The Hazardous Materials Identification System identifies chemical hazards and how to handle them using a color bar label. The National Paint Coatings Association (now known as the American Coatings Association) developed this hazard rating system. Although it may seem confusing when initially looking at the labels, understanding the components makes them easier to read. Here’s everything you need to know about reading an HMIS label.

An HMIS Label Uses Numerical Classifications To Identify Hazards

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration uses the HMIS system for both public and worker identification of chemical hazards and safety threats. There are specific labeling requirements for a variety of hazardous materials, so you will see HMIS labels on a number of items in transit. These labels can be either a placard or a sticker. They may appear on individual units like drums, barrels or bottles, or they could identify an entire shipping container or box.

Each label has a unique appearance depending on the age of the label and the ratings of the hazardous material. All labels feature four colored and clearly labeled rectangular stripes. The stickers show the hazard type and the level of danger using a number.

Numeric Classifications

An HMIS label relies on a numeric classification system to indicate levels of danger. There is an ascending progression, with the lowest danger level starting at zero and the highest danger level using the number four.

OSHA advises companies to avoid mixing numerical classification systems when one system uses ascending progression and the other relies on descending order. This can cause confusion as the numbers seem to contradict one another.

Comparison With the NFPA Fire Diamond

The HMIS system may look similar to the 704 identification system used by the National Fire Protection Association, but these labels have different purposes. The NFPA uses the Safety Square or Fire Diamond to guide emergency personnel and firefighters on the flammability of hazardous materials and the type of safety equipment necessary when working with the material. The HMIS system complies with the labeling standards of OSHA.

HMIS Labeling Has 5 Common Features

A standard label will contain the following elements:

1. The name of the hazardous material
2. Blue stripe labeled “HEALTH” and marked with two squares
3. Red stripe marked with one square to indicate flammability
4. Orange stripe marked with one square indicating physical hazard
5. White stripe indicating personal protection elements

A label could include more fields for listing additional information, such as the manufacturer of the hazardous material. Within each of these categories, you may get other information about the hazard and the way to handle it through another code.

The Blue Stripe: Health Hazards

The top blue stripe features two squares, with one showing the hazard level and the other distinguishing between chronic or acute-only health hazards. There are five hazard levels, ranging from no significant health risk to the potential for life-threatening or permanent damage from exposure:

• 4: Severe
• 3: Serious
• 2: Moderate
• 1: Slight
• 0: Minimal

If the second square has an asterisk symbol, it identifies the material as a chronic health hazard.

The Red Stripe: Flammability

There are five flammability levels indicated by the yellow strip on the HMIS label. The numeric hazard levels start with zero, indicating no fire hazard. It moves to one for slight hazard, two for moderate, three for serious and four for severe fire hazard.

The Orange Stripe: Physical Reactivity Hazards

The third stripe in HMIS labeling shows how the potential for a reaction with the material. OSHA defines seven reactivity hazards:

1. Compressed gases
2. Organic peroxides
3. Explosives
4. Oxidizers
5. Water reactives
6. Unstable reactives
7. Pyrophoric materials

The label uses a category of zero to four to identify the physical hazard present. These move from no physical hazard at zero up through slight, moderate, serious, and finally severe physical hazard, at number four.

The White Stripe: Personal Protective Equipment

OSHA sets the standards for the personal protective equipment needed to help minimize a person’s exposure to injury or illness-causing hazards. The fourth stripe on an HMIS label shows which type of PPE is necessary for safely working with or handling the material. Instead of numbers, the labels use a letter code to show the combinations of PPE. Site-specific codes are indicated with letters L to Z.

Basic safety starts with “A,” requiring only safety glasses for handling. Protective gloves and a protective apron are added for “B” and “C.” At the “D” level, the material requires a face shield, gloves and an apron. Further levels call for additional equipment like a dust or vapor respirator and splash goggles. Level “K” requires a hazmat suit, gloves, hazmat boots and an airline respirator mask or hood.

Outdated HMIS Labels May Still Be in Use

Depending on the products or materials, you may come across a label that looks like it’s part of the HMIS system but has slight variations. The first version of HMIS labeling was released under the NPCA brand before the name and brand changed to the ACA.

There are two prior versions of the labels termed HMIS I and II. Under these systems, a yellow stripe represented a Reactivity hazard with levels rating from zero to four. Under the current system, an orange stripe replaces the yellow one and labels that danger as a physical hazard. The change was intended to distinguish the HMIS system from the Fire Diamond and to better comply with OSHA’s definitions of physical hazards.

Another change from the HMIS I and II systems is the definition of hazard levels under Flammability. While the older system used numeric ratings identical to the system established for the Fire Diamond’s red section, the revised system is current with the definitions set by OSHA’s standards.

