Flammable Liquids - Canada Training Course

Flammable liquids like gasoline, solvents, paint thinners, and alcohol-based cleaners are essential components of daily work across Canadian warehouses, labs, and maintenance shops. However, because they are so common, it is easy to become complacent. The true danger of these liquids isn't just the fluid itself, but the invisible vapours they release into the air during normal use, fluid transfer, or from an open container.

Under WHMIS guidelines, workers must evaluate a chemical's flash point—the lowest temperature at which it releases enough vapour to ignite. Vapours with low flash points can silently spread across a room, sink into low spots, travel along floors, and spark a massive fire from an ignition source located far away from the container itself. Beyond fire, these vapours present severe health risks; breathing them in causes headaches, dizziness, or respiratory tract irritation.

To mitigate these risks, this course outlines critical physical controls. When transferring liquids, containers must be grounded or bonded to eliminate the risk of static electricity discharges. Flammable liquids must always be kept in approved, clearly labelled containers and stored safely inside designated fire cabinets away from incompatible materials. Housekeeping is also a pillar of safety: rags soaked in solvents must be disposed of in approved, sealed bins to prevent spontaneous ignition. Finally, we review emergency response frameworks, detailing how to safely contain a localized spill using spill kits, when to use a fire extinguisher, and how to enact a rapid site evacuation plan.

This program is available with English and French closed captions.