The NFPA Diamond

The NFPA diamond provides safety information at a glance. 

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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... 

Pyrophoric and other spontaneously combustible substances will generally be identified as such on their product literature, MSDSs or International Chemical Safety Cards (described in Section 4.2). These substances should be identified as DOT/UN Hazard Class 4.2 materials for shipping purposes and labeled as SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUSTIBLE. For pyrophoric substances, if the NFPA diamond (NFPA 704... 

When the NFPA diamond is used for container or vessel labeling, and the white (bottom) quadrant contains the W symbol, the material will react violently or explosively with water, and a chemical reactivity hazard obviously exists. However, if the W symbol is not present, the material may still be water reactive, but at a slower rate, since the pur-pose of the NFPA symbol is to alert emergency responders to significant, immediate water reactivity n. hazards. Water reactivity is often very rapid, but can j also be slow. The reaction may generate sufficient gas Twy to rupture a closed container or vessel. The reaction of f an organic material with water may be delayed due to reaction only occurring at the interface. 

When the NFPA diamond is used for container or vessel labeling, and the white (bottom) quadrant contains OX, the material possesses oxidizing properties. It may be either an oxidizer or an organic peroxide. In either case, it should be considered to pose a chemical reactivity hazard. 

When choosing a site for an operation or the storage of materials, consideration must be given to toxicity, flammability, or other hazardous properties of the material being handled. The information provided by the NFPA diamond is helpful for this. 

Sometimes in the iower part of the NFPA diamond the word OXY appears. This indicates that the substance is a strong oxidant. 

A simple identification system used to communicate to workers the hazards of materials. HMIS is somewhat similar to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 704 Hazardous Material placard, which is used for emergency response incidents. Instead of the NFPA diamond shape, which many feared would be confused with the placarding system, the HMIS uses a four-color bar system. The top bar indicates the level of health hazard. The second bar from the top is red for Flammability the third bar from the top is yellow for Reactivity, which is used in the second edition, while Physical Hazard is used in the third edition of the guidance and white at the... 

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... 

FIGURE 3.1.2.3 NFPA Diamond. The fire diamond is frequently used in chemical laboratories. The ratings indicate the hazard level under fire conditions, not necessarily ambient laboratory conditions. (The NFPA diamond is reprinted with permission from NFPA 704-2007, System for the Identification of the Hazards of Materials for Emergency Response. Copyright 2007 National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA. This reprinted material is not the complete and official position of the NFPA on the referenced subject, which is represented only by the standard in its entirety. The NFPA classifies a limited number of chemicals and cannot be responsible for the classification of any chemical whether the hazard of classifications are included in NFPA or developed by other individuals.)... 

The NFPA diamond was designed for firefighters to quickly assess the hazards of a chemical under the conditions of a fire since that is how they are most likely to encounter chemicals. This is different from the conditions in laboratories. The NFPA diamond considers issues such as ... 

Which statement is true with regard to the NFPA diamond ... 

These are similar to Smart Signs , but instead of the NFPA diamond there is a colored scale of hazard rating for each category (Figure 5). The scale actually uses the standard 0-4 increment, but delivers the message in a different format. PPE information is expanded to specify what particular body systems are protected, referenced to a human figure icon. The label contains a significant amoimt of written material and a variety of useful safety information. 

An important part of hazard communication is labeling. Workers have a right to know what materials they are working with and the hazards those materials may expose them to. XYZ Industries uses the NFPA 704-B labeling system. The NFPA diamond is readily recognizable, is easy to read and understand, alerts employees to the known hazards in a particular location, and is the preferred hazard symbol of our emergency responders. 

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