this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2025
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Two different chemicals to be aware of
But it's just slapped on the side of the building with no indication of which chemicals the labels are for, I don't think that's how it's supposed to be done. It'd be like mixing two chemicals into a bottle and then putting two labels on it.
I think there should just be one label that combines the warning levels of both i.e. 3-2-2-W
You have good instincts - that's also what NFPA recommends. This isn't a typical presentation as usually it's one diamond with the worst score of all present chemicals in each category.
You CAN list them individually but it's a pain in the ass for both the building owner and first responders. The whole point is to quickly convey the level of hazards in the building for emergencies. They need to know if they need more information before entering. 2+ diamonds doesn't provide any additional useful data and makes it harder to interpret in a rush.
Why are you assuming the chemicals are mixed together inside the building? Two separate chemicals, two distinct risks.
But the building, as a whole, pesents the combined risk of both chemicals.
First responders need to know that there are two chemicals inside so that they don't stop taking precautions when they encounter the first one.
This is actually my field of work. The composite method queermunist is referencing is the industry best practice for exterior hazard labeling. NFPA diamonds don't always or even often give first responders enough information to enter a building, so there's no utility to multiple diamonds. Responders really don't care how many chemicals are in a facility so much as what they are, and not many facilities actually using chemicals are set up in such a way that your example of encountering one chemical then another would work. They're just everywhere, even during normal operations due to distributed storage and distribution systems.
What these signs do is alert them to the degree of danger inside so they can make decisions, e.g., enter if just flammable, avoid water use, or (most common of all) to act as a reference to ask the building owner more questions before doing anything at all.
They're required to be individually labeled/categorized. And supposed to be on 2 exterior walls, and any doors, and on the containers themselves
I'm sure they'll be labelled inside too.
Sure, but I don't think the building should have two labels. I think it should have one label that reflects a warning for everything in the building.
Imagine you have a crate with two different chemicals. The chemicals are in different bottles so they aren't mixed, and each bottle has its own label.
Should the crate have two unidentified labels like this, or one? There's no indication what those labels refer to on the building.
if the chemicals are extremely different in hazard it could be useful to know that it's not a mixture, like a superacid and a strong base.