Almost all the chemicals we get in this facility have the familiar blue, red, and yellow colored bar labels indicate, respectively, the health, flammability, and reactivity hazard associated with the material. These three bars use a numbering scale ranging from 0 to 4. A value of zero means that the material poses essentially no hazard; a rating of four indicates extreme danger.

However, what about the 4th white bar that indicates “Personal Protection” with a letter in them? It is important we understand the PPE codes also. Here are their meanings:

• A - safety glasses
• B - safety glasses and gloves
• C - safety glasses, gloves and an apron
• D - face shield, gloves and an apron
• E - safety glasses, gloves and a dust respirator
• F - safety glasses, gloves, apron and a dust respirator
• G - safety glasses, a vapor respirator
• H - splash goggles, gloves, apron and a vapor respirator
• I - safety glasses, gloves and a dust/vapor respirator
• J - splash goggles, gloves, apron and a dust/vapor respirator
• K - airline hood or mask, gloves, full suit and boots
• X - ask supervisor or safety specialist for handling instructions.

As you can see, as you go higher in the alphabet code, the more personal protective equipment is required for the chemical. The last code of “X” is used for those products that require something out of the ordinary. For instance there is no letter code for just “goggles and gloves”. For those cases, ask you supervisor or refer to the MSDS sheet for specific directions.