School Infection Control Handbook - 2010

Appendix B: Selection of Products, Dispensing Equipment, and Application Systems

Interpretation of colored symbols – White Box - NFPA The NFPA system uses the white box to alert the user to special hazards.

Special Hazards – NFPA rating only OX Contains an oxidizer, which can greatly increase the rate of fire Reacts to water and poses a hazard when using water to fight a fire

ACID Contains acid, a corrosive with a pH of 2 or less

OX

ALK Contains alkali, a corrosive with a pH of 12.5 or above

COR Corrosive; damages living tissue (a material is corrosive when it is at either end of the pH scale)

Interpretation of colored symbols – White Box - HMIS The HMIS white box corresponds to the type of personal protective equipment (PPE) required, and uses a letter system to denote the appropriate PPE (see diagram below).

Letter Required Equipment Letter

Required Equipment

Health Flammability Reactivity PPE

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

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