Oil drum storage is a critical topic for many organizations, particularly those that depend on this material to perform their everyday operations. Proper inventory practices for oil drums, such as how they are stored, can influence the oil quality and the working environment of your staff.
Whether you require engine oil for heavy equipment or a fleet of shipping trucks, it’s essential to have secure, fast, and easy access to your oil drums. Yet, owing to the combustibility and spill danger involved with this oil barrel storage, there are a few important factors to consider when determining how and where to store these barrels.
This informative post will walk you through the foundation of storing oil drums safely and effectively. You’ll get to explore numerous valid and innovative practices being utilized by major companies worldwide, as well as the newest trends to further boost your warehouse’s performance.
The ABC Of Engine Oil
Produced from crude oil via fractional distillation, oil is an excellent lubricant for engines because it’s a viscous compound that can endure high temperatures. When pumped into engines of equipment or vehicles, it lubricates the components, rendering smoother operations and protecting them from harm caused by rust and friction.
Despite all of its brilliant benefits for engine longevity and performance, oil poses a number of concerns for firms that use, store, and deliver it. Although not strictly a flammable liquid, oil can still ignite when exposed to an ignition source. Nevertheless, the ignition requires a relatively high temperature, which exceeds the heat range in standard warehouse settings.
People name such a temperature as the oil’s flash point. Contrary to flammable liquids like gasoline and kerosene, which may burn at ambient temperatures, oil must be heated to a higher temperature before it can ignite. According to some standards, such as the Australian Standard AS 1940:2017, engine oils are labeled as C2 combustible liquids due to their high flash point of greater than 93 degrees Celsius.
Inherent Risks Of Oil Barrel Storage
When dealing with a combustible liquid like oil, it’s important to handle and store it in a manner that minimizes dangers. The following are a few risks associated with oil drum storage:
- Asphyxiation: This hazard may occur when warehouse employees accidentally inhale dangerous vapors, which oil emits at temperatures over 150 degrees Celsius, or when they have oil spilled on their bodies due to leaking concerns.
- Environmental harms: Improper oil drum storage can lead to leakages and contaminate the environment, especially when that liquid enters soil or streams. As a result, it causes damage to plants and animals, inflicting long-term harm to ecosystems and making cleanup difficult and expensive.
- Fire risks: When temperatures go beyond the oil’s flash point, ignition happens and poses serious fire safety concerns for warehouses. The presence of combustible vapors can result in even faster fire spread. Thus, proper storage and temperature management are critical for avoiding such dangers.
To limit the risks connected with oil barrel storage, make sure that your inventory equipment meets all the required design standards. Speaking of which, there are a plethora of storage options for oil drums, such as oil drum racks. The next section will go into further depth on this topic.
Exploring The Top 5 Types Of Oil Drum Storage Racks
Now that you’ve learned the importance of correct oil barrel storage, it’s essential to explore some popular oil drum storage racks currently available on the market. Here’s a quick compilation of the top five designs to help you stock this liquid.
#1: Horizontal Oil Drum Racks
Featuring two supporting bars or cradles made from galvanized or stainless steel, this first type of oil drum storage racks facilitate the inventory of oil barrels horizontally on their sides. This configuration allows for simple liquid dispensation, which is perfect for businesses requiring quick and regular access to the oil inside the drums.
Horizontal oil drum racks can accommodate various oil drum volumes, including the 55-gallon one. That’s why people also regard these structures as 55-gallon drum storage racks. Typically, they can hold about 1,600 to 2,400 pounds. Yet, please refrain from stacking higher than four racks.
PROs:
- Facilitating easy dispensing of liquids without moving drums.
- Offering high durability due to the sturdy steel structure.
- Having effective spill control features.
CON:
- Not utilizing vertical storage space.
#2: Vertical Oil Drum Racks
Another effective type of 55-gallon drum storage racks is the vertical oil drum rack. In contrast to the first variant, vertical oil drum racks hold these barrels upright, thereby optimizing vertical space and providing stable storage. One similar aspect between the two racking types is that they are both made of durable steel.
While vertical oil drum racks are less suitable for frequent dispensing than their horizontal cousins, they enable higher stacking and forklift access. These benefits help warehouse operators better utilize the facility space and ease the handling process.
PROs:
- Providing stable and upright oil barrel storage.
- Maximizing vertical space for efficient inventory.
- Including easy access with forklifts.
CON:
- Being less convenient for frequent oil dispensing.
#3: Stackable Oil Drum Racks
The following racking type is simply a stacking version of either horizontal or vertical oil drum racks on top of one another. Stackable oil drum racks are designed to maximize warehouse floor space with the help of strong steel frames and interlocking mechanisms for stability.
Similar to the aforementioned vertical type, these stackable racks are superior in terms of vertical storage but prove less handy for quick access and frequent dispensing.
PROs:
- Optimizing warehouse floor space by staking oil drums.
- Offering interlocking features to ensure stability.
CON:
- Quite difficult to access individual oil drums.
