PRODUCT SAFETY LABELS IN
COMPLIANCE WITH ANSI.4-2002
GENERAL INFORMATION:
ANSI Z535.4 2002 specifies performance requirements for the design, application, use and placement of safety labels and signs that are intended to identify hazards that a person may encounter while operating or servicing a variety of products.
The standard establishes a uniform layout for safety labels and signs that can be used on a wide variety of products. The uniform layout and design criteria is intended to minimize the number of different safety label designs, while establishing a recognizable national uniform system that is superior to the old standard.
ANSI Z535.4 2002 Product Safety Labels are applicable to all products in all industries that may pose a safety question. However ANSI Z535.4 does not apply to the safety labeling of chemicals or the transportation of dangerous goods.
ANSI Z535.4 2002 compliant product safety labels do not necessarily comply with ISO 3864 standards. Differences exist in the safety alert symbol used with the signal word as well as safety symbols (see relevant sections below).
ANSI Z535.4 2002 compliant product safety labels are to be used on equipment sold in the USA and Canada only. Products sold outside the USA and Canada should use ISO 3864 2002 compliant product safety labels.
HEADER SELECTION:
The first element to consider when designing a safety sign is to determine the likelihood and severity of a potential injury if a person does not follow the instructions contained on the safety label or sign. There are three Signal Words or Hazard Classifications used in the design of an ANSI Z535.2 2002 compliant safety label.
The new ANSI Z535.4 2002 standard requires that the safety alert symbol  be used in conjunction with the signal words DANGER, WARNING, CAUTION, as shown.
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DANGER: Indicates an imminently hazardous situation which, if not avoided, will result in death or serious injury. Safety Signs identified by the signal word DANGER should be used sparingly and only for those situations presenting the most serious hazards. |
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WARNING: Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, will result in death or serious injury. Hazards identified by the signal word WARNING present a lesser degree of risk of injury or death than those identified by the signal word DANGER. |
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CAUTION: Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, may result in minor or moderate injury. CAUTION may also be used to alert against unsafe practices associated with events that could lead to personal injury. |
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CAUTION: Used without the Safety Alert Symbol indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, may result in property damage. |
When more than one hazard exists on a product it is permissible to use one label, provided the information addresses each hazard and the signal word / hazard classification selected is based on the greatest level of hazard.
Safety Alert Symbols are used to warn of a potential personal injury hazard. This symbol is used in conjunction with the signal word or can be used alone. This symbol should be used on both product safety labels and in literature which can describe the potential hazard in greater detail.
The safety alert symbol used in a signal word panel on an ANSI Z535.4 2002 compliant safety label is the same color as the signal word. However, the safety alert symbol must be a yellow triangle with a black outline and a black exclamation mark on a ISO 3864-2 compliant product safety label. |
MESSAGE PANEL:
The message panel of any new ANSI Z535.4 2002 compliant sign or label must contain:
Identification of the hazard, identification of a means to avoid the hazard, and the consequences of not avoiding the hazard. The order that the information appears in the message panel is flexible and should be determined by logical factors related to avoiding an injury, such as: the target audiences knowledge of the hazard, and the reaction time to avoid the hazard. In addition, the formatting of the message panel should include the following:
- Use headline style text
- Use active voice statements
- Avoid prepositional phrases
- Use left justification of the text except on one line messages
- Use upper and lower case letters
SAFETY SYMBOLS
ANSI Z535.4 2002 encourages the use of safety symbols (pictograms) that communicate a comparable message to the worded message on the sign or label. The safety symbol when selected properly should identify the hazard, identify a means of avoiding the hazard, or identify the consequences of not avoiding the hazard. The safety symbol should clarify or reinforce the worded message on the label.
There are four types of safety symbols used on ANSI Z535.4 2002 compliant product safety labels. All of the symbols to follow can be on an ANSI Z535.4 product safety label but, only those identified as ISO compliant can be used on a ISO 3864 2002 complaint safety label.
ISO 3864 2002 standards required that all of the safety symbols used on international product safety labels be within a surround shape: yellow equilateral triangle with black inner border for hazard alerting symbols, blue circle for mandatory actions, and red circle with 45° degree slash for prohibition symbols. ANSI Z535.4 2002 does not required the use of a yellow equilateral triangle or the mandatory surround shape but, it does recognize it and permits their use.
MULTI-LINGUAL FORMATS
ANSI Z535.4-2002 excerpt " The selection of additional languages for product safety labels & safety signs is an extremely complex issue. Experts suggest that nearly 150 foreign languages are spoken in the US and over 23 million Americans speak a language other than English in their homes. The use of symbols is strongly encouraged in order to better communicate the sign's hazard information across language barriers."
LABEL LETTER SIZE LEGIBILITY
Determining the safe viewing distance of a label depends upon many factors, including lighting, background, letter type and visual acuity. Other factors to consider in determining label size, include: the complexity of the message, the reaction time necessary, and the angle the label will be seen from. In many situations it is better to use multiple labels that are strategically positioned instead of one large one.
Many times letter size may need to be larger than the values shown on the graphic for a variety of reasons:
- To make the label more noticeable from other information displayed in the area.
- To enable legibility under low light or other poor viewing conditions.
- To alert persons sooner than the minimum safe viewing distance.
- To convey special importance for portions of the message.
- To improve legibility for persons who have vision problems with small text.
Example of text message letter heights and *minimum safe viewing distances.
* Minimum safe viewing distance refers to the closest distance a person can be to the label and still have time to follow the safety label's message to avoid the hazard.
BRIMAR SIZES & FORMATS
Brimar Stock ANSI Z535.4 2002 Product Safety Label Formats
Brimar stock product safety labels are available in relatively small sizes to enable the application to product in close proximity to the actual hazard on the equipment.
Some applications may actually require larger labels depending upon how far away a person must be to avoid the hazard and still have enough reaction time to avoid injury.
Custom formats are available to communicate longer messages or multiple hazards, in multiple languages.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ANSI & ISO PRODUCT SAFETY LABELS?
ANSI Z535.4 2002
 Safety Alert Symbol is the same color as Signal Word.
ANSI Z535-2002 signal words used with Safety Alert Symbol warn the viewer that personal injury hazards are present. Product Safety Labels using these signal words can be used on equipment sold in the USA and Canada only.
Any safety symbol other than a prohibition symbol does not have to be contained in a surround shape (circle or triangle) to comply with ANSI standards.
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Samples product safety labels in compliance with ANSI Z535.4-2002 Standards |
ISO 3864 2002
- Safety Warning Symbol must have a yellow background with black inner border and exclamation symbol.
ISO 3864-2 2002 hazard severity panels used with General Warning Symbol alert the viewer of potential hazards. Product Safety Labels using ISO 3864-2002 hazard severity panels can be sold outside the US and Canada, as long as all label criteria meets the ISO 3864 standards requirements.
The use of surround shapes (blue circle, yellow triangle & red prohibition symbol) are mandatory to comply with ISO standards when safety symbols are used.
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Samples product safety labels in compliance with ISO/DIS 3864-2 2002 Standards |
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