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Lubricant Storage Best Practices: Stuff You Need To Know
Key takeaways:
- Proper lubricant storage improves safety, efficiency, and cost savings by preventing contamination, preserving shelf life, and ensuring employees can easily find and use the right products.
- Poor storage practices create serious risks, including product contamination, shortened lubricant life, and equipment damage.
- Adopting best practices like FIFO rotation, redundant labeling, temperature-controlled environments, and employee training helps companies maintain compliance and protect both people and equipment.
Lubricants need to be stored separately, securely, and safely to align with best practices upheld within the industry.
Use the guide below to explore these lubricant storage methods and discover how to implement them in your company.
Why Is Proper Lubricant Storage Important?
Proper storage of any lubricants used in your operations offers numerous benefits that outweigh any upfront investment of time or funds.
When you’re confident you’re using the correct lubricant the machine manufacturer or application calls for, you reduce downtime and enhance customer relationships. Clearly labeled containers also make it easy to update inventory levels and reorder when necessary.
Implementing company-wide lubricant storage protocols enables your employees to locate the correct lubricant and its corresponding dispensing equipment. Proper lubricant storage also enhances workplace safety, increases efficiency, supports product purity and longevity, reduces costs, and promotes compliance with related regulations.
Risks of Poor Lubricant Storage
The cost of improper lubricant storage may not be readily apparent, but it can quickly add up. Disregard for proper protocol can put lives in danger and contribute to significantly unsafe conditions.
Here are some of the biggest risks of poor lubricant storage:
- Product contamination: Even the smallest particles of dirt, water drops, and other lubricants can alter a product’s chemistry and performance.
- Shortened shelf life: Heat, sunlight, and moisture can significantly shorten a lubricant’s lifespan through accelerated degradation.
- Equipment damage: Introducing lubricants not designed for the intended application can cause internal damage due to increased friction and wear.
- Safety hazards: Lubricants that leak and mix can cause slip hazards or otherwise contribute to unsafe working conditions.
- Inventory waste: Improper labeling and rotation procedures can lead to the costly degradation of unused lubricants that require replacement.
- Regulatory and environmental issues: Excessive spills and blatant safety infractions can have far-reaching consequences.
With the proper lubricant storage practices in place, you can minimize these risks to protect your employees, service products, and equipment.
Lubricant Storage Best Practices
The following best practices apply to industrial oils and lubricants from their arrival to their final disposal. Use these procedures to enhance any existing storage practices or to structure protocols you’ll implement moving forward.
Choose a Clean and Dry Location
When selecting a place to store lubricants, it’s best to dedicate a room or particular space out of the main thoroughfare. Inside storage is preferred, especially in climates that tend to reach extremely high or extremely low temperatures. A clean and dry location helps prevent contamination from dirt, water, and other natural elements.
Opt for a Temperature-Controlled Environment
Even the thickest lubricants flow better in a temperature-controlled environment. Keeping lubricants out of the elements also preserves their additive formulations. Dispensing equipment and containers, in addition to seals, also operate better in pleasant conditions.
Use Redundant Labeling
Although it may seem excessive, redundant labeling can help prevent common and avoidable errors, especially when single labels end up hidden or obscured. Assemble an agreed-upon color-coding system, or one that uses symbols or printed labels. Make sure any markings are clear, durable, and visible from multiple angles.
Implement a First In, First Out (FIFO) Protocol
Key to inventory management is the FIFO principle, which dictates using the oldest stock first and the newest stock last. Although most lubricants have a relatively long shelf life, using the FIFO method helps utilize older supplies that could otherwise go to waste and contribute to excessive operational costs.
The sooner you use the lubricant, the less time the additives have to degrade, and the more viable the lubricant is in the respective equipment.
Strategically Position and Store 55-Gallon Drums
Position the bungs on 55-gallon lubricant drums so they sit horizontally, or at 3 and 9 o’clock.
Storing them in this position promotes lubrication of the bung seals, aids in dispensing, and prevents water from pooling in the bungs and compromising the contents. It’s also a good idea to vent any solvent drums and ground tanks to avoid explosions caused by static discharge.
Train Employees on Lubricant Storage Best Practices
New hires and existing employees should learn and uphold the company's lubricant storage best practices. Hiring or tasking a specific position with enforcing these practices can help the company remain compliant, especially through routine inspections.
Consider creating and distributing reference material to streamline and maintain these best practices.
Practice Safe Lubrication Storage Maintenance
Adequate ventilation helps reduce humidity and regulate the temperature of a lubricant storage room or area. If you live in a particularly humid environment, consider installing desiccant breathers on the containers. In addition, lubricants should be kept separate from potential ignition sources, ideally as far away as possible, to prevent an explosion or fire.
Employees in charge of lubricant storage should monitor the shelf life of these products and maintain accurate records reflecting the current inventory. Drip pans and containment systems can also help mitigate the spread of leaks or containers that fail. In addition, protocols should be put in place for properly disposing of used lubricant containers that have been emptied.
Partner With a Trusted Supplier for Smarter Lubrication Storage
Lubrication storage best practices help extend supply and equipment life, reduce contamination, and optimize operations. Even the best lubricant storage protocols require high-quality lubricants and an experienced supplier. Call us at 336-629-2061 for expert guidance.
FAQs
Why is proper lubricant storage important?
Storing lubricants correctly reduces downtime, prevents contamination, extends product life, ensures workplace safety, and helps maintain compliance with industry and environmental regulations.
What are the biggest risks of poor lubricant storage?
Risks include contamination, reduced shelf life, internal equipment damage, slip and fire hazards, inventory waste from expired products, and potential regulatory fines due to unsafe handling.
What are some key best practices for lubricant storage?
Store lubricants in a clean, dry, and temperature-controlled space. Use redundant labeling and FIFO rotation, and make sure to properly position 55-gallon drums. Train employees on protocols and maintain safe ventilation and containment systems.
How can I make sure my company stays compliant with lubricant storage protocols?
Assign responsibility for enforcing practices, provide ongoing employee training, keep accurate inventory records, and partner with a trusted supplier who can provide guidance on safe storage and handling.
Sources:
Managing, Reusing, and Recycling Used Oil | US EPA
The True Cost of Downtime 2024 | Siemens