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The LIT test is one of the three core tests for accessing a materials ignition sensitivity, particularly where ‘Avoidance of Ignition Sources’ is the ‘Basis of Safety’ for the operation. The data is required for defining the maximum operating temperature for electrical and non-electrical equipment used in areas where the test material is present.

Back in the early noughties, Sigma-HSE's Technical and Operations Director was working in the UK's Health and Safety Executive as a Process Safety Specialist Inspector and was preparing0020standards guidelines for the warehousing business. This cumulated with the distribution of HSG71 Chemical Warehousing: The Storage of Packaged Dangerous Substances, which is still available and easily accessible from the HSE site. This direction was focused on anybody with the obligation of storage of hazardous substances, for relevant for any sizes of the facilities and inventory storage and was appropriate to transit and distribution centers/ warehouses, open warehouse areas which are part of the chemical manufacturing facilities or are related to the end users.

 Before preparing this standard guidance, he also carried out a survey/ analysis of the storage warehousing and logistics industries. During the survey, one significant issue has been found that – only 30% of respondents are able to clearly mention and identify that they storing chemicals or dangerous substances. A further questing during the survey provided the reason for this condition. When surveyor questioned that what categories of substances were stored in warehouse, the answers got that pharmaceuticals, household and commercial consumer products, cosmetics, agrichemicals, food products etc. Most of the storage and warehousing companies and facilities were did not clearly identified that many such kind materials can a formation of the dangerous material or itself to classified as dangerous substances from fire and flammability point of view and contain a risk to the facility.

During survey of different products/ material stored in different warehouses and logistics facilities across the UK, different materials like aerosol cans of hairspray were seen and stored as simply consumer personal products, even it is containing extremely flammable LPG gas as an aerosol propellant which can result into the major fire hazard if it leaks and get ignition. Although the singular sprayers were effectively marked as containing risky substances but it was not treated and dangerous substance and no special care was taken during the storage of such products.

 You just need to go along the UK's motorway organization to see the value in the development in very enormous warehousing and logistics activities all through the country (which keeps on extending altogether), to get an idea about the how much potential there is for catastrophic events if dangerous substances are not correctly understood and stored with the special precautions during the storage or transportation.

 Introduction to DSEAR and warehousing/logistics:

 Despite the fact that there is a guidelines available for the safe storage of packed dangerous materials, there is, in fact, a bunch of standards and regulations with which the warehouse and logistics industries should be in compliance . These regulations are the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmosphere Regulations (DSEAR) 2015.

DSEAR regulations related to the materials that can resulted into the fire and explosion hazards. This can include variety of standard materials that have identified and  classified as dangerous material that can be explosive or flammable in nature i.e., different liquids and gases, but it can also include most of the combustible dust and powders. Most of the combustible powder and solid./ liquid substances are not classified as dangerous but can have the risk of fire if it is ignited and will lead fires  or explosions hazard, for example most of the food materials (flour, sugars etc.) and other organic powders and dust.

Beside materials, DSEAR regulations will apply to most activities/ operations that are carried out throughout the storage warehousing and logistics/ transportation industries (if materials classified as combustible). The HSE state that a DSEAR can be applicable to any of the following activities/ operations:

 · storage of petrol as a fuel for cars, boats or horticultural machinery

· handling and storage of waste dust in a range of industries

· handling and storage of flammable wastes such as fuel oils

· storage and display of flammable goods, such as paints, in shops

· filling, storing and handling aerosols with flammable propellants such as    LPG

· transporting flammable substances in containers around a workplace

· deliveries from road tankers, such as petrol and bulk powders

· chemical manufacturing, processing and warehousing

· the petrochemical industry, both onshore and offshore

· handling, storage and use of gases under pressure

 like all UK health and safety legislation, the regulations require you to carry out a risk assessment – this time main focused on different work activities/ operations handling materials which are capable of fire and explosion hazards – and objective to prevent fires or explosions events and prevent from resulting consequences.

 Warehousing/logistics equipment:

Primary objective of a DSEAR is to prevent fires and explosion events/ scenarios. Basically, this requires the avoidance of flammable atmosphere (a mixture of fuel and air capable of combustion). Wherever such flammable atmospheres are present and can’t be eliminated on-site, then employer of management should focused on reducing likelihood of the different ignition sources which can be incendive to the available flammable atmosphere.

To reduce the possible ignition sources in the facility, mechanical or electrical equipment which can have potential to create an ignition source and are present within facility where flammable atmosphere can be formed under normal and expected failures in operations needs to be of special type – this is often known as ATEX or Ex rated equipment.

 Understanding site zones

To guarantee that all equipment/ fittings installed in specific hazardous zones are appropriate and suitable, the identification of  the areas or locations where there is possibility of formation of flammable atmospheres and their possible extent/size is done by carrying out a Hazardous Area Classification (HAC) study. This, study outcome will in the identification of the classified areas which is called as Hazardous Zone of flammable atmospheres.

