|  | Public Health Safety | Public Health

ISO Warning Signs

ISO stands for the International Standards Organization, which publishes the ISO 3864, the worldwide standard of safety colors and signs. This global design benchmark relies on colors, images and sometimes words to warn the public of safety hazards.

  1. Hazard Identification

    • One of the three main categories of ISO warning signs is hazard identification. Hazard signs feature a yellow background with a black triangle, inside of which is a sign indicating the specific safety hazard. For example, a zigzag arrow pointing downwards inside a black triangle warns of an electrical hazard.

    Prohibition

    • The second main category is the prohibition sign, which has a white background with a red circle and a diagonal line running through the circle. Inside the red circle is a black image denoting an action that should be avoided, or an object that poses a safety or public threat and cannot be brought into an area. For example, an image of a flame inside the red circle with a slash indicates that an open flame cannot be anywhere near this site.

    Mandatory Action

    • The third type of ISO warning is a mandatory action sign that indicates what action you should take for the sake of safety. This type of sign has a blue background with a white circle on it, inside of which is a white sign that denotes the directive. For example, a sign with an image of gloves inside the circle indicates that protective gloves should be warn.

    Combinations

    • In order to be as specific as possible, ISO signs can combine images and words to denote the hazard identification and precautionary measure to take. For instance, a sign could combine a signal word, such as "Danger," "Warning" or "Caution," with an image, such as a "No Smoking," with more information in text form on the side or beneath the prohibition image to explain the safety hazard that would result from ignoring the prohibition.

    Other Types

    • In a place where there is a diversity of languages, a combination ISO sign that uses only images with a signal word on top is likely to appear. For example, a sign could read "Warning" on the top, and include hazard identification, prohibition and mandatory action symbols beneath, such as an image for electrical hazard, an image prohibiting touching with bare hands and an image mandating the use of protective gloves.

Public Health - Related Articles