Safety signs have been a part of business since the Industrial Revolution. It wasn’t until the 1970’s and 80’s that the US courts created the legal framework for liability, that safety signs became an integral part of the workplace landscape. During this time, many countries opened boarders and lowered tariffs, providing a strong boost to international commerce and trade. This increase was not without its growing pains. The influx of diverse cultures brought different languages and literacy skills causing a safety communications dilemma. It was now more important than ever that safety signs inform workers about a potential workplace danger in a clear, direct and readable fashion.

Considering the changing dynamic in the workplace, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) met to review existing safety signage. They made the decision to add standardization and since that time ANSI has continued to update their signage recommendations as needed.

ANSI/ Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommend that safety signs follow the latest updates and contain the following components:

Safety Alert Symbol

The safety alert symbol is used whenever a potential hazard exists. It is placed in the sign’s header on the upper left. It consists of an exclamation point surrounded by a triangle.

Symbol Words

The following words appear at the top of signs as headers:

• Danger - Used for a hazardous situation that will result in serious injury or death if not avoided. Reserved for extreme situations. Color: White text on red background.

• Warning – Used for a hazardous situation that could result in serious injury or death if not avoided. Color: Black text on orange background.

• Caution – Used for a hazardous situation that could result in minor or moderate injury if not avoided. Color: Black text on yellow background.

• Notice – Used for signs that convey important information that is not hazard-related such as information about hygiene or security. Color: White text on blue background.

• Safety Instructions – Used for signs that have explanatory information such as instructions. Color: White text on green background.

Symbols

The purpose of standard symbols is to increase usage. According to ANSI, Signs with safety symbols can promote greater and more rapid communication of the safety message, and therefore greater safety for the general population. Some standard symbols include:

Sign Formatting

Finally creating the signage is a compilation of the above, plus, a short description of the danger. A well formatted sign conveys its message in seconds, and it contains four main components:

1. Safety Alert Symbol – This symbol is to be kept to the left of the Symbol Word.
2. Symbol Word – This is to be in all caps in a sans-serif typestyle.
3. Symbol – This is especially important in a multilingual facility.
4. Word Message – A short message that informs the employee of the potential danger.

If all of this seems a bit too much for a do -it -yourself job, BlackHawk Industrial has a large selection of safety signs in various sizes and languages. You can contact one of our trained professionals to help you with any of your safety questions. We also welcome you to send us an email here:  https://www.bhid.com/ContactUs or call us TOLL FREE at (855) 610-1001.