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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
companys 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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