NFPA Diamond - Right To Know Labels

Other Resources

• What are RTK labels?
• Making effective RTK labels
• MSDS and RTK labels
• Classifying Health Hazards
• NFPA Right To Know Labels
• Do RTK labels need to list target organs?

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) diamond is an easily recognizable system for identifying the health and physical hazards associated with specific chemicals. It was originally developed to aid fire fighters responding to emergencies in industrial settings where dangerous chemicals were present. Today, it is used in RTK labels and HazCom programs in a variety of work environments.

The NFPA Diamond uses color codes to identify Health risks (in blue), Flammability (in red), Instability (in yellow), and Special Hazards (in white). It rates the severity of the

	Fire Hazard (Red) Flash Points 4 - Below 73F 3 - Below 100F 2 - Below 200F 1 - Above 200F 0 - Will not burn
Health Hazard (Blue) 4 - Deadly 3 - Extreme Danger 2 - Hazardous 1 - Slightly Hazardous 0 - Normal Material		Instability (Yellow) 4 - May Detonate 3 - Shock and Heat May Detonate 2 - Violent Chemical Change 1 - Unstable if Heated 0 - Stable
	Specific Hazard (White) Oxidizer ---- OXY Acid ---- ACID Alkali ---- ALF Corrosive ---- COR Use No Water ---- Radiation Hazard ---- Polymerizes ---- P No special hazard ----

In addition to providing information for emergency responders, the NFPA diamond is an effective tool to incorporate on your Right-To-Know labels and signs.

Related links
NFPA - National Fire Protection Association

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This guide is intended for general information purposes only. This guide is not a substitute for review of applicable government regulations and standards.