When these zones are known, any mechanical or electrical equipment or fittings as well as fixtures and tools present, must be removed or replaced by special ATEX or EX one in order to eliminate the possible ignition source for the flammable atmosphere.

However, for many companies with we Sigma HSE works the challenge is as stated in a previous blog on how to avoid over-zoning in hazardous areas, is that when they undertake risk assessments for the flammable areas, like DSEAR, they;

‘Err on the side of safety. Whilst this should not be considered to be an issue, it may be over cautious as it can result in larger size of hazardous areas being assigned and, in few cases, a higher than necessary classification of zoning is assigned (i.e. Zone 1/21 instead of Zone 2/22) or by overlap zoning of zoning an entire process area.’

It is important to note that when hazardous zones are revised then a risk assessment must be carried out by the experienced competent and subject matter expert. In order to avoid the incorrect zoning or classification of the areas which can result into a huge amount of financial expense in terms of purchasing and maintaining ATEX or EX certified equipment which are to be installed in the classified areas. .

 Storage of potentially hazardous materials

Clearly, with in most of the warehouse facilities and activities, packaged materials are are normally stored and then transported to the different locations to the end users. For this stored materials, when we consider it in their individual containers, it ensures that the generation of flammable atmospheres is not possible in the warehouse. But, if materials leaks during the materials movement, or if storage container leaks, the likelihood of a flammable atmosphere increases drastically due to the huge number of the material inventory.

In past there were number of fire events had happed due to spillage and leakages of the flammable materials during the storage and transportation of the flammable materials in warehousing facilities, One of the noticeable fire event that resulted in the destruction of the entire warehousing facility at a Boots site in Nottingham  few years ago. In this accidental event, a forklift truck (not certified for use in flammable atmospheres) ran over a leaked aerosol can – the forklift truck were the source of the ignition and that have ignited the present flammable atmosphere of the aerosol and due to the large storage inventory of the aerosol in the warehouse it were resulted in to catastrophic fire incident.

Even if the facility management is sure about the fact that they do not store or handle dangerous substances as inventory in the warehouse, but the ancillary or supporting operations on site can have the involvement of dangerous substances like the Power backup system like Diesel Generator will have the Diesel as the dangerous substance etc. – and hence if the facilities are having anything which can result into fire hazards it is necessary to undertake a DSEAR risk assessment including the Hazardous Area Classification. Other examples of the supporting system may include presence of natural gas-powered boilers and heating systems; LPG or diesel-powered forklift trucks; even recharging electric forklift trucks (due to the generation of hydrogen gas) means that a DSEAR risk assessment is become important in this areas.

 Stock Insurance

The safe storage and supply of goods, the safety of employees and your warehousing facilities infrastructure i.e., warehouses, machinery and transport equipment are of most important for the success of warehousing and logistics business. So, by adherence to the DSEAR regulations, the facility owner/management is avoiding possible potential disasters/ catastrophic event that could severely impact business operations.

We have addressed the topic of insurance for the manufacturing facilities a recent blog that you can read from our official website. Yet, a key observations was the fact that insurance companies are increasingly asking manufacturers if they have carried out a DSEAR assessment. Accordingly, we at Sigma-HSE have had different enquiries from these manufacturer to carry out a DSEAR as requested by insurance companies

Similarly, warehousing and logistics businesses also need understand the relationship between DSEAR and insurance. Although there is not a specific fire and explosion damage insurance policy that can be issued by insurance companies, there are other forms of insurance, that can pay to repair or replace items damaged due to a disaster caused by the above. So, by carrying out a DSEAR assessment, you can reduce the insurance costs by confirming to insurance companies that you have applied a recognized safety regulation to your work environment to avoid the likelihood of the possible fire events and you have adequate controls in place.

 We Sigma HSE are recognized subject matter experts in DSEAR and have carried out number of DSEAR risk assessments for different kind process industries for many years. Our consultants are on hand to discuss your requirements and will work with you to provide suitable and adequate safety solutions.

he Layer Ignition Temperature (LIT) test is conducted to determine the lowest temperature at which a hot surface will ignite a powder when settled as a dust layer.

A gap analysis is the first step in understanding the level at which a facility is, when it comes to process safety. Sigma-HSE carries out the gap analysis to achieve the following: • Benchmark existing process safety standard of a facility • Identify potential areas for improvement • Suggest appropriate steps for achieving better safety standards Our gap analysis is based on OSHA PSM (29 CFR 1910.119) and CCPS Guidelines for Risk Based Process Safety.

ATEX is an acronym of the French Atmospheriques Explosive and is the name commonly given to the two European Directives for controlling explosive atmospheres: 

The test is performed at two controlled relative humidity conditions, an upper humidity of 50% and lower humidity of 15%, in order to see the changes in resistivity as humidity falls The resistivity value will determine whether a material is conductive, static dissipative, or insulating.

The test is conducted to assess the behaviour (severity) of combustion propagation through a material deposit on being ignited by an external ignition source.