What is the proper content for an ANSI Z535.4 safety label?

The content of your safety label is important. The mistake of having incomplete content on product safety labels is often due to the manufacturer using safety label formats that were intended for facility signs (i.e. signs that appear on walls that typically have large type, short messages, and general statements). These old generic signs are inappropriate for equipment. When used as equipment safety labels, such safety labels are inadequate! The ANSI Z535.4 standard states that a product safety label should communicate the following four elements:

• The nature of the hazard (i.e. the type of hazard - shock, cut, burn, etc.).
• The consequence of interaction with the hazard.
• How to avoid the hazard.
• The seriousness level of the hazard.

The first three items of content listed above are to be conveyed by the word message and/or symbol. The signal word panel communicates the last item of content, hazard seriousness. Although it is not absolutely required that your safety label communicate all three of the first content items (hazard nature, consequence, avoidance), this is the legal definition of what constitutes an "adequate" warning - something that has been developed by legal precedent in U.S. courts over the last fifty years. Therefore it is the above four items of content that will be used by courts to judge whether or not you failed to adequately warn should a product liability case arise. You could argue that the plaintiff could have "inferred" the missing items of content from your safety label's context of use or from some other source. But you could easily lose this argument. Thus, our view is that it is better to include all items of content in your safety labels if it is possible to do so in a concise manner. Even if a symbol conveys a portion of the content, unless there are space restrictions, we recommend that you repeat the intent of the symbol in the word message.

What are some before and after examples of safety label revisions?

Here are some examples that illustrate replacing the old OSHA/ANSI Z535.2 formats with the ANSI Z535.4 formats. Note how more content is conveyed in the new safety labels.

In illustration "A" you can see how the old sign does not communicate the nature of the hazard or the consequence of interaction with hazard. It only communicates the avoidance information - and it does not even do a good enough job at that! In today's U.S. workplace lockout is often required by OSHA when equipment is serviced. Thus, as you see on many of Clarion's equipment safety labels, lockout is mentioned as part of the avoidance information. The old safety label on the left lacks important content; the safety label on the right includes all items of content in a short and concise manner.

In the illustrations B and C you can see that the old signs' word messages only communicate the "nature" of the hazard. They do a poor job of conveying the "consequence of interaction with the hazard" and completely lack any information on "how to avoid the hazard." You could argue that the words "HIGH VOLTAGE" or similarly "Hazardous voltage" convey the consequence of interaction with the hazard (i.e. electric shock or burn). Looking at the obsolete safety label in illustration C, Clarion feels that the words "PINCH POINT" are not specific enough to give a person an adequate description of the hazard and the consequence of interaction with the hazard. A quick look at Clarion's online catalog will show you a wide variety of specific pinch point safety labels that include symbols and text that clearly communicate appropriate safety information for a wide range of such hazards.

Besides using obsolete formats, the major flaw in both example B and C is that they do not convey ANY avoidance information. Avoidance information on the safety label is necessary to protect those who use and/or service your products. Because the older safety labels lack this information, they clearly do not fulfill the current ANSI Z535.4 definition of the proper content of a safety label and can easily be judged to be inadequate warnings from a legal perspective. We strongly recommend that you change any safety labels you have in the old formats to the Z535.4 format. And make sure to be specific about the nature, consequence and avoidance information appropriate to the hazard.

What is the right size for a product safety label?

Now is a good time to examine whether your safety labels are appropriately sized. The old obsolete-formatted signs typically were large because they went on walls and were viewed at long distances (i.e. 20-30 feet or more). The proper size of a safety label is based on several factors including legibility, distance, and space restrictions. Obviously the safety label should be placed in a location where the person who could come in contact with the hazard will be able to view the safety label and yet remain out of harm's way. The ANSI Z535.4 standard calls this the "minimum safe viewing distance." This term refers to the closest distance a person can be to the safety label and still have time to follow the safety label's message to avoid the hazard. This distance is what ultimately dictates the proper size for the safety label and it is done in this way: The size of the majority of the text must be legible from the minimum safe viewing distance. A chart listing type sizes and safe viewing distances is given in Annex B of the 2002 ANSI Z535.4 standard. Clarion can also give you specific guidance on this topic when redesigning each of your safety labels.

Click here to see actual-sized examples of Clarion's safety labels.

See below for information on the related topic of safety label placement.

What is the right placement for a product safety label?

Placement has to do with where someone needs to see the safety label in order to avoid the hazard. Companies that revise their safety labels often find that the safe viewing distance is quite short and that a person is close to the safety label when they must be able to read it. It is most often the case that one large sign read from a far distance is not better than placing several smaller safety labels at points where a person might encounter the hazard. For example, on a long powered roller conveyor the same J-size pinch point safety label might appear every 10' along the length of the conveyor. This would be better than placing one or two large signs above the conveyor because the smaller safety labels are easily noticed on a continual basis by persons close to the hazard.

Can more than one hazard be listed on a safety label?

Yes! If you have multiple hazards in one location a good option to consider is a multi-hazard safety label. Shown below are two examples of the multi-hazard formats illustrated in the Z535.4 standard. In these examples ISO-formatted symbols are used, though this does not have to be the case. Clarion can customize the safety label to have as many or as few messages as you require. You may also want to use multiple symbols. For more information on multiple symbols, click here.