2006 New York Code - Nitro-cellulose Products.

 
    § 27-4197 Nitro-cellulose products. a. Permit. It shall be unlawful to
  manufacture,  store  or keep, any nitro-cellulose products as defined in
  section 27-4002 of  the  code,  or  manufacture  any  article  therefrom
  without  a  permit,  except  that  no  permit  shall be required for the
  storage or sale of any finished articles  of  nitro-cellulose  products.
  The  commissioner  may  require  the installation of buckets, fire hose,
  fire doors, fire extinguishers, automatic sprinklers and other means  of
  preventing or extinguishing fires in premises where the finished, raw or
  partly   finished  products  of  nitro-cellulose  are  stored,  sold  or
  manufactured.
    1. Special permits. Where small quantities of nitro-cellulose products
  to be used for further manufacture are used or stored, the  commissioner
  may,  by  special  permit,  waive  or  modify  to  such  extent  as  the
  commissioner may deem consistent with public safety, the  provisions  of
  this  subchapter,  or  authorize  the  continuance  of  any  business or
  industry in existence on the fifteenth day of December, nineteen hundred
  twenty-two, but such waiver or modification shall have application  only
  where  the quantities of such products stored do not exceed fifty pounds
  in the aggregate.
    b.  Restrictions.  No  permit  for  the  storage  or  manufacture   of
  nitro-cellulose products, except as heretofore provided, shall be issued
  for any building:
    1.  Which  is  situated  within  fifty feet of the nearest wall of any
  building occupied as  a  school,  theatre,  or  other  place  of  public
  amusement or assembly;
    2.  Which  is occupied as a tenement house, dwelling, hotel or lodging
  house;
    3. Which is artificially lighted by any means other than electricity;
    4. Which is situated within the fire limits and is  not  of  fireproof
  construction  if  more than three stories in height; or if three stories
  or less in height if of frame construction;
    5. Which is situated without the fire limits  and  is  more  than  two
  stories  in  height, or more than thirty feet in height, or, if of frame
  construction, is more than five thousand square feet in area;
    6. Which  is  not  equipped  with  an  approved  system  of  automatic
  sprinklers;
    7.  Where  paints,  varnishes  or lacquers are manufactured, stored or
  kept for sale, except as otherwise provided herein;
    8. Where matches,  rosin,  turpentine,  oils,  hemp,  cotton,  or  any
  explosives, are stored or kept for sale;
    9.  Where dry goods, garments or other materials of a highly flammable
  nature  are  manufactured  in  a  portion  of  a  building,  above   the
  nitro-cellulose  occupancy,  or, in any case, where more than six people
  are employed or likely to congregate at any one time, if the storage  of
  nitro-cellulose products exceeds one hundred pounds;
    10.  Where  vertical  openings  between  floors,  including stairways,
  elevators and dumbwaiters are not enclosed  or  otherwise  protected  as
  specified in the building code.
    c.  Storage.  All  nitro-cellulose  products, in excess of twenty-five
  pounds, to be used for further manufacture thereon, shall be  stored  as
  follows:
    1.  Nitro-cellulose  products  to  be  used  for  further  manufacture
  thereon, except as herein otherwise  provided,  shall  be  stored  in  a
  cabinet or vault constructed as provided in this section;
    2.  It  shall  be  unlawful  to store more than five hundred pounds of
  nitro-cellulose products in cabinets, or more  than  two  hundred  fifty
  pounds  in  one compartment. No cabinet shall exceed five hundred pounds
  capacity  nor  be  of  more  than  thirty  cubic  feet   capacity.   All


  nitro-cellulose products in excess of five hundred pounds must be stored
  in  a  vault.  Storage space shall not be provided in any vault for more
  than ten thousand pounds of nitro-cellulose products;
    3.  Vaults for the storage of nitro-cellulose shall not exceed fifteen
  hundred cubic feet and shall be constructed as follows:
    (a) Floors shall be of fireproof material.
    (b) Walls shall be brick at least eight inches in thickness, or hollow
  tile at least twelve inches in thickness, or of reinforced  concrete  at
  least  six  inches  in  thickness. Walls must be constructed so as to be
  without cracks or holes permitting the escape of gases or combustion.
    (c) The roof shall be an independent reinforced concrete arch at least
  six inches in thickness; if the construction of the floor above  is  the
  equivalent of this it may serve as a vault roof.
