What are ISO symbols?

Graphical symbols, whether used on safety signs and labels, instruction booklets, or in technology, are important for many reasons. One important reason for using graphical symbols is to increase understanding across language barriers.

ISO safety symbols are a subset of the ISO symbols that have been developed to provide information in a variety of use cases. These safety symbols provide graphical information about where to use personal protective equipment, potentially hazardous situations, and workplace policies.

These symbols, when designed using ISO standards, are guaranteed to be visually clear and consistent, aiding in the ability of the viewer to recognize and understand the symbol.

There are three types of ISO safety symbols: hazard alerting, prohibition, and mandatory action symbols.

  • ISO Symbols

Mandatory action symbols, display actions that should be taken to avoid potential hazards. These images must be white inside blue surrounding circles.

Hazard alerting symbols, to be ISO compliant, must be contained in a yellow equilateral triangle with a black interior border.

Prohibition symbols must have a red circle with a 45° slash and a black image on a white background. ISO prohibition symbols convey actions that should not be taken.

ISO 3864-1 and ISO 3864-2 Compliance

ISO 3864-1 and ISO 3864-2 standards together outline the best practices for the design of product safety signs and safety labels. These standards create a unified design for safety signs and labels to be used on products and in the workplace.

ISO safety symbols, like the ones used by SafetySign.com, help to better communicate potential hazards and safety policies. Learn more about ISO 3864-1 and ISO 3864-2 Compliance.


SafetySign.com does not recommend or specify the use of a specific safety sign because it does not have knowledge of the hazard(s) our customers are identifying. It is the customer’s sole responsibility to identify the hazard(s) that may be present and select one or more signs (stock or custom) that accurately identify their specific hazard(s) and complies with any applicable federal, state or local laws or regulations, any worksite specific rules or regulations and/or any applicable safety standards (including, without limitation, ANSI and/or OSHA standards). SafetySign.com disclaims any and all liability (excluding liability for our Product Warranty contained in our Terms and Conditions) for any sign selected by a customer and shall not be responsible for any personal injury or property damage resulting from the use of signs purchased from it or for the independent interpretation made of any applicable federal, state or local laws or regulations, any worksite specific rules or regulations, and/or any applicable safety standards (including, without limitation, ANSI and/or OSHA standards). Customer shall indemnify and hold SafetySign.com and its corporate parent and its officers, directors and affiliates harmless from and against any and all claims, loss or expense (including attorneys’ fees) arising from or related to the purchase and use by customer or any third party of any sign purchased by customer from SafetySign.com.
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