Safety Signage
Program
Statement
Any area where a person needs to take action or added caution
because a hazard exists shall be posted with a safety sign
regarding the hazard. Other access controls may be installed
as additional safeguards.
Format
To ensure uniform response by workers, safety signs should
be of the same type for similar hazards. The signs described
below are used at TWU in hazardous areas and on hazard-producing
equipment to ensure worker protection:
Danger Signs shall be used to
indicate imminently hazardous situations that, if not avoided,
will result in death or serious injury. The signal word
should be limited to the most extreme situations. Danger
signs also shall be used for asbestos work and for some
radiological protection applications
Warning signs shall be used to indicate a potentially hazardous
situation which, if not avoided, could result in death or
serious injury. These signs shall not be used for radiological
protection. For this application, only danger or caution
signs are allowed.
Caution Signs shall be used to
indicate a potentially hazardous situation which, if not
avoided, could result in minor or moderate injury.
Notice Signs are used to indicate
a statement of organization policy that relates directly
or indirectly to the safety of personnel or protection of
property. The signal word shall not be associated with a
hazard or hazardous situation that warrants a danger, warning,
or caution sign.
General Safety Signs are used
to give general instructions, such as safe work practices,
reminders of proper safety procedures, and locations of
safety equipment. General safety signs may have signal words
such as "Safety First," "Safety Instructions,"
"Be Careful," or "Think." Other signal
words that convey a general safety message are allowed.
General safety signs shall not be associated with a hazard
or hazardous situation that warrants a danger, warning,
or caution sign.
Direction Signs are used to indicate
exits, fire escapes, evacuation routes, stairways, first
aid, etc. These signs shall meet the requirements of the
Life Safety Code, NFPA 101.
New warning labels and signs should comply with the ANSI
Z535 series of standards. Older signs and labels can be
used until stock is depleted; thereafter, the new signs
and labels are to be used. This requirement does not apply
to signs warning of radiological hazards or laser hazards.
These should be taken as the US standard
of good practice and used as specifications when purchasing,
fabricating, or printing safety signs and labels for all
situations besides radiological and laser hazards.
Characteristics
The three components of signs and labels are described below:
• A signal word that indicates the degree of hazard
(e.g. caution, danger).
• A statement describing the type(s) of hazard(s).
A visual logotype(s) (i.e., a graphic symbol) should also
be used, especially for signs.
• A statement describing the actions to be taken.
A visual logotype(s) should also be used. Recommended actions,
such as a person wearing specified forms of personal protective
equipment, should be shown in white against a blue circular
surrounding shape. Prohibited actions should be noted using
a red circle and bar covering a symbol describing the prohibited
action, such as a lit cigarette.
Color Usage
The yellow, blue, and red background colors can be replaced
by white, medium gray, and black or dark gray, respectively,
for black and white printing.
Black and white printing shall be done using a blank sign
with the color scheme for the appropriate warning word,
i.e., CAUTION, WARNING, or DANGER. A trial sign should always
be printed and proofread for contrast and content before
printing up signs to be posted. The use of colors and text
should be carefully considered based on the hazards and
the people to be warned about the hazard.
The background color of a DANGER sign is white.
The signal word panel of a two- or three-panel sign is white
against a red background immediately to the right of a white
triangle surrounding a red exclamation point. The signal
word shall be all upper case. On older signs, the signal
word is white print in a red oval surrounded by a white
stripe centered in a black rectangle.
The background color of a WARNING sign is white,
if the signal word is displayed against an orange rectangle;
otherwise the background color of a WARNING sign is orange.
The signal word panel of a two- or three-panel sign is black
against an orange background immediately to the right of
a black triangle surrounding an orange exclamation point.
The signal word shall be all upper case. On older signs,
the signal word is black print in an orange truncated diamond
(hexagon) surrounded by a black rectangle.
The background color of a CAUTION
sign is white, if the signal word is displayed
against a yellow rectangle; otherwise it is yellow. The
signal word panel of a two- or three-panel sign is black
against a yellow background immediately to the right of
a black triangle surrounding a yellow exclamation point.
The signal word shall be all upper case. On older signs,
the signal word is yellow print surrounded by a black rectangle.
The background color of a NOTICE sign is white.
The advisory word panel of a two- or three-panel sign is
in white print centered in a blue rectangle.
General safety signs may have signal words such as SAFETY
FIRST, SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS, BE CAREFUL, or THINK in white
letters against a green background. Other signal words that
convey a general safety message are allowed.
This type of sign must
never be associated with a hazard or hazardous situation
that warrants a DANGER, WARNING, or CAUTION sign. The background
color of a general safety sign is white. The advisory word
panel of a two- or three-panel sign is in white print centered
in a green rectangle.
Obtaining Signs
The Safety Office can provide assistance with the type of
sign needed. Standard industrial signs are available from
commercial vendors. Signs for ionizing radiation, non-ionizing
radiation, lasers, and carcinogens, as well as some general
safety signs are available from vendors. Metal or plastic
signs for outdoor use may be purchased from commercial manufacturers.
Custom-made signs shall conform to the criteria for each
sign category; metal signs shall have rounded corners. Approval
for safety signs is required prior to purchase.
