The Hazardous Materials Identification System, HMIS®, was developed by the National Paint & Coatings Association (NPCA), now known as the American Coatings Association, to help employers comply with OSHA's Hazard Communication (HCS), 29 CFR 1910.1200.
The system utilizes colored bars, numbers and symbols to convey the hazards of chemicals used in the workplace. See below for an explanation of the system.
Alas, the system is proprietary and the NPCA has apparently awarded exclusive rights for HMIS® products and services to a single vendor. In our opinion, this is a totally unacceptable arrangement that runs counter to the facile dissemination of health and safety information.
- Do not confuse HMIS® with WHMIS, which is a set of Canadian Regulations dealing with hazardous materials.
- Do not confuse HMIS® labels (colored bars) with NFPA labels (colored diamonds). The two systems are similar but not identical. See below for more info.
- HMIS® is a registered mark of the NPCA.
- HMIS, a U.S. Federal computerized information management system containing data to ensure the safe transportation of hazardous materials by air, highway, rail, and water. Seehttp://www.dot.gov/pia/phmsa_hmis.htm.
- The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) used to call their restricted HMIRS (Hazardous Material Information Resource System) HMIS, but changed the name recently to reduce confusion.
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