, since acetone is highly flammable
- Concentrated nitric and sulfuric acid mixtures
- Hydrogen peroxide
Sulfuric Acid
Common uses:
- Used in the manufacture of phosphate fertilizer, gasoline, inorganic chemicals, soaps and detergents, and dyes
Sulfuric should not be sorted or stored with:
- Chlorates
- Perchlorates
- Permanganates
Hydrogen Peroxide
Common uses:
- Used as an antimicrobial agent and an oxidizing agent
- On food processing equipment and in pasteurizers
Hydrogen peroxide should not be sorted or stored with:
- Copper
- Chromium
- Iron
- Most metals or their salts
- Any flammable liquid (like alcohols or acetone)
- Combustible materials
- Aniline
- Nitromethane
Bleach (Chlorine Bleach)
Common uses:
- As a disinfectant
- To disinfect water
- To disinfect food production equipment, food preparation surfaces, and food-transportation containers
Should not be sorted or stored with:
- Ammonia
Ammonia
Common uses:
- Fertilizer
- Refrigerant gas
- Manufacturing of plastics, explosives, textiles, pesticides, dyes, and other chemicals
- Household and industrial cleaning solutions
Ammonia should not be sorted or stored with:
- Mercury
- Halogens
- Calcium hypochlorite
- Hydrofluoric acid
Sodium peroxide
Common uses:
- Bleaching agent
- Disinfectant
- Laboratory chemical
- Chemical manufacturing
Sodium peroxide should not be sorted or stored with:
- Ethyl or methyl alcohol
- Glacial acetic acid
- Acetic anhydride
- Benzaldehyde
- Carbon disulfide glycerin
- Ethylene glycol
- Ethyl acetate
- Methyl acetate
- Furfural
Acetylene
Common uses:
- Welding
- Glass manufacturing
- Production of solvents and alkenes
Acetylene should not be sorted or stored with:
- Oxygen
- Chlorine
- Bromine
- Copper
- Fluorine
- Silver
- Mercury
Sodium hydroxide (lye, soda, or caustic soda)
Common uses of sodium hydroxide:
- Manufacturing of soaps, rayon, paper, explosives, dyestuffs, and petroleum products
- Processing cotton fabric, laundering, and bleaching
- Metal cleaning and processing
- Oxide coating
- Commonly found in commercial drain and/or oven cleaners
Sodium hydroxide should not be sorted or stored with:
- Food and agricultural feedstuffs
- Strong acids and metals
- Water or moisture
Sodium hypochlorite (AKA chlorine bleach)
Common uses:
- As a disinfectant
- To disinfect water
- To disinfect food production equipment, food preparation surfaces, and food-transportation containers
Sodium hypochlorite should not be sorted or stored with:
- Ammonia
Ethanol
Common uses:
- Fuel
- Hand sanitizer
- Paints, lacquers, and varnish
Ethanol Should not be sorted or stored with:
- Combustibles
- Ethanol should be stored in a Flammable Material Storage Cabinet
Nitric acid
Common uses:
- Metallurgy
- Etching steel
- Rubber chemicals
Nitric acid should not be sorted or stored with:
- Acetic acid
- Acetone
- Alcohol
- Aniline
- Chromic acid
- Hydrocyanic
- Acid
- Hydrogen sulfide
- Flammable liquids
- Flammable gases
- Copper
- Brass
- Any heavy metals
Acetyl chloride
Common uses:
- Manufacturing pesticides
- Pharmaceutical manufacturing
Acetyl chloride should not be sorted or stored with:
- Alcohols
- Sodium Hydroxide
- Potassium Hydroxide
- Nitrates
- Chlorine
- Bromine
- Powdered metals
Chromic acid
Common uses of chromic acid:
- Anodizing
- Ceramic glazes
- Metal cleaning
- Inks
- Paints
Chromic acid should not be sorted or stored with:
- Flammables
- Organic solvents
- Combustible materials
Acetic acid
Common uses of acetic acid:
- Laboratory reagent
- Engraving
- Textile industries
Acetic acid should not be sorted or stored with:
- Chromic acid
- Nitric acid
- Hydroxyl compounds
- Ethylene glycol
- Perchloric acid
- Peroxides
- Permanganates
Oxidizers
What oxidizers do:
- Add oxygen to fuels (combustibles and flammables) to increase burning
Oxidizers should not be sorted or stored with:
- Fuels
- Flammables and combustibles
Alkalis
What alkalis are:
- Soft, shiny metals with low melting points
Alkalis should not be sorted or stored with:
- Water
- Exposure to air
Flammables
What Flammables are:
- Substances that burn easily and catch fire
Flammables should not be sorted or stored with:
- Open flame
- Ignition source(s)
Water
Common uses of water:
- Heating & air conditioning
- Agriculture
- Industrial processes
Water should not be sorted or stored with:
- Alkali metals
- Hydrides
- Halogenating agents
- Chlorosilanes
- Sulfuric acid
- Sodium hydroxide
Oxygen
Common uses of oxygen:
- Welding
- Oxidizing agent
- Copper and nickel smelting
- Healthcare
Oxygen should not be sorted or stored with:
- Combustibles
- Direct sunlight
- Water & moisture
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Eagle is recognized as an industry leader in the safe management and storage of flammable and hazardous materials. Our safety storage cabinets are designed to protect facilities and personnel in virtually any setting.
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