C-14 Certificate: Chemical Lab Supervision Guide

The C-14 is the New York City Certificate of Fitness for Supervision of Storage, Handling and Use of Chemicals in Non-Production Laboratories. This guide explains who the FDNY's booklet says needs it, what you must bring, and how the study material is organized, so you can plan your preparation. It does not replace the booklet, your lab's emergency plan, or your employer's safety program.

What counts as a non-production laboratory

The booklet defines a non-production laboratory as a building or part of one where chemicals or gases are stored, handled or used for testing, research, experimental, instructional or educational purposes, rather than for production. Its introduction traces the rules back to 1966, when they covered college, university, hospital, research and commercial labs. The booklet also separates two kinds of teaching labs: educational lab units serve students through 12th grade, and instructional lab units serve students beyond 12th grade (graduate research labs are not counted as instructional).

When the certificate is required

The booklet says the C-14 is required when a laboratory or chemical storage room stores more than 1 gallon of flammable or combustible liquids or more than 75 SCF of flammable gas. Below those amounts, it says the lab is not regulated by the Fire Code as a non-production laboratory, though other certificates (such as the C-91) may apply if other hazardous materials pass their own thresholds. The same quantities trigger the requirement for an FDNY permit, which the booklet says is valid for 12 months and must be readily available for inspection.

The booklet explains that one C-14 covers all hazardous materials in a lab, instead of separate certificates for each. It says at least one C-14 holder must be present on each floor where permitted lab operations are going on, and that a 24-hour operation may need at least three holders for a floor.

Requirements to apply

The C-14 booklet lists two special requirements on top of the General Notice of Exam (which covers age, English and ID).

1. An employer recommendation letter

The letter must be on your employer's official letterhead and state your full name, your experience, the address where you will work, and that you have been trained on the lab's emergency plan and on safely storing, handling and using the hazardous materials in that lab. The booklet includes a sample letter and notes that a letter not on letterhead needs a notarized signature.

2. One qualifying background

You need one of these, per the booklet:

• A bachelor's degree in chemistry, biology, biochemistry, environmental or health sciences, medical technology, or chemical, environmental, mechanical or biomedical engineering, or a related field
• An associate degree (A.A.S. or A.S.) in those fields plus a lab safety course provided by your employer
• 60 college credits, at least 21 of them in applicable science or engineering, plus an employer lab safety course
• New York State permanent certification as a chemistry or biology (7–12) teacher
• A New York State license in clinical laboratory technology

You must show evidence of your degree and course of study, such as a transcript. Degrees from outside the US or not in English need an evaluation by a service accepted by NYC's Department of Citywide Administrative Services. The C-14 can also be obtained through the FDNY's Alternative Issuance Procedure (AIP).

How the study material is organized

The booklet has four main parts (definitions and classifications, core fire safety requirements, safety guidance on two common hazards, and a checklist) plus appendixes. It says the test covers the four main parts and any tables.

Hazard classes and the NFPA diamond

Expect questions on classification. The booklet sets out:

• Flammable and combustible liquid classes: flammable liquids (Class IA, IB, IC) have a flash point below 100°F, and combustible liquids (Class II, IIIA, IIIB) have a flash point at or above 100°F.
• Numbered hazard classes: for classes written in Arabic numerals (oxidizers, unstable reactives, water-reactives), a higher number means a higher hazard. For organic peroxides, written in Roman numerals, Class I is the most hazardous.
• The NFPA 704 diamond: blue for health, red for flammability, yellow for instability, each rated 0 (minimal) to 4 (severe), with the white bottom section for special hazards such as W (unusual reactivity with water) and OX (oxidizer).

Laboratory classes and quantity limits

The booklet distinguishes pre-existing labs (approved before July 1, 2008, classed as Types I to IV) from labs under the newer code, which are classed as Class B or Class D. Educational and instructional labs and labs in health care occupancies follow Class D only. It then gives tables of maximum quantities for flammable liquids, other hazardous materials and gases.

A useful point for planning your study: the booklet says you do not have to memorize the maximum-quantity tables, but you do need to know how to use the tables in Appendixes D and E to work out a limit for a given lab. It also says the booklet's tables are provided at the exam. Practice reading those tables until you can do it quickly.

Storage and handling rules

The core of Part II is practical storage and handling. Topics the booklet covers include:

• Separating incompatible materials by distance (at least 20 feet), separate storage cabinets or gas cabinets, or a noncombustible partition, with an exception for small individual containers.
• Flammable liquid storage cabinets: a red "keep fire away" label, self-closing doors with a three-point latch, and limits on how much a cabinet holds and how many cabinets can share a fire area.
• Maximum container sizes by container type and liquid class, and refrigerators: ordinary domestic refrigerators may be in a lab but must not hold flammable liquids, and must carry a sign saying so.
• Labeling and time-sensitive chemicals: containers must be labeled, some materials must be dated when opened or received, and a container whose contents cannot be identified is handled as hazardous waste.
• Fume hoods: not for storage, sashes closed when unattended, and face velocity inspected and tested annually. If lab exhaust ventilation is out of service, the booklet says operations with hazardous materials are suspended.
• Prohibitions, such as explosives, Class 4 oxidizers and Class 4 unstable reactives, and flammable gas stored below grade.

Part III covers corrosives and compressed and liquefied gases.

Signage

The booklet describes the lab door sign: newer labs use "Laboratory – Caution: Hazardous Materials", while the older "Laboratory – Potentially Hazardous Substances" wording is still accepted. Both are red letters on a white background, around the mid-height of the door. It also covers DOT placards and "No Smoking" signs, which are required even where smoking is banned outright.

Emergencies

The owner must have a written lab emergency plan, and the booklet lists ten elements it must include, from sounding the alarm to safe startup afterward. All lab users must be trained on it before using the lab and at least yearly, with training records kept for three years. In an emergency, the booklet says anyone aware of a fire must call 911 immediately and no one may delay that report. The C-14 holder must know where pull stations and extinguishers are, how to respond to clothing fires, and that a major spill means calling 911. The booklet adds that C-14 holders do not supervise maintenance of fire protection systems, but should tell the building's impairment coordinator when one needs repair. Its extinguisher section is covered in our guide to extinguisher classes.

Exam facts

Questions	50 multiple-choice, four options each, on a touch-screen computer
Time	76 minutes
Passing score	At least 70%
In the exam	No study booklets; the FDNY provides reference material (the booklet's tables) if your exam needs it
Scoring	Blank or multiple answers count as wrong; no penalty for guessing
Where	FDNY Headquarters, 9 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn

The C-14 booklet asks you to apply and pay online before arriving and notes a 2% convenience fee on card payments. The General Notice of Exam gives the application fee as $25. The booklet's special renewal requirement for the C-14 is "None"; general renewal rules are in the General Notice and on our exam day page.

Try an example question

This question is our own, based on the booklet's NFPA diamond section. It is not from the real exam.

On an NFPA 704 diamond, what does the yellow section show?

1. Health hazard
2. Flammability hazard
3. Instability (reactivity) hazard
4. Special hazards such as W or OX

Answer: C. The booklet color-codes the diamond blue for health, red for flammability and yellow for instability, with special hazards in the white section.

Practice for the C-14

Because the C-14 leans on tables and classifications, timed practice helps. Our C-14 practice page has free sample questions, and the full bank with timed 50-question mock exams is on the pricing page.