Safety
Codes
Hazard
Codes
ChemAlert rates hazards
numerically inside the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association)
diamond. This symbol was chosen for its
universality.
The diamond has a red segment
(flammability), a blue segment (health, i.e.
toxicity), a yellow segment (reactivity), and a
white/blank segment (special warnings such as radioactivity or no water). Printed over each is a bold black number
expressing the degree of the hazard.
The
numerical ratings are:
4 = extreme hazard
3 = severe hazard
2
= moderate hazard
1 = slight hazard
0 = according to
present data, none
Storage Codes
The storage code is assigned according
to the chemicals worst hazard:
RED Flammable
YELLOW Reactive and Oxidizing Agents. May react
violently with air,
water, or other
substances.
BLUE Health
Hazard. Toxic if
inhaled, ingested, or absorbed
through
the skin.
WHITE Corrosive. May harm skin, eyes, or mucous
membrane.
GREEN or Presents
no more than moderate hazard in any category.
On the second page of your
lab notebook you should copy a more detailed or specific hazard for each NFPA category
as shown below:
Link to the following Government web site for more details:
http://www.sefsc.noaa.gov/HTMLdocs/nfpahazard.htm
This site has the following symbol
HEALTH - The degree of health hazard of a chemical or material is based on the form or condition of the material, as well as its inherent properties. The degree of health hazard of a material should indicate the degree of personal protective equipment required for working safety with the material.
1 is for slightly hazardous (toxic)
material which requires only minimal protection (for example, safety glasses
and gloves) in addition to normal work clothing to work with safely.
2 is for moderately toxic or a
hazardous or moderately toxic material which requires additional PPE or equipment
(e.g. chemical goggles, lab/work smock, local ventilation) in addition to that
required for less toxic material. Consult the MSDS for specific health hazard
and proper PPE to use with this material.
3 or 4 is for
highly to extremely toxic (deadly) materials (and any carcinogen, mutagen, or teratogen). These
materials will require specialized equipment (e.g. respirator or exhaust hood,
full face shield, rubber apron, specialized glove, handling tongs, etc) beyond
that required for moderately toxic material.
You must consult the MSDS and/or other safety information to determine
the hazard (acute or chronic) and the proper PPE and engineering controls to
safely use this material.
FLAMMABILITY or FIRE HAZARD - The flammability or fire hazards deal with the degree of susceptibility of the material to ignite and burn. The form or condition of the materials, as well as their properties, affects the extent of the hazard. Many hazardous materials such as acetone and gasoline, have a flash point (ignition temperature) far below freezing and will readily ignite with a spark if the vapor concentration is sufficient.
1 is for materials with a flash point
above 200ºF.
2 is for
materials with a flash point below 200ºF but above 100ºF.
3 is for
materials with a flash point below 100ºF but above 73ºF.
4 is for
materials with a flash point below 73ºF.
REACTIVITY - The reactivity hazards deal with the potential of a material or chemical to release energy. Some materials are capable of rapid energy release without any catalyst, while others can undergo violent eruptive or explosive reactions if they come in contact with water or other materials. Generally this rating is used to indicate the potential to react if the material is heated, jarred, or shocked.
1 indicates a material that may be
reactive if heated and one that reacts with water.
2 indicates a
material that may react violently without detonation.
3 indicates a
material that may detonate or explode if subjected to a strong initiating force
or heating under confinement.
4 indicates a material that readily detonates or explodes.
SPECIFIC HAZARD - An open space at the bottom of the NFPA diagram can be used to indicate additional information about the chemical or material. This information may include the chemical or material's radioactivity, proper fire extinguishing agent, skin hazard, its use in pressurized containers, protective equipment required, or unusual reactivity with water.
OX or OXY indicates a material that is
an oxidizer.
W or W
indicates a material that is water reactive.
ALK indicates a material that is
alkali.
COR indicates a material that is
corrosive.
RAD indicates a material that is radioactive.
Special Labeling Requirements
All containers that hold
carcinogens, reproductive hazards or acutely toxic chemicals must be properly
labeled concerning the health hazard posed by the chemical. Most containers will have the chemicals
hazard clearly displayed on the label.
However older chemicals and containers of solutions that are mixed in
the lab must be properly labeled by the laboratory worker. The laboratory worker may write the hazard
class (e.g. carcinogen, etc.) on the container or use labels available from
their Supervisor or Chemical Hygiene Officer.
Lab Symbols You Must
Know:
The MSDS web site may be accessed at
the following:
http://www.ilpi.com/msds/ref/nfpa.html
In your lab notebook
sketch the following HMIS Labeling System and list the descriptions for each
number:
Below is a paragraph about the two labeling systems:
“At first glance, the HMIS® and NFPA labeling systems appear quite similar. Both have four sections colored blue, red, yellow and white. HMIS® uses colored bars, while NFPA uses colored diamonds. HMIS® attempts to convey full health warning information to all employees while NFPA is meant primarily for fire fighters and other emergency responders.”
