Hazardous NFPA system

NFPA Standard System for Identification of Health, Flammability, Reactivity, and Related Hazards (NFPA 704, Chaps. 2-5, 1990. This printed material is not the complete and official position of the National Fire Protection Association on the referenced subject, which is represented only by the standard in its entirety.)... 

For a detailed description of the degrees of severity of the ratings, see NFPA 704. Table 26-4 shows the system for identification of hazards. Figures 26-1, 26-2, and 26-3 show examples of arrangements for display of the NFPA 704 Hazard identification System. 

Liquid spills. Possibil- Provide spill control through adequate ity of accumulation of drainage and curbs or dikes flammable liquids. adequate ventilation resulting in fire or explosion hazard. down systems Minimize possibility of ignition Minimize possibility of spills API RP 750 CCPS G-22 CCPS G-24 CCPS G-30 Lees 1996 NFPA 69 NFPA-15... 

Standard for gauging flammability. The most common systems for designating flammability are the Department of Transportation (DOT) definitions, the National Fire Protection Association s (NFPA) system, and the Environmental Protection Agency s (EPA) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act s (RCRA) definition of ignitable wastes, all of which use flashpoint in their schemes. The NFPA diamond, which comprises the backbone of the NFPA Hazard Signal System, uses a four-quadrant diamond to display the... 

NFPA 704 is a voluntary standard. Table 5 lists the five degrees of hazard defined in NFPA 704. The NFPA hazard rating system primarily relies on qualitative criteria and judgment to assign chemical... 

Aerosol products are designated as Level 1, 2, or 3 by the classification system of NFPA 30B, Code for the Manufacture and Storage of Aerosol Products. Level 1 aerosols are considered the least hazardous and Level 3 the most hazardous. This system is based upon the fire hazard of these products. Other hazards such as the acute and chronic health hazards, as well as the environmental hazards of aerosol products are not addressed by the NFPA 30B classification system. The fire hazard associated with aerosol products is determined by either a 12-pallet aerosol classification test or the chemical heat of combustion of all of the constituents within the aerosol can. 

Table 2-9 lists a number of binary chemical combinations that are chemically incompatible and indicates the results of their coming in contact with each other. Additional information can be obtained by consulting the material safety data sheet (MSDS), the manufacturer or supplier, Bretherick s Handbook of Reactive Chemical Hazards, NFPA 49, NFPA 491M and U.S. Coast Guard CHRIS (Chemical Hazards Response Information System) Manual. Although the cited literature contains an exten-... 

The health, reactivity and flammability hazard classes are divided into 5 levels and assigned a number from 0 to 4, as in the NFPA 704 system. This system, thus, utilizes kind of hazard and level of hazard NFPA concepts. 

This steuidard requires labels for all containers, placards for areas and buildings and a MSDS available in the work place. It briefly refers to hazard training for employees but does not present a program to accomplish this portion of the standard. In that sense this standard falls short of being a complete communication system. In spite of this, it remains a good workable compromise between a hazard alert system such as NFPA 704 and the LAPI-based ANSI system which relies primarily upon worker-oriented label statements. 

This proposal draws on the DOT and NFPA concepts that utilize signs or label shapes with fixed colors for various hazard classes. The ASTM proposal uses the three LAPI signal words, Danger , Warning , and Caution to represent level of hazard, but in a change from other systems also uses color to indicate level of hazard. This system, thus, reinforces level of hazard by fixed shape, word and color. 

There is little doubt that with some training, this would be an easy system to learn, retain and use. This is also true, however, of the NFPA system, the ANSI system and the NIOSH system. In distinction, ASTM is designed to be a hazard alert sign system, especially visible and informative at a distance. It is supposed to put a reader on notice of the existence of a hazard and hopefully cause him to adopt a cautious attitude and behavior. 

The definitions which form the basis for assigning numerical ratings for reactivity and flammability are similar to the NIOSH and NFPA concepts. A significant difference occurs, however, in the health definitions. NPCA uses the Health Hazard Ratings System developed by Henry F. Smyth in cooperation with the Medical Department, Union Carbide Corporation. This system enlarges previous concepts to specifically include chronic exposure and chronic effects. So called supplemental effects such as photosensitization, acne-like eruptions, eye bum without pain, and metal fume fever among others are also identified. 

In Part IV, the last section. Jay Young and Charles O Connor discuss current and proposed industry standards. The Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA) sponsored ANSI Guide to Precautionary Labeling of Hazardous Chemicals and the National Fire Protection Association s (NFPA) Identification of Fire Hazards of Materials are the two oldest standards. The ANSI Standard owes its beginnings to the original Labels and Precautionary Information Committee (LAPI) Guide published by CMA in 1938, while the NFPA System was first explicated in 1952. 

The NFPA uses a classification system for flammable and combustible liquids in fixed storage facilities (see Figure 5.1). This system is part of the consensus standard NFPA 30, the Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code. The NFPA system further divides the flammable and combustible liquid categories into subdivisions based upon the flash points and boiling points of the liquids. NFPA s classification system does not apply to transportation of hazardous materials, since DOT regulations supersede NFPA 30. Examples of liquids in the various classification categories are listed in Figure 5.2. 

In the USA flammable liquids are divided into six categories, again based on their flash point and boiling point as shown in Table 4.5. These are used in the NFPA hazard rating system [23] to provide a numerical rating of 0-4 for the three regular hazards health flammability and reactivity. Thousands of materials including solvents are covered. 

A system of labeling established by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to provided a readily identifiable means to ascertain material hazards. The system identifies fire hazards in three main areas health, flammability, and reaction or instability. The relative ranking in severity of each hazard category is indicated... 

The most well-known hazard rating system is by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and is called the NFPA diamond. It is a multicolored diamond that covers three hazard classes as well as specidc other hazards, and is shown is Figure 3.1.2.3. This diamond is actually designed for dredghters and it represents the hazard under conditions of a fire—it is not specidcally designed for laboratory safety. (See Special Topic 3.1.2.2 How Is a Chemical Different in a Fire ) The diamond is subdivided into four smaller diamonds—each with its characteristic color. If each point of the large diamond is treated like a clock, you will And at 9 o clock a blue diamond for health hazards, at 12 o clock a red diamond for dammability, at 3 o clock a yellow diamond for instability, and at 6 o clock a... 

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