Use an HMIS Label and Other Signage To Put Safety First

Proper use of an HMIS label is only one of the many things you should do to promote employee safety in your work environment. Posting appropriate signage is also important. Turn to ComplianceSigns, LLC for a wide range of safety notices and other markers. Order your safety signs today.

The post How To Read an HMIS Label Like an Expert appeared first on SafeWork Insider.

Although the top violations didn’t change, there was some movement within the list. Fall Protection – General Requirements remains the #1 violation for the 13th year in a row, followed by Hazard Communication and Ladders.

The list is based on data from Oct. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2023. It was announced at the National Safety Council’s 2023 Safety Congress & Expo.

The Top 10 OSHA Violations of 2023

1. Fall Protection, general requirements (1926.501) – 7,271 violations (+2,011 vs. 2022)
2. Hazard Communication Standard, general requirements (1910.1200) – 3,213 violations (+789 vs. 2022)
3. Ladders, construction (1926.1053) – 2,143 violations (+2,011 vs. 2022)
4. Scaffolding, general requirements, construction (1926.451) – 2,859 violations (+801 vs. 2022)
5. Powered Industrial Trucks, general requirements (1910.178) – 2,561 violations (+812 vs. 2022)
6. Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout), general requirements (1910.147) – 2,554 violations (+577 vs. 2022)
7. Respiratory Protection, general industry (1910.134) – 2,481 violations (+296 vs. 2022)
8. Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503) – 2,112 violations (+556 vs. 2022)
9. Eye and Face Protection (1926.102) – 2,074 violations (+673 vs. 2022)
10. Machinery and Machine Guard, general requirements (1910.212) – 1,644 violations (+274 vs. 2022)

This list shows what OSHA has been watching, which makes it a good place to start when reviewing safety needs of your business or making a safety plan. Fall Protection is clearly an area of increased focus for OSHA inspectors.

For comparison, the 2022 Top 10 were:

1. Fall Protection, general requirements (1926.501) – 5,260 violations
2. Hazard Communication Standard, general requirements (1910.1200) – 2,424 violations
3. Respiratory Protection, general industry (1910.134) – 2,185 violations
4. Ladders, construction (1926.1053) – 2,143 violations
5. Scaffolding, general requirements, construction (1926.451) – 2,058 violations
6. Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout), general requirements (1910.147) – 1,977 violations
7. Powered Industrial Trucks, general requirements (1910.178) – 1,749 violations (+23.2% vs. 2021)
8. Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503) – 1,556 violations
9. Eye and Face Protection (1926.102) – 1,401 violations
10. Machinery and Machine Guard, general requirements (1910.212) – 1,370 violations

Additional Resources:

• Review the top 10 OSHA violations of 2021 and 2020.
• Easily make custom OSHA and other safety signs at ComplianceSigns.com.

The post Top 10 OSHA Violations of 2023 appeared first on SafeWork Insider.

Note: No RuleBreakers or innocent bystanders were harmed in the making of these videos.

Parking Tag Required!

The RuleBreaker wants to park in a reserved area without a parking permit tag. What could happen?

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Hazard Dance

This time he’s ignoring hazard safety tape. He’s having fun, but not for long…

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Put It Back!

This time the RuleBreaker is messing up someone’s 5s tool shadow board. But the board has other ideas…

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Hands Off!

What will happen when the Rulebreaker ignores a safety tag?

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No Parking!

A No Parking sign that enforces the rule for you? We wish…

————————- #cssrulebreakers ————————-

Not An Exit!

Will the RuleBreaker make his own private exit? He might be sorry…

————————- #cssrulebreakers ————————-

Hard Head!

The RuleBreaker is ignoring a critical PPE safety sign… for a while.

————————- #cssrulebreakers ————————-

Parking Permit Required!

Will the RuleBreaker’s do-it-yourself parking permit do the trick?

————————- #cssrulebreakers ————————-

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ComplianceSigns.com is a leading online supplier of regulatory-compliant safety signs and labels, parking signs, no smoking labels, Braille restroom signs and a wide variety of other workplace identification signage to help you deal with RuleBreakers and others. Our dedicated employees take pride in producing high-quality products and finding innovative ways to help our customers. 

Since our founding in 2005, ComplianceSigns has grown steadily and received recognition as one of America’s fastest-growing private companies. More recently, Oregon safety tag innovator SafetyCal, Inc. merged into ComplianceSigns, bringing unique safety tag products including FlapTags. The 5S Store was next to join ComplianceSigns, adding a wide selection of 5S organization tools, materials and supplies. We then added SafetyPoster to the site, offering creative and humorous workplace safety posters. The addition of these three companies provides ComplianceSigns customers access to a robust inventory of products that address every safety need.

The post ComplianceSigns RuleBreakers Videos appeared first on SafeWork Insider.

