Safety is the foremost priority of every individual and thus for that many norms and inventions came into account so that humans life can be saved through many defined means. It has been observed that many industries in every field such as chemical industries, automobile sectors, IT sectors, etc. focused a lot on human safety and try to make a safe and healthy environment for their employees and thus invest a lot in this procedural work. Many vehicles are nowadays designed in such a way that it reduces the loss of life percentage in a certain manner.
Table of Contents
- What is NFDA Diamond?
- HEALTH HAZARDS
- FLAMMABILITY
- INSTABILITY HAZARD
- SPECIFIC HAZARD
What is NFDA Diamond?
NFDA is an association which deals and provides information about the ratings to identify the hazards of certain material in use. It was designed in the year 1960’s so that very quick information is known to the firefighters and thus that helps them to take certain steps. This association had made a diamond so that it can convey the information about the chemical in use accordingly. In this diamond, four equal parts are made and each part is recognized by a certain color so that they are easily understandable.
The red color which is at the top side informs us about the flammability of that material. The blue color on the left side signifies the health hazards and thus we get the idea that what effects can be associated with that material onto us. The yellow color at the right informs about the instability or reactivity with water. The white color at the bottom signifies the specific hazards that are associated with the material in use.
These four categories are then rated by a number from 0 to 4 and thus as the number increases the hazard will go on increasing of that particular product. To understand these, in brief, let us take an example that if a material has 0 in number in the red section than it will be categorized under non-flammable, and if the number is 4 in the flammable zone then that material can catch fire instantaneously or its flashpoint might below.
HEALTH HAZARDS
1. Minimal health hazard –
If a material lies in this category than there is no need to take any sort of necessary precautions.
2. Slight health hazard –
If any material lies in this category then necessary breathing apparatus must be worn so that the fumes of that material do not cause any harm to the employees working out there.
3. Moderate health hazard –
If your material in use lies in this range then the breathing apparatus and nose mask must be provided to the workers out there so that they can do their job with no other health issues due to it.
4. Serious health hazard –
This range means that your material in use is very toxic and thus working in that environment is not possible for anyone and so the safety measures must be taken and proper full protective suits must be worn and provided to the workers out there.
5. Extreme health hazard –
This category is of highly toxic material and thus working under the gas of this material is not possible and if this material gets leaks out then it will certainly harm the environment and thus many may get fatal due to this, so the proper protective suits must be provided to the worker so that this may help them to work and thus will not put their lives in danger.
FLAMMABILITY
1. Minimal flammable –
If the material in use lies in this category then the risk of flammability reduces and thus will not burn under the normal conditions.
2. Slight flammable –
The material in this category is slightly combustible and thus the risk of flammability in this category get reduces as it requires strong heating to ignite.
3. Moderate flammable –
The combustion requires for the material in this category is moderate and thus their flash point is below 2000f.
4. Serious flammable –
The flammability of the material in this range is very quick and thus has a flashpoint in the range from 1000f to 750f, so this sort of chemicals must be carefully handled and must be stored carefully so that it does not harm the environment.
5. Extreme flammable –
The extreme flammable gas or liquid lies within it and thus it has a flash point less then 750f, these materials need to be stored below the room temperature and must be handled with care.
INSTABILITY HAZARD
1. Minimal instability –
If the material falls in this category then it is normally stable and thus does not react with water.
2. Slight instability –
In this category, the material used may react if it is provided with required heating or gets mixed with water in a particular condition.
3. Moderate instability –
The chemical composition is in unstable condition and thus can also react with water in normal conditions.
4. Serious instability –
The chemical in this range of category may detonate if shocked or heated under confinement or may mix with water and thus make the drinking water unfit to drink if it is released in the river or dam.
5. Extreme instability –
The material in use is highly toxic and must be handled carefully so that it does not cause any harm to nature and thus must be exposed to very carefully.
SPECIFIC HAZARD
This category informs us about the specific properties of the material which are to be known before handling it so that preventive measures are taken in such manners, this specific hazards are as follows –
- OXY – This means that the material in use is highly oxidizing in nature and thus is more prone to catch fire very soon.
- ACID – The chemical in use is highly acidic and thus the chemical must be stored properly so that it does not harm the environment and the health of the workers.
- ALK – The chemical in use is highly alkaline in nature and thus need more care and attention if it is made in the use
- COR – The chemical in use makes the surface in contact corrode very soon and thus it must be exposed to these surfaces only which do not corrode soon.
- W – Many chemicals have the property that they are highly reactive with water and thus must be kept away from the reach of water so that any sort of incidence does not happen due to this.
