por He safety diamond It is a symbol used internationally to indicate the level of risk that a chemical substance or compound may represent for human health and safety.
It is also known by the name of NFPA 704 (National Fire Protection Association) Code, and was originally devised to guide the troops of the fire brigades.
It is mandatory for use in containers of chemical substances 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 for the general public to know about it. The NFPA established standards known as the National Fire Codes, with which safe practices for fire control are recommended and this rhombus is part of those codes.
Each part that composes it has an assigned value from 0 to 4, with 0 being the least dangerous level and 4 being the most dangerous. The security diamond is replaced as of August 1, 2018 by the Globally Harmonized System (SGA).
This new symbol will not apply to:
Pharmaceutical products
Food Additives
cosmetics
Pesticide residues in food
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What is the security rhombus 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 cases of emergency.
Take care of the lives of those who provide assistance in cases of emergency.
Provide guidance information for the moment of cleaning and removal of the substance.
Safety Diamond Features
The security 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 materials of low risk under fire conditions, such as sodium chloride.
1 = Slightly dangerous: These are materials that cause only minor residual damage, even without 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: They 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, such as hydrogen cyanide.
Red
It means that the substance represents a fire hazard. That is, it is flammable or can be. Its scale means:
0= Does not burn
This is the case of substances that do not burn, even when 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. Petrodiesel is an example of this substance.
3 = Ignites below 37° Celsius
This code is assigned to materials that can ignite at 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 (below 23°C).
Yellow
The diamond of this color indicates that the substance represents a reactive risk. 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 = Change possibility: 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: It can detonate with an ignition source, such as water, or a strong electrical discharge, as is the case with fluorine, for example.
4 = Can easily detonate: It 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 numbers but 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 dangerously with water, such as sodium cyanide.
R = is the letter used for radiation material like plutonium.
BIO = refers to biological risk. It is used in case of virus.
CRYO = means that you are dealing with cryogenic material.
Xn Harmful= presents epidemiological risks or significant propagation.
References
Spray The Magazine (2017). Goodbye to the Security Diamond! Retrieved from: aerosollarevista.com
Mendoza, Ricardo (2012). Diamond 704. Retrieved from: proseguridad.com.ve
Morales, Ivan (2015). How to read the security diamond. Recovered from: 5consultores.com
Perez, Clara (2015). Did you know that the safety diamond of a substance can save your life? Retrieved from: blogseguridadindustrial.com
Industrial Security (2012). You understand the NFPA diamond. Recovered from: seguridadindustrialgt.wordpress.com
Távara, Eveline (s/f). Security diamond. Retrieved from: es.scribd.com