In 2017, a man in Michigan was walking on the train tracks while listening to music through headphones. While he was walking and enjoying his tunes, a train that was moving in the same direction arrived. The train engineer tried to slow down and blew his whistle, but because the man’s music was piped through earbuds or headphones, he never heard the train that was swiftly bearing down on him from behind. When the police arrived, the man’s portable player was still playing music next to his body.

Now earbuds are wireless and even easier to use. As more and more people choose to tune in while they’re working, the same problem that played out in Michigan becomes a very real issue. Workers who are listening to their earbuds can’t hear what’s going on around them. In certain situations that can put them in harm’s way. That’s why more and more employers are choosing to implement an “open ears” policy at work.

What is “Open Ears?”

As the name implies, an “open ears” policy requires employees to keep their ears open while they work, whether it’s in all situations at work or just in specific high-risk areas. Headphones and earbuds offer great musical sound by canceling out most or all of the ambient noise around you. That can be very dangerous in some work situations.

While OSHA doesn’t have any specific rules or guidelines on the use of headphones at work, it did state a position in the fall of 2019 stating, “Listening to music may produce a safety hazard by masking environmental sounds that need to be heard, especially on active construction sites where attention to moving equipment, heavy machinery, vehicle traffic and safety warning signals may be compromised.”

Zeroing in on construction sites makes sense due to the nature of the work and all of the moving equipment, but it’s not the only situation where earbuds can pose a problem. For any business, it pays to look for situations where listening to earbuds or headphones may be acceptable and others where an “open ears” policy should be in place.

Tips for Establishing an “Open Ears” Policy

No two businesses are exactly the same, so it is important for any business owner or manager to assess their own unique situation. While you may decide to simply ban earbud and headphone use at work entirely, that’s not always the best option. Some people find that listening to music can help to minimize outside distractions such as other employee conversations, which helps them stay productive.

Hearing Safety Signs:

When establishing your earbud / headphone policy, keep these tips in mind:

• Headphones are Not Hearing Protection – Jobs that require hearing protection such as noise-canceling headphones should not allow workers to substitute music headphones or use earbuds inside of the hearing protection. It doesn’t work that way.
• Construction sites are dangerous – OSHA chose to focus on the obvious industry and for good reason. Construction sites come with a high risk of injury due to the nature of the work. Moving machines, working at heights, plus an already loud environment make it an especially bad match for tuning into music. All construction sites should be posted as “open ears” areas.
• Manufacturing – While it may seem like someone who’s working in manufacturing could use the entertainment as they do repetitive work throughout the day, the reality is they are working with machines. Machines can quickly become dangerous when they malfunction and if the person operating the machine cannot hear it, they may not realize the malfunction is occurring until it’s too late. This is another scenario where “open ears” seems like a no-brainer.
• Office Space – Not every workplace accident happens around large equipment. While workers in an office who do most of their work on a computer while sitting at a desk may be a fine place to allow headphones, you may want to limit their use to desk-only. Why? Imagine an office worker gets up to grab a cup of coffee, he doesn’t hear the person waiting and talking right behind him at the coffee pot, turns around too fast and crashes into them spilling scalding-hot coffee all over them. That’s just one scenario. Anytime a worker is moving around the office, there is potential for injury to themselves or others. Earbuds and headphones cause distraction and increase those odds.
• Retail/Customer Service Industries – Not only could a worker in a retail sales floor situation cause an accident while listening to music, but that accident could also include a non-employee, which leaves your company open to a lawsuit. On a more basic level, all employees on the sales floor, regardless of their job, should be accessible to customers so listening to earbuds sends the wrong signal.
• Don’t Do a Test Period – Some freedoms, once given, are very hard to take away. Don’t try to have a trial run of headphones and earbud use if there is a chance it will need to go away. Workers who enjoyed the distraction may soon become disgruntled.
• Post Signs in “Open Ears” areas – Any area that you declare an “open ears” area at work should be clearly marked with signage and maybe even marked out with floor tape if needed.

The key to establishing a solid “ears open” policy at work is to assess your work environment carefully to find areas that are high-risk areas for injury when a worker is distracted or cannot hear ambient noise. Once you’ve done that, the next step is communicating effectively to your staff about your new policies and marking those areas with signs.

Your employees’ safety is your responsibility. Establishing “open ears” rules that keep them focused on the job can help you avoid costly accidents and create a healthier work environment.

Resources:

• NIOSH “Buy Quiet” resources to identify quieter tools.
• Review a 1987 OSHA memo on music headphones.
• Are music headphones a workplace hazard?
• Workplace safety and compliance resources
• Browse Hearing PPE signs and labels at ComplianceSigns.com.

The post Open Ears: Reducing the Threat of Earbuds in the Workplace appeared first on SafeWork Insider.