#4: Oil Drum Pallet Racks
If you need an oil barrel storage solution that combines the benefits of both horizontal and vertical oil drum racks, look no further than oil drum pallet racks. This solution includes pallet-like platforms that are height-adjustable (thanks to the use of beams) and capable of securely holding oil drums in place.
These features bring about reliable and organized storage of oil barrels, allowing them to be stacked while still being easily accessible for retrieval. However, one major disadvantage is that these racks are often fixed and cannot be moved. This constraint may reduce flexibility in changing storage layouts.
PROs:
- Capable of carrying heavy loads thanks to the durable steel construction.
- Providing an organized, pallet-like inventory of oil drums.
- Highly adjustable to multiple levels.
CON:
- Having a fixed design, not easy to move around.
#5: Movable Oil Drum Racks
Unlike previous oil drum storage racks, the next inventory solution has wheels or casters to support quick movements. This special feature enables warehouse personnel to securely and easily transport several oil drums around the facility.
Plus, movable oil drum racks are modular, meaning they can hold at least two 55-gallon oil barrels at once. These oil drum racks also allow for the stacking of oil drums, provided the barrels have adequate bearing qualities. Yet, moving these racks requires the staff to be extremely careful to minimize the danger of oil spills or accidents.
PROs:
- Offering flexible and mobile storage.
- Stackable for efficient use of warehouse space.
- Facilitating easy transport of oil drums.
CON:
- Less stable during movement, potential for oil spills.
Best Practices For Oil Drum Storage To Keep In Mind
Hopefully, the previous part has provided you with an overall picture of the world of oil drum storage racks. Choosing the suitable racking type for your business is critical, but it’s not enough. You need to keep in mind the following best practices to maximize the effectiveness of oil drum storage.
Containing Oil Spills
Well-suited oil drum storage racks can greatly enhance warehouse safety and prevent oil spills. However, no matter how quality your racks are, leaking concerns still exist. Obviously, spills and leaks from oil barrels pose serious consequences for your warehouse employees, property, and working environment.
As a result, you must find a way to contain oil spills and limit their severity. One of such solutions is the installation of a spill containment system. The system includes numerous products, such as drum caddies and portable spill mats.
Depending on the oil volume you’re storing, you’ll need a different capacity for your spill containment devices. The more oil you hold, the more capacity you need. Oftentimes, the required capacity should exceed the largest package by 25% to 40%.
Although the spill containment system helps minimize leaking concerns, it also gives birth to another issue, that is to make sure these containment devices are never utilized for storing anything else. Thus, you’ll need to do regular checks on your oil drum storage, as well as clean up and dispose of any leaks or spills in a safe way.
Keeping Ignition Sources Away
According to some standards, like the aforementioned AS 1940:2017, oils and other combustible liquids must be kept at least 3 meters away from any form of ignition source. These sources are common items in the warehouse, such as electric lamps, cigarette lighters, and soldering irons.
Thus, when deciding where to place your oil barrels, ensure that there are no ignition sources in or surrounding the region. You should also teach all employees who handle and store this substance to properly detect ignition sources and remove them safely.
As mentioned in earlier parts, oil has a relatively high flash point compared to other combustible liquids. However, oil drum storage regulations still require certain measures to be compliant, such as the use of dual-walled sheet steel and thermal air retarders. They help impede fire spread and function as a barrier to excessive heat.
Another important point is to follow appropriate housekeeping processes to keep the place clean, orderly, and free from flammable materials, such as papers, brooms, and uniforms. If not, these objects will serve as fuel in a warehouse fire.
Preventing The Accumulation Of Toxic Vapors
Hazardous vapors emitted from oils at high temperatures can lead to severe health problems for those who directly handle these chemicals. Additionally, they raise the danger of fire in the warehouse.
Therefore, facilities storing oil drums must include a ventilation system, either natural or mechanical, that enables dangerous vapors to leave the container. One way to achieve this is by using industrial wall louvers or perforated racks. These elements enable air to flow freely, thus preventing the accumulation of toxic vapors inside the warehouse.
Yet, in most circumstances, oil drums and other chemical containers are often placed outdoors. This outdoor oil drum storage approach is already a natural way to help disperse dangerous vapors. However, it also comes with a severe consequence, which you’ll run into in a later part.
Useful Tips To Improve Oil Drum Storage’s Effectiveness
The following are practical tips and ideas to help elevate the effectiveness of your oil drum storage. You’ll learn all the critical aspects surrounding the topic in question, from environment setup to safety storage measures.
Storage Environment Setup
It’s critical to keep the storage environment cool and dry so that no rust or corrosion can occur due to the condensation in your oil drums. Also, oil and other lubricants deteriorate more quickly at higher temperatures, reducing their efficiency.
A good temperature to maintain for oil drum storage is around 20 degrees Celsius. By setting up and maintaining a stable temperature inside the oil drums, you can preserve the substance from deterioration caused by heat fluctuations.
Oil Drum Storage’s Flooring
The warehouse floor where you place your oil drum racks must be level and oil-resistant. There are two primary reasons for this requirement. Firstly, the level and smooth flooring helps keep oil barrels from tipping over or fracturing under their own weights.
