This Standard was prepared by Standards Australia Committee ME-017, Flammable and Combustible Liquids, to supersede AS 1940—2004. The objective of this Standard is to promote the safety of persons and prevent damage to property and the environment where flammable or combustible liquids are stored or handled.

This Standard incorporates Amendment No. 1 (August 2019) and Amendment No. 2 (June 2021). The changes required by the Amendment are indicated in the text by a marginal bar and amendment number against the clause, note, table, figure or part thereof affected.

The changes in this revision of the Standard include alignment for the classification criteria of C1 combustible liquids to the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). The use of plastic polyethylene or other composite polymeric tanks for the minor storage of combustible liquids is now permitted. Some changes to fire hydrants requirements were also made in Section 11, dealing with fire protection for package stores.

Committee ME-017 reviewed the report with recommendations into the Buncefield oil depot fire in Hertfordshire UK in 2005, and implemented engineering controls accordingly, wherever possible.
 
The terms ‘normative’ and ‘informative’ have been used in this Standard to define the application of the appendices to which they apply. A ‘normative’ appendix is an integral part of a Standard, whereas an ‘informative’ appendix is only for information and guidance.
Statements expressed in mandatory terms in notes to tables are deemed to be requirements of this Standard. Notes that appear in the main text of this Standard provide information only.

The series of Standards covering the storage and handling of Class 3 and related dangerous goods presently comprises the following Standards:

AS
1894 The storage and handling of non-flammable cryogenic and refrigerated liquids
2106 Methods for the determination of the flash point of flammable liquids (closed cup) (series)
2507 The storage and handling of agricultural and veterinary chemicals
2585 Determination of flash and fire points—Cleveland open cup method
2714 The storage and handling of organic peroxides
3780 The storage and handling of corrosive substances
3846 The handling and transport of dangerous cargoes in port areas
3961 The storage and handling of liquefied natural gas
4326 The storage and handling of oxidizing agents
4332 The storage and handling of gases in cylinders
4897 The design, installation and operation of underground petroleum storage systems
4976 The removal and disposal of underground petroleum storage tanks

AS/NZS
1596 The storage and handling of LP Gas
2022 Anhydrous ammonia—Storage and handling
2927 The storage and handling of liquefied chlorine gas
3833 The storage and handling of mixed classes of dangerous goods, in packages and intermediate bulk containers
4081 The storage, handling and transport of liquid and liquefied polyfunctional isocyanates
4452 The storage and handling of toxic substances
4681 The storage and handling of Class 9 (miscellaneous) dangerous goods and articles
5026 The storage and handling of Class 4 dangerous goods
60079 Explosive atmospheres
60079.10.1 Part 10.1: Classification of areas—Explosive gas atmospheres
60079.14 Part 14: Electrical installations design, selection and erection