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Some materials used in industrial facilities can pose chemical reactivity hazards. Conventional management systems frequently do not adequately address the unique behavior of materials that may react to cause excessive temperature or pressure changes or toxic or corrosive byproducts. EPA and other public and private organizations developed processes to help address these reactive chemical hazards.

Essential Practices for Managing Chemical Reactivity Hazards

The Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS), in partnership with EPA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the American Chemistry Council, and Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association, developed Essential Practices for Managing Chemical Reactivity Hazards.

This book, intended for safety managers, chemists, and engineers alike, helps both small and large companies address safe handling, processing, and storing of chemicals that might become involved in uncontrolled chemical reactions.

Other Sources of Information

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available as a free download, to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more about PDF, and for a link to the free Acrobat Reader.

Chemical Safety Alert: Managing Chemical Reactivity Hazards (PDF) (6 pp, 88K)
Issued in February 2005 to introduce facilities to the methodology for chemical reactivity hazard management as developed by the Center for Chemical Process Safety.

Identifying Chemical Reactivity Hazards Preliminary Screening Method (PDF) (5 pp, 398K)
Issued in May 2004 to raise awareness of reactive chemical hazards and a method of screening for these hazards.

Reactive Material Hazards - What You Need to Know (PDF)
Issued in October 2001 by CCPS to help safety managers, chemists, and engineers determine whether a process could have a chemical reactivity hazard and what they should do.

Prevention of Reactive Chemical Explosions - Case Study: Waste Fuel/Oxidizer Reaction Hazards (PDF) (6 pp, 210K)
Issued in April 2000 to raise awareness about the hazards associated with blending waste fuels and reactive chemicals and to offer recommendations to reduce the potential for accidents.

How to Prevent Runaway Reactions - Case Study: Phenol-Formaldehyde Reaction Hazards (PDF) (6 pp, 125K)
Issued in August 1999 to increase awareness of possible hazards connected with exothermic reactions.

The Chemical Reactivity Worksheet at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
The Chemical Reactivity Worksheet is a free program that can be used to find out about the reactivity of substances or mixtures of substances. The Worksheet was developed by the NOAA/EPA CAMEO Team.

Occuptational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Alliance on Identification and Management Chemical Reactivity Hazards at OSHA
This site provides information on reactive chemicals in the workplace.