NFPA Diamond

The NFPANational Fire Protection Association (www.nfpa.org), a private, non-profit organization that produces technical data related to fire protection and prevention, including the widely used NFPA diamond that contains codes representing chemical hazards. 704 diamond (sometimes called the "fire diamond") is a standard placard used to quickly identify a chemical's level of hazard. If available, the NFPA diamondStandard placard used to identify the level of chemical hazard at a fixed location or in a transported container. is shown in the Chemical Identifiers section of each chemical datasheet in CAMEO 365bet娱乐.

The NFPA diamond shows hazard levels: health (blue), flammability (red), instability (yellow), and special (white).The NFPA diamond is divided into 4 quadrants and the meaning of each code number and symbol is shown below:

  • Within the blue, red, and yellow quadrants a number from 0 to 4 indicates the degree of risk associated with the chemical. The higher the number, the higher the risk.
  • For some chemicals, the white quadrant contains symbols indicating special hazards.

The NFPA diamond is used at fixed locations (such as production facilities, warehouses, storage tanks, and storage sheds) and on some transported containers.

Note: If more than one chemical is present at a location, the NFPA diamond may indicate overall hazard at that location, not the hazard posed by any single chemical. That is, it may be showing the highest value in each hazard category for any chemical at that location. It may be that one chemical poses the highest health hazard, while another poses the highest flammabilityA substance's tendency to ignite or take flame. Flammability is closely related to the volatility of a substance (and is not its relative ability to burn in the presence of oxygen with the evolution of heat). hazard.
Note: If you don't see an NFPA diamond at a facility, don't assume that there are no dangerous chemicals present. Sometimes, a diamond may be missing or displayed in a location where it isn't visible to responders.
Note: In 2012, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) revised their Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) to align with the GHS. As part of that process, new rules for labelling and the creation of Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) were established. Section 2 on an SDS requires hazard category numbers that may look similar to NFPA values, but they are not the same. In fact, the HCS uses a hazard numbering system that is the reverse of the NFPA system; in the HCS system a 1 is the most hazardous number and a 4 is the least hazardous.

Interpreting NFPA Diamond Codes

Health hazards are shown in the blue quadrant.Health Hazard (Blue Quadrant) CodesHealth Hazard (Blue Quadrant) Codes

The health hazard codes and their meanings are as follows:

  • 4 = Materials that, under emergency conditions, can be lethal.
  • 3 =聽Materials that, under emergency conditions, can cause serious or permanent injury.
  • 2 =聽Materials that, under emergency conditions, can cause temporary incapacitation or residual injury.
  • 1 =聽Materials that, under emergency conditions, can cause significant irritation.
  • 0 =聽Materials that, under emergency conditions, would offer no hazard beyond that of ordinary combustible materials.

Flammability hazards are shown in the red quadrant.Flammability Hazard (Red Quadrant) CodesFlammability Hazard (Red Quadrant) Codes

The flammability hazard codes and their meanings are as follows:

  • 4 = Materials that rapidly or completely vaporize at atmospheric pressure and normal ambient temperature or that are readily dispersed in air and burn readily.
  • 3 =聽Liquids and solids that can be ignited under almost all ambient temperature conditions. Materials produce hazardous atmospheres with air under almost all ambient temperatures or, though unaffected by ambient temperatures, are readily ignited under almost all conditions.
  • 2 =聽Materials that must be moderately heated or exposed to relatively high ambient temperatures before ignition can occur. Materials would not under normal conditions form hazardous atmospheres with air, but under high ambient temperatures or under moderate heating could release vapor in sufficient quantities to produce hazardous atmospheres with air.
  • 1 =聽Materials that must be preheated before ignition can occur. Materials require considerable preheating, under all ambient temperature conditions, before ignition and combustion can occur.
  • 0 =聽Materials that will not burn under typical fire conditions, including intrinsically noncombustible materials such as concrete, stone, and sand.

Reactivity hazards are shown in the yellow quadrant.Instability/Reactivity聽Hazard (Yellow Quadrant) CodesInstability/Reactivity聽Hazard (Yellow Quadrant) Codes

The instability (reactivity)聽hazard codes and their meanings are as follows:

  • 4 = Materials that in themselves are readily capable of detonation or explosive decomposition or explosive reaction at normal temperatures and pressures.
  • 3 =聽Materials that in themselves are capable of detonation or explosive decomposition or explosive reaction but that require a strong initiating source or must be heated under confinement before initiation.
  • 2 =聽Materials that readily undergo violent chemical changes at elevated temperatures and pressures.
  • 1 =聽Materials that in themselves are normally stable but that can become unstable at elevated temperatures and pressures.
  • 0 =聽Materials that in themselves are normally stable, even under fire conditions.

Special hazards are shown in the white quadrant. Special Hazard (White Quadrant) CodesSpecial Hazard (White Quadrant) Codes

The special hazard codes and their meanings are as follows:

  • W or "No water" = Materials that react violently or explosively with water. See topic on Could it react with water?
  • OX or "Oxidizer" =聽Materials that possess oxidizing properties.

The NFPA diamond system is developed by the External link..