In your lab notebook, the
purpose behind the both system and why they are different.
MSDS Relevance
Specific sections of an HMIS® label include the following:
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Health |
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o The Health section conveys the health hazards of the material. In the latest version of HMIS®, the blue Health bar has two spaces, one for an asterisk and one for a numeric hazard rating. If present, the asterisk signifies a chronic health hazard, meaning that long-term exposure to the material could cause a health problem such as emphysema or kidney damage. NFPA lacks this important information because the NFPA system is meant only for emergency or acute (short-term) exposures. According to NPCA, the numeric hazard assessment procedure is different than that used by NFPA. Here are the numeric rankings for the HMIS system: |
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4 |
Life-threatening, major or permanent damage may result from single or repeated overexposures. |
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3 |
Major injury likely unless prompt action is taken and medical treatment is given. |
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2 |
Temporary or minor injury may occur. |
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1 |
Irritation or minor reversible injury possible. |
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0 |
No significant risk to health. |
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Flammability |
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For HMIS I and II, the criteria used to assign numeric values (0 = low hazard to 4 = high hazard) are identical to those used by NFPA. In other words, in this category, the systems are identical. For HMIS III, the flammability criteria are defined according to OSHA standards: |
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4 |
Flammable
gases, or very volatile flammable
liquids with flash
points below 73 °F,
and boiling points
below 100 F. Materials may ignite spontaneously with
air. ( |
|
3 |
Materials capable of ignition under almost all normal temperature conditions. Includes flammable liquids with flash points below 73 °F and boiling points above 100 °F, as well as liquids with flash points between 73 °F and 100 °F. (Classes IB & IC). |
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2 |
Materials which must be moderately heated or exposed to high ambient temperatures before ignition will occur. Includes liquids having a flash point at or above 100 °F but below 200 °F. (Classes II & IIIA). |
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1 |
Materials that must be preheated before ignition will occur. Includes liquids, solids and semi solids having a flash point above 200 °F. (Class IIIB). |
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0 |
Materials that will not burn. |
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Reactivity (HMIS® I and II - now obsolete) |
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o
The criteria
used to assign numeric values (0 = low hazard to 4 = high hazard) were identical to those
used by NFPA. In other words, in this category, the systems were
identical. This version is now obsolete. The yellow section has been replaced with an orange section titled Physical Hazards - see the next section for more information. |
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Physical Hazard (HMIS® III) |
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o Reactivity hazard are assessed using the OSHA criterion of physical hazard. Seven such hazard classes are recognized: § Compressed gases § Pyrophoric materials. § Unstable Reactives This version replaces the now-obsolete yellow section titled Reactivity - see the previous section for more information. As with the Health and Flammability sections, the level of hazard is indicated using numeric values (0 = low hazard to 4 = high hazard): |
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4 |
Materials that are readily capable of explosive water reaction, detonation or explosive decomposition, polymerization, or self-reaction at normal temperature and pressure. |
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3 |
Materials that may form explosive mixtures with water and are capable of detonation or explosive reaction in the presence of a strong initiating source. Materials may polymerize, decompose, self-react, or undergo other chemical change at normal temperature and pressure with moderate risk of explosion. |
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2 |
Materials that are unstable and may undergo violent chemical changes at normal temperature and pressure with low risk for explosion. Materials may react violently with water or form peroxides upon exposure to air. |
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1 |
Materials that are normally stable but can become unstable (self-react) at high temperatures and pressures. Materials may react non-violently with water or undergo hazardous polymerization in the absence of inhibitors. |
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0 |
Materials that are normally stable, even under fire conditions, and will not react with water, polymerize, decompose , condense, or self-react. Non-explosives. |
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Personal Protection |
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o This is by far the largest area of difference between the NFPA and HMIS® systems. In the NFPA system, the white area is used to convey special hazards whereas HMIS® uses the white section to indicate what personal protective equipment (PPE) should be used when working with the material. Note: The NPCA specifically recommends that "preparers of MSDSs should not place HMIS® PPE designation codes on the MSDSs or labels that leave the facility, as they do not know the conditions under which their customers use those products." However, these still turn up on some MSDS's. HMIS® uses a letter coding system for this section. We at ILPI find this unacceptable because we would rather see the PPE listed explicitly instead of having employees try to remember a bunch of codes or consult a chart, something that could lead to confusion and/or a fatal accident. Likewise, the "custom codes" aspect is particularly dangerous for visitors and contractors who may not remember/recognize that these could vary from job site to job site.
We present the lettering scheme here, along with a series of graphics meant to reinforce the meaning of each letter:
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