What are the NFPA codes?

The National Fire Protection Association has published over 300 consensus codes and standards that help to minimize the risk of fire in the workplace and other locations. This nonprofit has been around for over a century, and continues to work with companies around the world to improve workplace safety in many ways. Their codes and standards are used by thousands of companies, emergency responders, government agencies, and others.

The codes or standard numbers are formatted with “NFPA” first, followed by a number, or a number and letter combination. As new standards are developed, they will add a new number to the list and publish it to the community.

Popular NFPA Codes

In most situations, the NFPA codes are listed with a brief description of what that code is about. This makes it a lot easier to browse through to find which code is needed in a given situation. Once the proper code is found, it will contain a full explanation of what the code entails. The following are among the more commonly used NFPA codes:

  • NFPA 1 – This is the fire code from NFPA.
  • NFPA 3 – NFPA 3 is the standard for commissioning of fire protection and life safety systems.
  • NFPA 10 – Here you will find standards for portable fire extinguishers.
  • NFPA 13 – NFPA 13 outlines the standards used for the installation of fire suppression sprinklers systems.
  • NFPA 13D – This subsection is specifically for putting sprinkler systems into one or two family dwellings as well as manufactured homes.
  • NFPA 30 – NFPA 30 is the flammable and combustible liquids code.
  • NFPA 72 – This is the national fire alarm and signaling code.

With over 300 codes, the NFPA offers a comprehensive set of safety codes and recommendations that are in use today. Many of these codes have also been adopted by OSHA and other governmental organizations to become required safety regulations.

 

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