A Simple Guide to Safety Signs and Symbols

As one of the widely used industry practices in preventing injuries and accidents, safety signs and symbols inform individuals of the presence of hazards, dangers, or risks associated with certain items or places.

Why Use Safety Symbols

According to the ISO standard on safety colors and signs (ISO 3864-1:2011), “there is a need to standardize a system of giving safety information that relies as little as possible on the use of words to achieve understanding.”

Safety signs and symbols are used as safety communication tools—they help send clear messages, instructions, and warnings without the use of too many words. They speed up the level of understanding of individuals, and are useful especially in scenarios where a quick response is needed.

With the use of visual aids, safety signs and symbols reduce the risk of accidents and create awareness on hazards present in specific areas or materials.

Types of Safety Symbols (with Examples)

Standardized safety signs and symbols are characterized by images, pictograms, shapes, words, phrases, sentences, or statements. Each shape conveys a different meaning, and each color represents the type of precaution it’s categorized in. Below are the 4 main types of safety symbols with names and their meanings:

Prohibition

The prohibition sign, also known as the No symbol or “Do Not” sign, is a type of symbol that indicates an instruction of forbidding an activity. It aims to prevent a behavior that could pose a potential risk not just to an individual, but to the area and its other occupants as well. This can also sometimes be just direct commands for prohibited activities.

These signs are characterized by a circular red band with a diagonal line descending from left to right in a 45 degree angle. Examples of these are do not smoke or do not enter commands.

Warning

Warning signs, as the name suggests, are symbols that communicate warnings and notify individuals of the presence of hazards or dangers in an area. These dangers may not initially be apparent so usage of these types of signs helps ensure that special attention is gained from the people in the vicinity.

This can vary but the common characteristics of this symbol is a yellow or amber band in a triangle form and black text that specifies why it’s a hazard. Examples of these are deep excavation signs and high voltage warnings.

Mandatory

The mandatory sign is a symbol that orders a specific action to help comply with statutory requirements involving a business or industry. It aims to protect individuals from dangers that could arise, should these orders be disregarded, and is commonly used in isolated areas where a particular precaution is required.

These signs usually feature a circular shape with a blue background and white pictogram. Examples of these are areas with safety helmet and protective goggles requirements.

Emergency

Emergency signs are one of the most common types of symbols used generally and understood fairly easily. These are symbols that indicate emergency exits and doors, escape routes, and signs that direct to first aid or emergency equipment.

These signs are characterized with rectangular or square shapes, green background, and white pictogram. Most common examples of these are fire exits and other secondary routes used for emergencies.

Aside from the above-mentioned safety signs and symbols, there are labels that are specifically or are mostly used for identifying potential chemical hazards called GHS pictograms.

What are GHS Pictograms?

GHS pictograms are graphic labels that communicate the potential risk associated with a specific chemical and unprotected exposure to its elements. It is characterized by a symbol on a white background, framed with red borders, and an imagery that distinctly presents the classification or type of potential hazard it is related to.

GHS pictograms are part of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals—an internationally agreed-upon standard of labeling scheme and hazard classification in relation to hazardous chemicals.

According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), and in compliance with the updated Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), it is required that all chemical labels have a standardized signal word, precautionary statement, and pictograms attached for each hazard class and category.

GHS Pictograms: Hazards and Classification

GHS pictograms are distinguished based on hazards they present and classified according to whether those hazards bring physical, environmental, or health damages. Below is the list of GHS pictograms under HCS and their definitions:

• Health hazard – This symbol shows a person with damage and pertains to chemicals that can cause serious and long-term negative impact to health.
• Flammable – The symbol for this is a flame and it pertains to chemicals or highly flammable gases that may catch fire once exposed with air or other ignition sources.
• Irritant/hazardous/hazardous to ozone layer – This is symbolized by a big exclamation point and refers to chemicals that can either cause irritation or harm to individuals, or pose a threat to public health by harming the ozone layer.
• Gas under pressure – The symbol for this is a gas cylinder and it pertains to gases that are stored under pressure and may explode if heated, or refrigerated gases that may cause burns or injury.
• Corrosion – This pictogram shows corrosion of material and skin. It refers to chemicals that can cause severe skin burns and damages in tissue once contacted with.
• Explosives – This is symbolized by an exploding bomb and pertains to chemicals that may explode or can cause a mass explosion.
• Oxidizers – This pictogram shows a flame over a circle and symbolizes chemicals that can cause fire or explosion when exposed with other elements or chemicals.
• Hazardous to the environment – The symbol for this is of a dead tree and fish. It refers to chemicals that can cause lasting damages to the environment.
• Toxic – This pictogram shows a skull and crossbones, and symbolizes chemicals that even at a very low exposure—can cause damage to health or even fatality.

Safety Symbols Compliance with SafetyCulture

Ensure proper safety signs and symbols usage in your workplace or establishment with SafetyCulture (formerly iAuditor). Available as a mobile app and web-based tool, this digital platform can help safety managers, safety officers, and employees in workplaces comply with the requirements of using safety symbols to reduce exposure to dangers and hazards. SafetyCulture can also help you do the following:

• Perform safety symbols inspections using digital templates and checklists. Find other safety templates you may need from our Public Library.
• Gain an accurate overview of safety symbols compliance by utilizing SafetyCulture’s Scoring feature in every inspection.
• Create recommendations and instructions using SafetyCulture’s Actions feature, and immediately assign them to personnel for time-sensitive responses.
• Upload corresponding media/images directly during the inspection using your mobile phone or tablet.
• Generate inspection reports from any device and share them with your team or relevant stakeholders.
• Discover the parts of operations and areas in the workplace that you encounter the most non-compliance and be able to address them with the use of SafetyCulture’s Analytics feature.
• Safely access your data anytime and anywhere.

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Safety Symbols Templates