10 Sign design The National Fire Protection Association has developed a rating system to identify and rank hazards of a material. You've probably seen the colorful labels used to communicate these hazards. The label is diamond-shaped, made up of four smaller diamonds, one each blue, red, yellow, and white. A number or special symbol is placed on the four diamonds.
NFPA 704 standard (Risk rating System) NFPA 704 Marking System is a system developed by
About NFPA 704
What is a Hazardous substance? A hazardous substance includes, but is not limited to products that are toxic, corrosive, flammable, irritant, stronger sensitizer or explosive. The key question to ask is, “ Do these materials create an unusual health risk through its use, storage, accidental mixing or possible combustion?” If yes, you likely have a hazardous material and must label your building.
There are a number of places this information might be obtained. Sources for information include the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), the supplier or manufacturer, and reference material including the NFPA Fire Protection Guide on Hazardous Materials, and many other reference books and data bases on hazardous materials. If a rating for a particular substance has not been established, a rating should be developed by a technically competent person in conjunction with the local fire department. Almost all substances will have the information on its label or you can obtain a Hazard label/MSDS “Material Safety Data Sheet” from your supplier. These data sheets should provide you with all the information that you would need to safely store, dispense, use or dispose of any substance.
the National Fire Protection Association to alert emergency personnel of the type and degree of hazards within an area enabling them to more easily decide whether to evacuate the area or to commence control procedures. This system was originally conceived to safeguard the lives of those individuals who may be called upon to remedy a hazardous emergency situation where the location or storage of fire hazards may not be readily apparent. Its objectives are to provide an appropriate signal or alert on the type of hazards present.
Where can I find the NFPA 704 ratings for my chemicals?
The diamond gives useful information if the material is on fire and reactive information. The diamond's hazard information is valid under normal circumstances. The Blue Diamond, appearing on the left side of the label, conveys Health Hazard information for persons exposed to the material. A number from 0 to 4 is written in the blue diamond The Red Diamond, appearing at the top of the label, conveys Flammability Hazard information. The Yellow Diamond, appearing at the right side of the label, conveys Reactivity (or Stability) information. The White Diamond, appearing at the bottom of the label, conveys Special Hazard information.
The MSDS will have the proper placard on the sheet or it will have the information for determining the proper placard.
Fig: Hazard
label/MSDS
Overview The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is an international nonprofit organization that. The company’s mission is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education. With a membership that includes more than 70,000 individuals from nearly 100 nations NFPA is the world's leading advocate of fire prevention and an authoritative source on public safety.
Codes and standards NFPA is responsible for 300 codes and standards that are designed to minimize the risk and effects of fire by establishing criteria for building, processing, design, service, and installation in the United States, as well as many other countries. Its more than 200 technical code- and standarddevelopment committees are comprised of over 6,000 volunteer seats. Volunteers vote on proposals and revisions in a process that is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
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