The importance of safety labelling

Jim Heckman, Technical Consultant at Standard Register, explains that efficient label design is essential to maintaining compliance and ensuring safety.

For manufacturers, safety labels on their products have never been more important.

Inadequate warnings could have a wide variety of consequences for the manufacturer, its employees and its customers - consequences that range from noncompliance to lawsuits to minor injuries or even death.

It goes without saying that just as important is the design and presentation of the safety labels themselves.

Because of the significance of these labels in the manufacturing process, industry standards have been developed.

But these standards change every day, with more and more being required of manufacturers to meet the standards and to make certain the labels they design and use are in compliance.

With this ever-growing list of standards, the label design issue has become complicated and confusing.

Although it would take a multiple-volume document to outline all the standards and requirements of manufacturing safety labels, this article will provide a high-level overview of the label development process, including a look at the organisations setting the standards, the basic elements of label development, and how a properly designed label should look before it is placed on the product.

For guidance in the development of safety labels, manufacturers often turn to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).

ANSI and ISO standards are, in many ways, very similar, and manufacturers in all industries, foreign and domestic, typically use one or both sets of standards on their products.

However, manufacturers must note that if a particular industry has its own set of standards (examples include the window blind industry or electrical distribution), those standards supersede the standards set by ANSI and ISO.

ANSI labels comprise four key elements: the signal word panel (CAUTION, WARNING, DANGER); identification of the hazard; how to avoid the hazard; and the consequences of not avoiding the hazard.

Standards set by ISO for safety labels include: an optional signal word panel; a hazard pictogram inside a triangle; yellow background; and optional text outlining the hazard and hazard avoidance.

At the core of both sets of standards is the actual hazard - this is the sole purpose of using a safety label.

In order to identify any potential hazards associated with a product, the manufacturer should use some type of hazard analysis or an actual physical review of the product.

This will not only help determine the actual hazard but will also give guidance on how to avoid the hazard and the potential consequences of not avoiding the hazard.

Once this step is completed, the severity of the hazard can be determined.

Both ANSI and ISO (ISO3864-2) use the following to define the severity of hazards: CAUTION - minor or moderate injury may occur (ANSI); CAUTION - minor or moderate injury could occur (ISO); WARNING - death or serious injury could occur; and DANGER - death or serious injury will occur.

Once the hazard has been identified and severity has been defined, the actual design process of the safety label can begin.

There are several elements that must go into ANSI- and ISO-compliant safety labels, including the pictorials to be used as well as the verbiage outlining the hazard, hazard avoidance and consequences.

Following is a look into each of these design areas as well as information on layout requirements and the importance of consistency in label design.

As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.

That's because pictures are considered the universal language when it comes to communicating with everyone, no matter their native tongue or literacy level.

Wherever possible, manufacturers should try to use pictorials to accompany their messages so that product operators have the opportunity to visualise the hazard and see how to avoid it without needing to read.

There is a wide variety of standardised pictorials available for use on safety labels, nearly all of which can be referenced through a number of resources.

One such resource is the pictorial database available on the Association of Equipment Manufacturers' website.

This free resource is keyword searchable and offers pictorials that are downloadable in multiple formats for use within particular design applications.

In addition to the AEM database, there are several other databases available for manufacturers to review pictorial standards, including the subscription-based ISO database which also provides for pictorial downloading.

Within ISO, manufacturers can make reference to a variety of existing applicable standards, such as: ISO11684 - Agricultural Tractors; ISO13200 - Cranes; ISO15870 - Powered Industrial Trucks; and ISO9244 - Earthmoving Machinery.

Use these resources or standards unique to an industry to identify the pictorials best depicting the hazard to be addressed by the safety label as well as pictorials illustrating hazard avoidance - accurately depicting how to avoid the hazard is a key component that is missing in many inappropriately designed safety labels.

As pictorials are identified for specific manufacturer products, the development of an in-house pictorial library is highly recommended for quick and easy access to all of the commonly and often used pictorials by the manufacturer.

Although pictorials provide the important visual component of the hazard, the verbiage included on the safety label provides more finite detail around the hazard, hazard avoidance and consequences.

At this point in the label development process, a manufacturer has already provided the initial verbiage needed for the label - signal words CAUTION, WARNING or DANGER.

The next step is to put the identified hazard into words and describe how do avoid the hazard.

For example purposes, let's say that this particular piece of equipment could present a hazard of individuals being crushed.

The label would begin with the signal word "WARNING" with the identification of the hazard reading: "CRUSH HAZARD".

Following would be the avoidance text: "Install cylinder locks before performing maintenance under raised loader arms".

This text informs the end-user of the steps necessary to avoid the hazard.

The remaining verbiage is a description of the consequences of not avoiding the hazard.

In our example, the text would read: "Failure to comply could result in death or serious injury".

All of this verbiage would be coupled with pictorials illustrating the crush hazard and the avoidance action.

There are several keys to developing effective verbiage for safety labels.

First, wording must be succinct and use a headline-style format.

Label designers must avoid using excessive, unnecessary words (such as "the") while presenting the text in easy-to-read upper and lower case letters.

Note that it is acceptable to use all upper case letters in short phrases requiring impact, like CRUSH HAZARD.

Secondly, be mindful of the font size of the text and the space available on the label.

Manufacturers need to determine the proper distance to view the safety label and avoid the hazard.

ANSI has a set of font sise guidelines that can be referenced for this very purpose (see ANSI Z535.4 Product Safety Signs and Labels Annex B).

When designing a safety label, ANSI Z535.4 standards indicate it can be laid out in either a portrait (vertical) format or in a landscape (horizontal) format.

Both these orientations are acceptable design layouts.

This is something that can be determined by a manufacturer's corporate standards, the area where the label will go or personal preference.

Whether the label is vertical or horizontal in orientation, overall design consistency must be maintained.

Through label design consistency, manufacturers will help ensure the recognition of hazard and avoidance pictorials by using the same pictorials outlined in ANSI and ISO stylebooks.

It also ensures that a consistent message is delivered across entire product lines and between different products.

When looking at a label programme from both an international and domestic standpoint, consistency of design is very important.

It is a good practice to keep layout styles consistent across different labels.

Generally, manufacturers want to keep the signal word panel, the pictorials and the verbiage in the same location within various labels when possible.

This will allow the end user to recognise a safety message quickly.

Once all of the elements are in place - pictorials, verbiage and consistency - take a final look at the safety label to make sure the artwork is clean and that the label accurately describes the hazard and avoidance steps.

It is encouraged to test the label - an easy and effective way to do this is to gather a group of individuals to critique the label on symbol recognition and messaging.

A group of employees who do not deal directly with the product can be used as well.

During this testing, it is important for manufacturers to remember that safety labels are not the "be all and end all" for identified hazards.

The labels are there to remind the users of what they should have reviewed in the operator's manual.

It is always the responsibility of the user to read the manual before operating any piece of equipment.

After the label passes the test, work with a proven label supplier to produce the finished product, making certain to provide size requirements and any special instructions to the supplier.

A good supplier should be willing to work with the manufacturer throughout the entire label development process, offering full design capabilities, translation services and a thorough knowledge of industry standards and compliance requirements.

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