Hazardous Materials Identification System

The widespread use of chemicals and the need to protect employees from the hazards of those chemicals led OSHA to issue the first hazard communication standard (HCS) in 1983. Central to the HCS is the belief that workers who may be exposed to hazardous chemicals have a right to know about the hazards and how to work safely with the materials. As a result, the standard requires that chemical manufacturers and importers evaluate all chemicals for hazards, and that the information concerning those hazards be communicated downstream from the manufacturer to the employer and then to the employee. The HCS has three basic requirements:

• Chemical manufacturers must review scientific evidence concerning the hazards of a material to determine if they are hazardous;
• The manufacturer must develop material safety data sheets (MSDSs) and container labels, which must be sent to downstream users; and
• Employers must develop a written hazard communication program and provide information and training to employees about the hazards of chemicals found in the workplace.

HMIS (Hazardous Material Identification System) helps satisfy HCS requirements by providing a format for hazard determinations, offering a basic written hazard communication program, and simplifying the employee training and information process. HMIS provides clear, recognizable information to employees by standardizing the presentation of chemical information. This is accomplished by the use of color codes corresponding to the hazards of a product, assigned numeric ratings indicating the degree of hazard, and alphabetical codes designating appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) employees should wear while handling the material.

In many respects, the HMIS is very similar to the NFPA. The color and number coding are identical. But instead of the diamond (which many feared would be confused with the placarding system used by the Department of Transportation (DOT)), the HMIS uses a color bar system.

This system was developed by the paint manufacturers (National Paint and Coating Association) to address situations more common to their environment than the situations encountered by firefighters. With this system, the white section is used to indicate what level of protective equipment is required. Instead of a hazard ranking, a level of protection is indicated by a letter, with each letter specifying a different level of protection. Examples are:

	A	safety glasses
	B	safety glasses and gloves
	C	safety glasses, gloves and an apron
	D	face shield, gloves and an apron
	E	safety glasses, gloves and a dust respirator
	F	safety glasses, gloves, apron and a dust respirator
	G	safety glasses, a vapor respirator
	H	splash goggles, gloves, apron and a vapor respirator
	I	safety glasses, gloves and a dust/vapor respirator
	J	splash goggles, gloves, apron and a dust/vapor respirator
	K	airline hood or mask, gloves, full suit and boots
	L - Z   custom PPE specified by employer

This lettering system indicates the level of PPE to be worn to work safely with a material. The original system traditionally provided letters of the alphabet corresponding to a specific grouping of PPE. However, this did not allow employers to customize their PPE recommendations. Now employers who cannot find an appropriate grouping of PPE will be able to design their own custom set of equipment. Each of the individual PPE icons have been designated with a corresponding letter of the alphabet ranging from 'm' through 'z'. An employer can list appropriate letters to customize the PPE required for handling a specific material. To facilitate this option, container labels have been revised to allow room for the additional codes in the PPE block of the label. Of course, employers who found the previous PPE groupings suitable for their work places can continue to use the standard codes.

Another feature that differs from the NFPA label system is that HMIS allows an "*" to designate a material as a carcinogen or for materials known to have an adverse effect given chronic exposure. This designation would appear next to the numerical ranking within the blue health bar. This information is of great benefit to laboratory workers, since this is an indication of how the material will affect them over the long-run. Recall that, in comparison, the NFPA rating indicates only the short-term or acute affects you might encounter in an emergency circumstance.

Copyright © 1996 by College of Science, Texas A&M University