The safety diamond is a symbol used internationally to indicate the level of risk that a substance or chemical compound may pose to human safety and health.
It is also known as the NFPA Code 704 (National Fire Protection Association), and was originally devised to guide the personnel of the fire brigade.
It is mandatory for chemical substance containers and must be present in industrial, commercial and institutional facilities that manufacture, process, use or store hazardous materials.
It is not mandatory in transport units nor is it intended to be known to the general public. The NFPA established standards known as National Fire Codes, which recommend safe practices for fire control and this diamond is part of those codes.
Each component part has a value assigned from 0 to 4, with 0 being the level of least danger and 4 being the level of maximum danger. The security diamond is replaced as of August 1, 2018 by the Globally Harmonized System (GHS).
This new symbol will not apply to:
- Pharmaceutical products
- Food Additives
- Cosmetics
- Pesticide residues in food
What is the safety diamond for?
The fact of indicating the level of danger of a substance, also serves to:
- Easily distinguish dangerous products.
- Quickly report the nature of the risk posed by the product.
- Facilitate rescue or relief work in emergencies.
- Caring for the lives of those who help in emergencies.
- Provide guidance information for the time of cleaning and removal of the substance.
characteristics
The safety diamond is made up of 4 diamonds arranged in the following order:
blue
It means that the substance poses a health risk.
And the scale reads like this:
0 = no risk: This code is used on low risk materials in fire conditions, such as sodium chloride.
1 = Slightly hazardous: These are materials that only cause minor residual damage, even if there is no medical treatment, such as glycerin.
2 = Dangerous: It is the code assigned to those materials that can cause temporary disability or permanent damage, in case of continuous exposure, such as chloroform.
3 = Extremely dangerous: These are materials that can cause temporary or permanent damage even with little exposure. Potassium hydroxide is an example of this type of substance.
4 = Deadly: These are substances that can cause death or permanent damage, as is the case with hydrogen cyanide.
Red
It means that the substance represents a fire hazard. That is, it is flammable or it can be. Its scale means:
0 = Does not burn
This is the case of substances that do not burn, even when they are exposed for more than 5 minutes to temperatures of 815 ° C, such as water.
1 = Burns at 93 ° Celsius
These types of materials require a kind of preheating for ignition to occur. A flash point is calculated at 93 ° C.
2 = Ignites below 93 ° Celsius
They do not require very high temperatures to reach the ignition point, which ranges between 38 ° C and 93 ° C. Petro-diesel is an example of this substance.
3 = Ignites below 37 ° Celsius
This code is assigned to those materials that can ignite in almost any ambient temperature, such as gasoline.
4 = Ignites below 25 ° Celsius
These are substances such as propane, which vaporize at ambient atmospheric pressure or burn easily in air (less than 23 ° C).
Yellow
The diamond in this color indicates that the substance represents a reactive hazard. Regarding the scale of this rhombus, the meaning is as follows:
0 = Stable: It is a material that remains stable even under exposure to fire. Helium is a good example.
1 = Unstable if heated: It is a material that can be unstable at high temperatures and pressure. For example, acetylene.
2 = Possibility of change: Substances that can react violently with water or with high temperatures and pressure. Phosphorus is one of the substances that falls into this category.
3 = May detonate with shock or heating: May detonate with an ignition source, such as water or a strong electrical discharge, such as fluorine, for example.
4 = Can detonate easily: Tends to detonate very easily. This is the case of nitroglycerin, for example.
White
It is the color used for substances that constitute a very specific risk. In this case, the scale code is not for numbers but for letters and they mean:
- OX = oxidizing materials such as potassium perchlorate.
- ACID = acid substances.
- ALC = alkaline materials.
- COR = corrosive materials
- W = refers to substances that react with water in a dangerous way, such as sodium cyanide.
- R = is the letter used for radiation material such as plutonium.
- BIO = refers to biological risk. It is used in case of viruses.
- CRYO = means that you are facing cryogenic material.
- Xn Harmful = presents epidemiological or significant spread risks.
References
- Aerosol La Revista (2017). Goodbye To The Safety Diamond! Recovered from: aerosollarevista.com
- Mendoza, Ricardo (2012). Rombo 704. Recovered from: proseguridad.com.ve
- Morales, Iván (2015). How to read the safety diamond. Recovered from: 5consultores.com
- Pérez, Clara (2015). Did you know that the safety diamond of a substance can save your life? Recovered from: blogseguridadindustrial.com
- Industrial Safety (2012). You understand the NFPA diamond. Recovered from: Seguridadindustrialgt.wordpress.com
- Távara, Eveline (s / f). Safety diamond. Recovered from: es.scribd.com