Secure and Designated Area
Chemicals should be methodically stored and organized in a specially designated area. The storage area should be securely locked when not in use, and students should not have access to it. Safety features for chemical storage must follow local and state guidelines and recommendations.
At a minimum, the area should contain the following:
- Shelving for chemicals, organized to account for hazards and incompatibility.
- Separate, designated, enclosed cabinets for acids, bases, oxidizers, organics, and other flammables.
- Cabinets to store equipment that are separate from cabinets used to store chemicals.
- If chemical storage is near a classroom with emergency equipment and no physical barrier, then no additional safety equipment is needed in the chemical storage area. If the chemical area is detached from the classroom, it should be outfitted with safety equipment. If the chemical storage room is located remotely, consideration for safe transport must be made (carts, secondary containers, transport time, etc.).
Managing Hazardous Chemicals
Teachers should account for hazardous chemicals and chemical incompatibility when organizing their storerooms. If volatile materials are stored in an area which is susceptible to high temperatures, particularly when school is not in session, it may be necessary to store them in a refrigerator rated for storage of flammable materials, not a household refrigerator.
Teachers will often have hazardous chemicals in their laboratories. These chemicals may be needed for a specialized experiment or left behind from a previous teacher. Some schools and/or districts specify certain chemicals that are absolutely not allowed in their schools.
If a school or system does not limit what chemicals can be in a classroom setting, teachers can consult the ACS Restricted-Use Chemicals list on pages 3–9 of the document “Reducing Risks to Students and Educators from Hazardous Chemicals in a Secondary School Chemical Inventory" (PDF). This list indicates whether a chemical is explosive, toxic, an irritant, carcinogenic, corrosive, an oxidizer, poisonous, an allergen, flammable, or capable of creating violent reactions. It is an extensive but not all-inclusive list; its intent is not to prohibit the use of these chemicals, but rather to ensure that teachers are aware of specific hazards and can take the appropriate safety precautions to prevent exposure. In addition, Flinn Scientific offers helpful resources regarding chemical prep and setup, including its FlinnPrep for AP Chemistry online offering.
Download the Reducing Risks to Students and Educators from Hazardous Chemicals in a Secondary School Chemical Inventory.
Storing Incompatible Chemicals
Another important aspect of storage is making sure that incompatible chemicals are physically separated when stored. Chemicals should never be stored alphabetically; this can allow incompatible chemicals (PDF) to be near each other and react inside storage cabinets.
Flinn Scientific offers help for teachers to organize their chemical storage area with this quick Chemical Storage Pattern reference guide, which accounts for storage of incompatible chemicals.
Note that there are limits as to how long and in what quantities chemicals identified as waste can be stored. When setting aside chemicals for hazmat pickup, keep this in mind.
Download the incompatible chemicals table to determine which chemicals may or may not be stored together.
