It is imperative to be sure chemicals are properly identified so your workers are always informed when handling explosives, flammables, oxidizers, radioactive materials, corrosives, and pollutants.
D.O.T. Placards
Century Graphics & Sign can create the exact D.O.T. placard needed to fit your application. Placards are available in durable decal material, hard plastic, or magnetic material. We keep several of the standard D.O.T. placards in stock. The following guidelines regarding the use of D.O.T. placards were set forth by the US Department of Transportation and are included here for informational purposes only.
General Placarding Requirements: Placard a container or vehicle on each side and each end for any quantity of hazardous material it contains. Some exceptions to these requirements exist based on the hazard and quantity present.
Use of Dangerous Placard: The Dangerous Placard may be used if a shipment contains non-bulk packages of two or more classes, requiring different placards.
Tanks remain placarded unless:
• Cleaned and purged
• Reloaded with a non-hazardous material
• Another class of hazardous material
Visibility: Each placard must be readily visible from the direction it faces. Placards must be on each side and each end. If coupled to another motor vehicle or rail car, visibility is not required from the direction it faces.
Attaching Placards:
• Attach securely
• Maintain in good condition
• Clear of advertising, dirt and water, and tarps, etc.
• Printed and displayed horizontally
Hazwaste & Drum Labels
Ensure that your employees know the status of the materials they are working with. Our standard labels are blank, to be filled out with marker on site, but all labels can be semi-customized or fully customized and pre-printed with your information.
Note: While the EPA and DOT have specific requirements for the content of marks and labels on hazardous waste containers, there is no standardized format or layout for this information. A generator can use a commercially available pre-printed label or use any other means, as long as the container markings ultimately conform to official EPA and DOT requirements.
NFPA Labels
Our NFPA labels are available with or without pictograms, and can be customized to fit your particular application. Common sizes for NFPA labels with pictograms are 7" x 5" and 14" x 13". The most common size for NFPA labels containing pictograms are 5" x 7", 10" x 14", and 14" x 20".
Hazard Symbols: A system of categories, colors and numbers was created to provide basic hazard information. It enables firefighters and other emergency personnel to easily decide whether or not to evacuate an area or proceed with emergency control operations. The three principal categories of identification are Health, Flammability and Instability. A numerical range of “0 to 4” indicates the severity of the hazard. A “4” indicates the most severe and a “0” indicates a minimal hazard.
The information is presented in a color and spatial arrangement of the numerical ratings: Health Hazard, blue, at the 9 o’clock position; Flammability Rating, red, at the 12 o’clock position; and the Instability Rating, yellow, at the 3 o’clock position. Alternately, the square-on-point field is permitted to be any contrast of color. If this is the case, then the numbers themselves must be colored coded.
The fourth space at the 6 o’clock position is reserved for indicating unusual reactivity with water. It is designated by the letter “W” with a line through the center. No special color is associated with this symbol. If the space isn’t needed to indicate reactivity with water, only then can the space be used to indicate other unusual hazards. For example, materials that possess oxidizing properties are identified by the letters “OX”.
What Needs To Be On a Label: Chemical manufacturers or distributors must provide the following information on chemicals that leave their facility: Identity of the hazardous chemical(s), appropriate hazard warnings, and name and address of the chemical manufacturer, importer or other responsible party. The employer shall ensure that each container of hazardous chemicals in the workplace is labeled, tagged or marked with the following information: Identity of the hazardous chemical(s) contained therein and appropriate hazard warnings.
HMIS & Right-To-Know
The system is characterized by the "diamond shape" that is actually a "square-on-point" shape. It identifies the Hazard Ratings of a material and the degree of severity of the health, flammability, and instability hazards. Hazard severity is indicated by a numerical rating that ranges from zero (0) indicating a minimal hazard, to four (4) indicating a severe hazard. The hazards are arranged spatially as follows: health at nine o'clock position, flammability at twelve o'clock position, and instability at three o'clock position. In addition to the spatial orientation that can be used to distinguish the hazards, they are also color-coded as follows: blue for health, red for flammability, and yellow for instability.
The six o'clock position on the symbol represents special hazards and has a white background. The special hazards in use are W, which indicates unusual reactivity with water and is a caution about the use of water in either fire fighting or spill control response, and OX, which indicates that the material is an oxidizer.
Our HMIS decals and signs are printed using durable inks designed to keep colors vivid for years and not fade under harsh conditions. We can custom design HMIS signs or decals to fit your needs.
For more information, visit:
http://www.centurygs.com/Signs/OilGasIndustry/ChemicalHazcom/tabid/341/Default.aspx
Century Graphics & Sign manufactures in-house, can customize any chemical label to suit your needs, and service all of North America and overseas, including the Permian Basin, Marcellus Shale, Eagle Ford Shale, Utica Shale, Bakken Shale, and others.
