Toolbox Talk · Fire · English
Migna Safety Solutions
Flammable Liquids and Static
About 9 minutes to deliver · 29 CFR 1926.152 · 29 CFR 1910.106
Liquid does not burn. Vapour burns, and the vapour from petrol, solvent, thinner and adhesive is heavier than air. It runs downhill, along a floor, into a pit, a trench or a floor drain, and finds an ignition source thirty feet away.
Bond and ground when you transfer
Pouring liquid generates static. The charge builds on the container, and it discharges as a spark exactly where the vapour is.
1926.152(e)(2): transfer of Category 1, 2 or 3 flammable liquids from one container to another shall be done only when the containers are electrically interconnected — bonded.
- Bond the two containers together, and ground the one being poured from.
- Keep metal touching metal — the nozzle in contact with the fill opening.
- Never fill a portable container in the bed of a truck, especially on a plastic bed liner. The liner insulates the can, the charge has nowhere to go, and the spark lands in the vapour at the filler neck. Put it on the ground.
- Air pressure to move flammable liquid is prohibited under 1926.152(e)(3). Pump, gravity or a self-closing valve.
Containers and storage
- Approved safety cans with a self-closing lid, a flame arrester and a spout. Never a milk jug, a soda bottle, an old paint tin or an unlabelled bucket.
- Labelled, every time, including the one you are using this afternoon.
- Closed when not in use. 1926.152(f)(1) — closed containers unless actually in use.
- Flammable storage cabinets for anything beyond the small working quantity, kept shut.
- Store outside, away from the building, away from exits and away from ignition, and never in a stairwell or an exit route.
Working with them
- No hot work, smoking, grinding or open flame anywhere near, and remember the vapour travels — "near" is bigger than it looks.
- Ventilate, especially in a basement, a tank, a pit or any low space where vapour collects.
- Rags soaked in oil, stain or linseed go in a closed metal container. Piled in a corner they generate their own heat and ignite on their own. This burns down buildings overnight with nobody there.
- Know where the extinguisher is before you open the can. Class B, and know that you have seconds, not minutes.
Clean-up
Absorb it, do not wash it down a drain, and bag the absorbent as hazardous waste. And never use petrol or solvent to clean parts, hands, or a floor.
Ask the crew
- Where is fuel or solvent stored on this site, and is it in approved cans?
- When we fill a can, does it come out of the truck bed and onto the ground?
- Where do oily rags go at the end of the day?
This is a toolbox talk, not a course. It is general awareness on one topic — not site-specific, not a hazard assessment, and not a substitute for assessment of your workplace by a competent person, your written programs, or manufacturers’ instructions. It does not by itself satisfy any OSHA training requirement. Regulations change; verify against the current standard. Whoever delivers it is responsible for deciding it is suitable and sufficient for the work. Where a talk covers first aid, resuscitation, or mental health it is general safety information, not medical advice, not a substitute for professional medical care or certified emergency-response training, and it confers no certification — in an emergency, call 911. Free to print and use, as is, with no warranty of any kind. Migna Safety Solutions · training.mignasafetysolutions.com
Attendance Record
Form supplied by Migna Safety Solutions
Flammable Liquids and Static
29 CFR 1926.152 · 29 CFR 1910.106
I delivered this talk and determined it was suitable for this crew and this work.
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Keep this sheet with your training records. This form is supplied blank by Migna Safety Solutions — we did not deliver this session, were not present, and make no representation about what was said or who attended. A toolbox talk is general awareness on one topic and does not by itself satisfy any OSHA training requirement. The employer remains responsible for site-specific hazard assessment and for the training its workers are required to have. Where a talk covers first aid, resuscitation, or mental health it is general safety information, not medical advice, and confers no certification — in an emergency, call 911. Free to print and use, as is, with no warranty of any kind. training.mignasafetysolutions.com