Custom NFPA Signs and Placards

You read the NFPA 704 diamond by understanding its four colored quadrants, as defined by the NFPA 704 standard: Blue (left) is Health, Red (top) is Flammability, Yellow (right) is Instability, and White (bottom) is for Special Hazards.

A helpful guide to NFPA diamonds can explain this in detail. For quick reference, a wallet card guide is a useful tool for all employees and first responders.

The numbers 0-4 on an NFPA sign indicate the severity of the hazard in the blue, red, and yellow sections. A rating of 0 means minimal hazard, while a 4 represents a severe or extreme hazard. This system is defined by the NFPA 704 standard.

Understanding these NFPA placard ratings is key to chemical safety. A hazard ratings explanation sign can be posted as a permanent reference for your team.

Custom NFPA signs are required because OSHA's HazCom standard mandates that employers warn of specific chemical hazards, not generic ones. A pre-made sign cannot accurately represent the unique hazard profile of every chemical you store.

Using custom NFPA signs is the only way to display the correct 0-4 ratings for a specific substance. This can be done with a blank write-on placard or a pre-printed sign for a specific chemical like acetone.

The 'W' symbol with a line through it (W) is a special hazard symbol for the white quadrant of the NFPA diamond. It means "Water Reactive" and warns that the substance can react dangerously or unpredictably when it comes into contact with water.

This is critical information for firefighters, as defined by the NFPA 704 standard. This symbol is included in NFPA sign kits and is explained in our NFPA guide.