Secondly, suppose there are oil leaks in your facility. If the warehouse floor is not resistant to the substance, oil can swiftly seep through gaps or porous surfaces, polluting the environment and creating a health risk for employees. To make the floor oil-resistant, you can use concrete or add a special coating to the floor surface.
Selection Of Oil Drum Storage Racks
You already knew that there are a handful of oil drum storage racks to choose from for the task. Yet, it’s highly recommended to store oil barrels on selective pallet racks. This rack type allows warehouse operators to retrieve whichever pallet load they need without rearranging the other pallets.
Moreover, it helps optimize warehouse inventory space, making it easier to find and access individual oil drums. They are also customizable in terms of beam length, height, and depth to accommodate oil barrels of different sizes.
Another benefit worth mentioning is the pallet racks’ strong design and high-quality steel structure, which ensure top-notch safety for the oil barrels they hold. Selective pallet racks also improve inventory counts and management, thus reducing the possibility of inefficient and expensive overstocking or understocking.
Warning Sign Display
Setting up proper signage is critical to guaranteeing the safety of everyone working in the warehouse. Regarding oil drum storage areas, it’s a must to have “No Smoking” signs, as even a small flame in an oil-rich environment can inflict significant harm. You should display those signs clearly, making sure that everyone sees them.
In addition, as oil leaks and spills are inevitable and can make the warehouse floor slippery, you should place another sign that reads “Slippery Surface.” If not, warehouse employees can easily fall and slip, resulting in numerous injuries. Besides the sign, it’s necessary to equip your staff with non-slip shoes and remind them to move carefully.
Severe consequences can arise if your oil drum storage areas are infiltrated by unauthorized people. They might steal oil and cause damage to the drums, which negatively affect your business and result in even more terrible leaking and spilling incidents.
Therefore, it’s a must to employ various security measures for the zone. You can consider conventional methods like fences and locks, which are highly affordable and easy to implement; or opt for more advanced solutions like entrances with cards, surveillance cameras, and alert systems to detect suspicious activities more quickly.
Safe Oil Drum Stacking
Stacking oil drums on top of one another is a viable way to capitalize on the warehouse’s vertical space. Yet, if not done properly, the practice can lead to serious issues. Besides training your employees on safe handling methods, there are a few other things you should consider.
Effective and safe oil drum stacking requires these barrels to be fixed to a hook or cradle as the pallet racks are vertically positioned. Another solution for oil drum stacking is not to stack.
Yes, you’ve heard it right! Instead of stacking them vertically, follow the traditional way of placing oil barrels horizontally. When set up like that on a pallet rack, each oil drum will be supported by two beams. This configuration prevents the barrels from falling by dispersing their weight evenly. It’s also easier to retrieve and replace oil drums this way.
Two Common Mistakes To Avoid In Oil Drum Storage
In this section, you will dive a bit deeper into the topic of oil drum storage by learning about two common mistakes that most warehouse operators make. Knowing them will surely save you in the long run.
Outdoor Oil Drum Storage
Remember in an earlier part, you were told that outdoor oil drum storage comes with a severe consequence, despite its facilitation of natural ventilation? Well, let’s continue that statement here.
Without proper safety measures, storing oil drums outside can pose substantial dangers, owing to the phenomenon known as drum breathing. As temperatures vary, pressure within the drums fluctuates, causing air to be pushed out on hot days and pulled in on cold nights.
This procedure may cause moisture to leak inside. Water ingress can negatively affect the quality of oil, especially the substance’s viscosity. Even once the water is removed, the degradation still lowers the oil’s lubricating effectiveness.
That being said, it’s still possible to place your oil drums outdoors. However, to do that, you should keep the barrels horizontally to prevent moisture infiltration or use drum covers when storing them upright.
Oil Has A Fixed Shelf Life
Contrary to products like food, oil has no fixed shelf life. In fact, the expiration dates for oils vary depending on a variety of environmental factors, including air circulation, temperature, and humidity. When stored correctly in drums, oil can remain usable for many years.
In other words, you can extend oil’s shelf life by implementing proper oil drum storage practices. These include keeping the substance in cool, dark places with consistent temperatures. Also, make sure to seal the oil drum tightly, as air and contaminants can lead to oil deterioration more quickly.
However, you can still find information about the projected shelf life of your oil drums by consulting the manufacturers. They can give you reliable details on how long the substance should last and where you should store it. It’s also a good move to regularly inspect your oil drums for indicators of degradation.
Conclusion
Having a proper strategy for oil drum storage is essential for all companies, unless they want to turn their warehouses into chaotic and hazardous places. Fortunately, doing that is not very challenging, as long as you are familiar with the options for oil drum racks. This will help you pick the suitable type for your unique inventory demands.
The article also provides various practices and tips to help you improve the storage of oil barrels, from using spill containment tools to avoiding hazardous vapors’ buildup. Hopefully, with the insights here, you can create a safer and more efficient system for your oil drum storage, reducing risks and increasing productivity.
