Which statement is true about the left and right sides of the NFPA hazard diamond?

Which statement is true about the left and right sides of the NFPA hazard diamond?

• A. The left side indicates health, the right side indicates reactivity
• B. The left side indicates reactivity, the right side indicates health
• C. The left side indicates flammability, the right side indicates special hazards
• D. The left side indicates electrical hazards, the right side indicates radiation hazards

Answer: (A)

NFPA 704 uses color-coded quadrants to signal different hazard types. The left-hand quadrant is blue and stands for health hazards, while the right-hand quadrant is yellow and stands for reactivity hazards. The top quadrant is red for flammability, and the bottom is white for special hazards. So stating that the left side indicates health and the right side indicates reactivity matches the standard layout, which is why that option is correct. If you’ve seen a diagram where these colors or meanings are swapped, that would be a misread of the NFPA 704 scheme.

NFPA 704 uses color-coded quadrants to signal different hazard types. The left-hand quadrant is blue and stands for health hazards, while the right-hand quadrant is yellow and stands for reactivity hazards. The top quadrant is red for flammability, and the bottom is white for special hazards. So stating that the left side indicates health and the right side indicates reactivity matches the standard layout, which is why that option is correct. If you’ve seen a diagram where these colors or meanings are swapped, that would be a misread of the NFPA 704 scheme.