Job Aid: HMIS® Labels and Requirement Levels

Purpose: Use this job aid to interpret Hazardous Material Identification System (HMIS®) labels relative to the color bars and numeric hazard scale, and learn how the labels specify the level of required personal protective equipment (PPE).

HMIS® labels contain color bars that indicate the type of hazard and use a single numeric system to rank the level of hazard on a scale of 0 to 4.

HMIS® Label Information
Color Bars	Numeric Scale
Blue = Health (an * indicates a carcinogen) Red = Flammability Orange = Physical hazard White = PPE	4 = severe hazard 3 = serious hazard 2 = moderate hazard 1 = slight hazard 0 = minimal hazard

A sample HMIS® label

In this example, the HMIS® label tells us that Oil-based paint is a severe carcinogenic health hazard. It has a moderate flammability hazard and poses minimal physical hazards. The letter H in the Personal Protection field tells us that the PPE required when working with oil-based paints are safety glasses, gloves, protective apron, and a vapor respirator. These are illustrated by logos 1, 2, 3, and 7 respectively.

HMIS®-required PPE
If the letter in the PPE field is this:	This is the required PPE	Images of the PPE included in the category, by number
A	Safety glasses	1
B	Safety glasses and gloves	1, 2
C	Safety glasses, gloves, and a protective apron	1, 2, 3
D	Face shield, gloves, and a protective apron	2, 3, 5
E	Safety glasses, gloves, and a dust respirator	1, 2, 6
F	Safety glasses, gloves, protective apron, and a dust respirator	1, 2, 3, 6
G	Safety glasses, gloves, and a vapor respirator	1, 2, 7
H	Safety glasses, gloves, protective apron, and a vapor respirator	1, 2, 3, 7
I	Safety glasses, gloves, and a dust or vapor respirator	1, 2, 6, 7
J	Splash goggles, gloves, protective apron, and a dust or vapor respirator	2, 3, 6, 7, 10
K	Airline hood or mask, gloves, full suit, and boots	2, 4, 8, 9
L through Z	Site-specific label; ask your supervisor or safety specialist for handling instructions

The ten logos that are used to indicate the categories of required PPE display.

HMIS® required PPE categories

Course: Hazard Communication: An Employee's Right to Know
Topic: Warning Labels