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HMIS® - Hazardous Materials Identification System

Definition

• The Hazardous Materials Identification System, HMIS®, was developed by the National Paint & Coatings Association (NPCA), now known as the American Coatings Association, to help employers comply with OSHA's Hazard Communication (HCS), 29 CFR 1910.1200.

  The system utilizes colored bars, numbers and symbols to convey the hazards of chemicals used in the workplace. See below for an explanation of the system. Alas, the system is proprietary and the NPCA has apparently awarded exclusive rights for HMIS® products and services to a single vendor. In our opinion, this is a totally unacceptable arrangement that runs counter to the facile dissemination of health and safety information. Note the following: Do not confuse HMIS® with WHMIS, which is a set of Canadian Regulations dealing with hazardous materials. Do not confuse HMIS® labels (colored bars) with NFPA labels (colored diamonds). The two systems are similar but not identical. See below for more info. HMIS® is a registered mark of the NPCA. HMIS, a U.S. Federal computerized information management system containing data to ensure the safe transportation of hazardous materials by air, highway, rail, and water. See http://www.dot.gov/pia/phmsa_hmis.htm. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) used to call their restricted HMIRS (Hazardous Material Information Resource System) HMIS, but changed the name recently to reduce confusion.

  This safety wall poster from Safety Emporium uses humor to reinforce the importance of proper container labels.

Additional Information

At first glance, the HMIS® and NFPA labeling systems appear quite similar. Both have four sections colored blue, red, yellow and white. HMIS® uses colored bars, while NFPA uses colored diamonds. HMIS® attempts to convey full health warning information to all employees while NFPA is meant primarily for fire fighters and other emergency responders. Key point: HMIS® is not intended for emergency circumstances.

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Some employers use hybrids of the two systems. For example, they will use an NFPA hazard diamond, but the white section is used to denote both personal protective equipment (PPE) and/or special hazards. The NPCA and NFPA both discourage the mixing of the two systems in this manner. OSHA permits one to use any labeling system as long as it meets their labeling performance requirements. Thus, if you use a hybrid system at your location, your employees must be properly trained in using it and be made aware of these potential conflicts.

HMIS® labels can appear in a variety of formats. Some will include additional spaces to list target organ effects, a labeling requirement under 29 CFR 1910.1200, and other information, but the four colored areas shown here will always be present.

An older style HMIS® label is shown below on the left. In the April 2002 release of HMIS® III the yellow Reactivity section was replaced with an orange Physical Hazard section as shown below on the right. Other aspects of the system were also changed (see below).

NPCA recommends upgrading your older HMIS labels.

MSDS Relevance

Specific sections of an HMIS® label include the following:

Health
The Health section conveys the health hazards of the material. In the latest version of HMIS®, the blue Health bar has two spaces, one for an asterisk and one for a numeric hazard rating. If present, the asterisk signifies a chronic health hazard, meaning that long-term exposure to the material could cause a health problem such as emphysema or kidney damage. NFPA lacks this important information because the NFPA system is meant only for emergency or acute (short-term) exposures. According to NPCA, the numeric hazard assessment procedure is different than that used by NFPA. Here are the numeric rankings for the HMIS system:
4	Life-threatening, major or permanent damage may result from single or repeated overexposures.
3	Major injury likely unless prompt action is taken and medical treatment is given.
2	Temporary or minor injury may occur.
1	Irritation or minor reversible injury possible.
0	No significant risk to health.

Flammability
For HMIS I and II, the criteria used to assign numeric values (0 = low hazard to 4 = high hazard) are identical to those used by NFPA. In other words, in this category, the systems are identical. For HMIS III, the flammability criteria are defined according to OSHA standards:
4	Flammable gases, or very volatile flammable liquids with flash points below 73 °F, and boiling points below 100 F. Materials may ignite spontaneously with air. (Class IA) .
3	Materials capable of ignition under almost all normal temperature conditions. Includes flammable liquids with flash points below 73 °F and boiling points above 100 °F, as well as liquids with flash points between 73 °F and 100 °F. (Classes IB & IC).
2	Materials which must be moderately heated or exposed to high ambient temperatures before ignition will occur. Includes liquids having a flash point at or above 100 °F but below 200 °F. (Classes II & IIIA).
1	Materials that must be preheated before ignition will occur. Includes liquids, solids and semi solids having a flash point above 200 °F. (Class IIIB).
0	Materials that will not burn.