    (d)  Skylights  or  windows  other than those specified under vents in
  this section shall not be permitted therein.
    (e) Proximity to stacks or other sources of heat must be avoided.
    (f) All door openings shall be protected with two fire doors.  A  fire
  door  shall  be  provided on each face of the wall on door openings. The
  interior doors shall be automatic and the outer doors shall  be  of  the
  swinging  type  and  shall  close into a rabbet and otherwise be made to
  prevent the passage of flame around the edges. The outer doors shall  be
  self-closing,   and  if  fastened  open,  shall  be  arranged  to  close
  automatically in case of fire originating in or out of the vault.
    (g) Racks and partitions in vaults shall be arranged in such a  manner
  as not to obstruct any vent opening. Partitions shall be substantial and
  protected  against  injury.  Shelving  in vaults shall be of substantial
  construction throughout, and  means  shall  be  provided  to  facilitate
  distribution of water from automatic sprinklers. Where the design of the
  building  is  such that an excessive floor load would result from having
  the vault filled with water, it  must  be  provided  with  one  or  more
  scuppers, giving an aggregate area equal to three square inches for each
  sprinkler head installed in the vault. (Note--depth of ten feet of water
  will  result in a floor load of six hundred twenty-six pounds per square
  foot.)
    (h) Each vault or compartment of a cabinet shall be separately  vented
  to the outer air. The vent shall have a minimum effective sectional area
  in  the  ratio  of one hundred forty square inches for each one thousand
  pounds capacity. For a standard vault of fifteen hundred cubic feet  the
  vent openings shall be fourteen hundred square inches.
    (i)  The  outlet of each vent shall be above the roof of the building,
  or made to face on a street, court or other clear space remote at  least
  fifty  feet  from  openings.  No vent outlet shall be within twenty-five
  feet, measured horizontally, of any exterior fire escape, nor  shall  it
  be below any such fire escape which is within this distance. Openings in
  walls  of  a building in the same plane or parallel planes and facing in
  the same direction as that in which the vent is situated  shall  not  be
  considered as coming within the intent of this rule.
    (j) All horizontal or vertical vent flues inside of the building shall
  be  of  five inch reinforced concrete or of a construction equivalent to
  that required for smoke chimneys, except  that  for  two  hundred  fifty
  pounds or less of nitro-cellulose the flue may be of riveted sheet metal
  of  at  least  No. 18 U.S. gauge, covered with one inch of approved heat
  insulation and not nearer than nine inches to any combustible  material.
  Exterior  metal  flues  shall be of a construction equivalent to that of
  smoke stacks.
    (k) Each vent opening directly  through  an  exterior  wall  shall  be
  protected   against   the   weather  by  a  single  thickness  of  glass
  (one-sixteenth  inch  thick)  painted  a  dark  color,   or   by   other


  noncombustible  fragile  material,  mounted  in  a sash arranged to open
  automatically in case of fire by the use of an approved releasing device
  placed inside the vault. The total area of the glass shall be  taken  as
  the effective sectional area of the vent opening. No pane of glass shall
  be  smaller  than  two  hundred  square  inches.  Any  other  equivalent
  protection may be accepted in lieu thereof.
    (l) A light wire screen not coarser than one-eighth  inch  mesh  shall
  also  be placed over each vent, so arranged as not to interfere with the
  automatic operation of the sash. Bars or a screen  designed  to  prevent
  burglary  or  injury to contents shall not have a mesh of less than four
  inches, shall be located inside the light wire screen, and  give  a  net
  opening equal to that required under vents.
    (m)  A  permanent  guard  shall  be  installed  to  prevent any of the
  contents from being forced against the mouth of the  vent  when  storage
  capacity does not exceed two hundred fifty pounds.
    (n)  Vaults must be equipped with at least one automatic sprinkler for
  each  eight  hundred  thirty   pounds   of   nitro-cellulose   capacity.
  Arrangement  of  the  sprinkler  must  be submitted for approval in each
  case, and sheet metal baffles must be provided. A vault which is divided
  into two  or  more  compartments  shall  have  at  least  one  automatic
  sprinkler  in  each compartment.   A vault of fifteen hundred cubic feet
  capacity must have at least twelve sprinkler heads.
    (o) All vaults must be constructed in accordance with plans  submitted
  to and approved by the fire department.
