NFPA 485-1999 Standard for the Storage, Handling, Processing, and Use of Lithium Metal.
3-1 General. 3-1.1 This chapter shall be applied to buildings or portions of buildings that are dedicated to the handling or storage of solid or molten lithium. 3-1.2* Buildings dedicated to the storage, handling, process- ing, or use of lithium shall be constructed of noncombustible materials. Exception: Other construction types shall be permitted if equivalent protection can be demonstrated. 3-1.3 Buildings shall comply with applicable provisions of NFPA 101 ® , Life Safety Code ® . 3-1.4* Roof decks shall be watertight. 3-1.5 Walls and ceilings shall be constructed with noncombus- tible insulation that has been tested in accordance with ASTM E 136, Standard Test Method for Behavior of Materials in a Vertical Tube Furnace at 750°C. 3-1.6* In areas where solid lithium is stored, handled, or pro- cessed, floors shall be a solid surface, and shall be constructed with materials that are compatible and nonreactive with and capable of providing containment of the molten lithium resulting from fire. 3-1.6.1 Where gratings are used or lithium is handled over- head, accessibility to the area below shall be restricted. 3-1.7 Floor drains shall not be permitted. 3-1.8 Where molten lithium is handled, dispensed, or stored, the handling area shall be provided with compatible and non- reactive containment. The containment shall provide for a vol- ume of 110 percent of the maximum amount of material that is contained or could be spilled in the area. In areas where molten lithium is handled, wall-to-floor connections shall be sealed against the penetration of molten lithium.
4-1.2 The number of persons in lithium-handling areas during operations shall be limited to those necessary for the operation. 4-1.3 Access to lithium-handling areas by unauthorized per- sonnel shall not be permitted. 4-1.4 Lithium shall not be handled in the presence of incom- patible materials. (See also A-5-1.3.) 4-1.5 Primary storage of ordinary combustible materials and flammable and combustible liquids shall be prohibited in lith- ium-processing areas. 4-1.6* No open flames or electric or gas cutting, welding, or other spark-producing operations equipment shall be permit- ted in the section of the building where lithium is present unless approved hotwork procedures are followed by qualified personnel. 4-1.7* The quantity of lithium permitted in processing areas shall be limited to that necessary for operations, but it shall not exceed the quantity required in one shift. Exception: Melting/casting operations shall be permitted to maintain more than one shift’s supply of lithium in process vessels, or drums in which lithium would be melted, with appropriate protection, across one or more shifts.
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