January 17, 2001

MEMORANDUM FOR Scientific and Technical Staff

This note is a reminder that all chemicals are required to have owner/date labels.
The full NIST safety label is needed for chemicals that do not have safety precautionary information included on vendor's label.

1) Choosing the correct color label:
NIST has a colored coded chemical safety labeling system. The color is chosen based on the highest hazard level found in three categories:
1) Flammability
2) Reactivity
3) Health Hazard
The health hazard category is further divided into four different routes of interactions: skin absorption, inhalation, ingestion or eye/skin contact.

The four colors correspond to :

• Red: Danger (high)
• Orange: Warning (moderate)
• Yellow: Caution (low)
• Green: None (very low)

MSEL has provided the color codes for several thousand common chemicals in a binder labeled "MSEL Chemical Inventory Hazard Information". This binder is kept in the bookcase next to the fax machine. The information is tabulated in order of the CAS number.

If you can not find an entry for your chemical, use the chemical's MSDS to determine the proper color code based upon the "NIST Labeling Guide". This guide is a color-coded chart found in most of the laboratories.

2) Owner/Date Labels:
Often, chemicals purchased from outside vendors already have hazard warning information written on the vendor's label. For these containers, only the proper color owner/date label is needed.

3) Location of Labels:
Full NIST safety labels and the color-coded owner/date labels can be found either in the bookcase next to the fax machine or in lab E138.

Last modified 02-April-2002