Reactivity (HMIS® I and II - now obsolete)

The criteria used to assign numeric values (0 = low hazard to 4 = high hazard) were identical to those used by NFPA. In other words, in this category, the systems were identical. This version is now obsolete. The yellow section has been replaced with an orange section titled Physical Hazards - see the next section for more information.

Physical Hazard (HMIS® III)
Reactivity hazard are assessed using the OSHA criterion of physical hazard. Seven such hazard classes are recognized: Water Reactives Organic Peroxides Explosives Compressed gases Pyrophoric materials. Oxidizers Unstable Reactives This version replaces the now-obsolete yellow section titled Reactivity - see the previous section for more information. As with the Health and Flammability sections, the level of hazard is indicated using numeric values (0 = low hazard to 4 = high hazard):
4	Materials that are readily capable of explosive water reaction, detonation or explosive decomposition, polymerization, or self-reaction at normal temperature and pressure.
3	Materials that may form explosive mixtures with water and are capable of detonation or explosive reaction in the presence of a strong initiating source. Materials may polymerize, decompose, self-react, or undergo other chemical change at normal temperature and pressure with moderate risk of explosion.
2	Materials that are unstable and may undergo violent chemical changes at normal temperature and pressure with low risk for explosion. Materials may react violently with water or form peroxides upon exposure to air.
1	Materials that are normally stable but can become unstable (self-react) at high temperatures and pressures. Materials may react non-violently with water or undergo hazardous polymerization in the absence of inhibitors.
0	Materials that are normally stable, even under fire conditions, and will not react with water, polymerize, decompose , condense, or self-react. Non-explosives.

Personal Protection

This is by far the largest area of difference between the NFPA and HMIS® systems. In the NFPA system, the white area is used to convey special hazards whereas HMIS® uses the white section to indicate what personal protective equipment (PPE) should be used when working with the material. Note: The NPCA specifically recommends that "preparers of MSDSs should not place HMIS® PPE designation codes on the MSDSs or labels that leave the facility, as they do not know the conditions under which their customers use those products." However, these still turn up on some MSDS's. HMIS® uses a letter coding system for this section. We at ILPI find this unacceptable because we would rather see the PPE listed explicitly instead of having employees try to remember a bunch of codes or consult a chart, something that could lead to confusion and/or a fatal accident. Likewise, the "custom codes" aspect is particularly dangerous for visitors and contractors who may not remember/recognize that these could vary from job site to job site. Note: Some of the letters/symbols used in this table are also used as TSCA, CHIP, and/or DoD HMIRS/HCC codes, all of which have completely different meanings and applications! Say, did we tell you we dislike code systems? We present the lettering scheme here, along with a series of graphics meant to reinforce the meaning of each letter: HMIS® Letter Required Equipment A B C D E F G H I J K L through Z Site-specific label. Ask your supervisor or safety specialist for handling instructions

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NOTE: NFPA and other labeling codes (such as HMIS®) are NOT required by OSHA. OSHA has said "...OSHA does not endorse specific services or products. It would, therefore, be inappropriate for OSHA to require a particular labeling system's code on the material safety data sheet." (see this official OSHA interpretation). OSHA does have specific labeling requirements that must be fulfilled, but there is no specified format or code system required.

Further Reading

Go to the source! The American Coatings Association has a handy FAQ on HMIS. Some additional info on HMIS and HMIG at the U of Oregon. See also: combustible,flammable,health hazard,smoke Additional definitions from Google and OneLook.

This handy poster explains the common hazardous chemical labeling systems. Get yours at Safety Emporium.

Disclaimer: The information contained herein is believed to be true and accurate, however ILPI makes no guarantees concerning the veracity of any statement. Use of any information on this page is at the reader's own risk. ILPI strongly encourages the reader to consult the appropriate local, state and federal agencies concerning the matters discussed herein.