HMIS® – Hazardous Materials Identification System: new supplement

Citation

(2006), "HMIS® – Hazardous Materials Identification System: new supplement", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 53 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/acmm.2006.12853cab.026

HMIS® – Hazardous Materials Identification System: new supplement

HMIS^® – Hazardous Materials Identification System: new supplement

Keywords: Coatings, Coatings technology, Hazardous materials

The National Paint & Coatings Association, Inc. (NPCA) developed the Hazardous Materials Identification System (HMIS^®) to aid employers in the implementation of an effective hazard communication program. The Third version of this system, HMIS^® III, offers comprehensive resources covering hazard assessment, hazard communication, and employee training. HMIS^® III hazard assessment helps define the Health, Flammability and Physical Hazards of different chemicals, and shows how to communicate those hazards with a label that incorporates color-coded fields, along with a recommendation for personal protective equipment.

Historically, there has been no good method for determining the degree of flammability when rating aerosol products. HMIS^® III flammability ratings range from 0 (minimal hazard) to 4 (severe hazard). When attempting to rate an aerosol product the criteria offered do not fit well. The result is that many HMIS^® III users have rated aerosols based on the “catch-all” criteria under the level 3 (serious hazard) category which includes “materials that on account of their physical form or environmental conditions can form explosive mixtures with air and that are readily dispersed in air, such as dusts of combustible solids and mists of flammable or combustible liquid droplets”.

NPCA's Occupational Health and Safety Committee, which oversees HMIS^® III, has proposed new criteria for rating the flammability of aerosol products which draws directly from The National Fire Prevention Association's Code for the Manufacture and Storage of Aerosol Products (NFPA 30B, 2002).

This supplement to the HMIS^® III Implementation Guide is entitled Flammability Criteria for Aerosol Products and provides an important tool to HMIS^® users who can use it to develop appropriate ratings for their aerosol products. This supplement should be used in conjunction with Chapter 7 of the HMIS^® III Implementation Manual or Chapter 1 of the HMIS^® III Ratings Instruction Guide to develop complete and meaningful health, flammability, and physical hazard ratings for aerosol products.