NFPA Hazard Rating System

Northeastern University's laboratory doors are posted with emergency information to warn occupants and The Boston Fire Department personell of the presence and identification of hazardous materials inside each laboratory. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has developed a system for indicating the health, flammability, reactivity and special hazards for many common chemicals through use of the NFPA 704 Diamond. The hazard rating for the laboratory is determined by looking at all the chemicals, gases and special lab uses in the laboratory and coming up with a rating for each hazard category based on criteria established below.

Please read the rating information in each catergory, take an inventory of your laboratory and rate each category accordingly. To look up a rating for a particular chemical click on the link at the bottom of the page. If you do not find the chemical listed, a review of the chemicals MSDS sheet may help you rate the chemical in question. To look up a chemicals MSDS click on the "MSDS" link at the bottom of the page.

If there are any questions regarding a chemical rating, please either email your question or call the Office of Environmental Health and Safety at x2769.

Update your Laboratory NFPA Record(s)

If you prefer to fax (x7622) or mail (Environmental Health & Safety, 229 Forsyth Building) in a response you can download one of the forms below:

Rating Summary

Health

Use the most severe rating code regardless of volume.

Health (Blue) Detailed Description of Health Rating

4	Danger	May be fatal on short exposure. Specialized protective equipment required
3	Warning	Corrosive or toxic. Avoid skin contact or inhalation
2	Warning	May be harmful if inhaled or absorbed
1	Caution	May be irritating
0		No unusual hazard

Flammability

The greatest volume of one code determines the marking. The only exception is if a more severe code has a volume of 3 gallons or greater, then that code is used instead of a lower code of greater volume. If the laboratory total volume of flammables or combustibles is less than one pint for all, then the rating for the laboratory for this area shall be zero

Flammability (Red)Detailed Description of Flammable Rating

4	Danger	Flammable gas or extremely flammable liquid
3	Warning	Flammable liquid flash point below 100°F
2	Caution	Combustible liquid flash point of 100° to 200°F
1		Combustible if heated
0		Not combustible

Reactivity

Use the most severe rating code regardless of volume.

Reactivity (Yellow) Detailed Description of Reactivity Rating

4	Danger	Explosive material at room temperature
3	Danger	May be explosive if shocked, heated under confinement or mixed with water
2	Warning	Unstable or may react violently if mixed with water
1	Caution	May react if heated or mixed with water but not violently
0	Stable	Not reactive when mixed with water