    (p)  Only  incandescent  electric lights shall be used. They must have
  rigid fixtures and  be  protected  by  marine  type,  vapor-proof  outer
  globes.  All  vault  lights  must  be  at the ceiling, and equipped with
  keyless sockets and operated by a switch located outside the vault,  and
  so  arranged as to indicate by means of a pilot light whether the lights
  in the vault are on or off. All wiring must be in conduit.
    4. Cabinets.
    (a) Cabinets for the storage of nitro-cellulose products  must  be  of
  approved  construction.  Cabinets  having  a  capacity  in excess of two
  hundred fifty pounds of nitro-cellulose must be divided  into  at  least
  two distinct compartments, each compartment provided with an independent
  door  and vent. The separating partition should be practically air-tight
  and of substantial construction equivalent to the sides.
    (b)  Cabinets  should  be  so  designed  and  insulated   that   naked
  nitro-cellulose  burning on the outside of a cabinet will not ignite the
  contents, or if burning in  one  compartment  it  will  not  ignite  the
  contents  in  the other; in both cases the contents are to be assumed as
  naked nitro-cellulose. The racks or drawers must be so arranged that the
  material immediately adjacent to the  partitions  does  not  touch  such
  partitions on either side. Spacers should be provided so as to have such
  material  at least one-half inch away from the partition on either side.
  Separating partitions may be  constructed  of  three-eighths  inch  hard
  asbestos  board  or  of  one-fourth  inch  soft asbestos board, enclosed
  between steel or iron sheets No. 22 U.S. gauge. The  exterior  sides  of
  the  cabinet  and doors may be composed of one-fourth inch hard asbestos
  board carried on a framework of one and one-fourth by one and one-fourth
  by one and one-eighth inch angles, or may be made of No. 18  U.S.  gauge
  metal,  double  walled  with  one  and one-half inches of air space. The
  shelves or racks within the cabinet must be of  metal  and  arranged  to
  facilitate  distribution of water from sprinklers. Doors to compartments
  must be so arranged and weighted as to remain normally closed, and  must
  be  kept  fastened  by  catches  on  at  least  three sides, and must be
  sufficiently tight to prevent the entrance of flame due to  the  burning
  of  nitro-cellulose  in  an  adjoining  compartment.  Doors  on  divided


  cabinets must swing from the center so that they  will  not  expose  the
  contents of one compartment to the other.
    (c)  Cabinets  holding  over  fifty pounds of nitro-cellulose products
  shall be equipped with at least one automatic  sprinkler  for  each  two
  hundred  fifty pounds capacity, or fraction thereof. If divided into two
  or more compartments, they shall have at least one  automatic  sprinkler
  in each compartment.
    d.  Supervision.  All premises used for the storage of nitro-cellulose
  products,  or  for  the  manufacture  of  articles  therefrom  shall  be
  continuously under the care and supervision of one or more persons, each
  holding  a  certificate of fitness as superintendent or manager thereof.
  The number of persons required to hold such certificate  shall  in  each
  case be stated in the permit.
    e.  Classification  of  articles.  Nitro-cellulose  products  shall be
  divided into two classes as follows:
    1. Class "A" articles shall be those made from material over one-tenth
  inch thick and not finely divided during manufacture into teeth,  scroll
  work or projections;
    2.  Class  "B"  articles  shall  be  those not coming within the above
  classification and shall include articles of  an  individual  weight  of
  one-half  ounce  or  less,  regardless of the thickness of material from
  which they are made.
    f. Display of finished products.  Display and sales tables  shall  not
  be  over  four feet wide and ten feet long, and shall be spaced at least
  three feet apart. 1. The space underneath such tables shall be kept free
  of storage accumulation of paper, refuse, and other materials.
    2. Class "A" articles shall be arranged on display  tables  in  single
  layers with at least one inch separation between each article.
    3.  An  article  composed  of  two or more pieces, such as a puff box,
  powder box, or hair receiver, shall be considered a single article.
    4. Class "B" articles shall not be arranged on display tables in  more
  than  two  layers,  except  in case of articles which are tied together,
  such as bundles of combs. Such latter articles shall  be  limited  to  a
  single layer of individual packages.
    g.  Water-jet. Whenever, in the process of manufacturing articles from
  nitro-cellulose products, saws or  cutting  tools  are  used  which  are
  likely  to  heat  the  material  to  the  firing  point  by  friction or
  otherwise, a jet of water shall continuously  play  upon  the  point  of
  contact.