ISO/TS 20559:2020

TECHNICAL ISO/TS
SPECIFICATION 20559
First edition
2020-08
Corrected version
2020-10
Graphical symbols — Safety colours
and safety signs — Guidance for the
development and use of a safety
signing system
Symboles graphiques — Couleurs de sécurité et signaux de sécurité —
Lignes directrices pour le développement et l'usage d'un système de
signaux de sécurité
Reference number
©
ISO 2020
© ISO 2020
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ii © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 General . 1
5 Safety signing system components . 2
5.1 General . 2
5.2 Signage on evacuation routes . 2
5.3 Fire equipment signs . 3
5.4 Signs indicating the location of safety equipment or a safety facility or a safety
action (safe condition signs) . 4
5.5 Safety signs for accident prevention (warning signs, prohibition signs and
mandatory action signs) . 5
5.6 Escape and evacuation plan signs . 6
5.7 Pipe and tank markings . 7
5.8 Safety markings . 7
5.8.1 General. 7
5.8.2 Yellow/black . 7
5.8.3 Red/white . 7
5.8.4 Green/white . 7
5.8.5 Blue/white . 7
5.9 Product safety labels . 7
6 System component selection plan . 8
6.1 General . 8
6.2 Use of risk assessments and the hierarchy of controls . 8
6.3 Selection of the type of signing system component and its content . 8
6.4 Consistency . 9
6.5 Comprehension training . 9
6.6 Use of combination signs and multiple signs . 9
6.6.1 General. 9
6.6.2 Use of supplementary signs in combination signs and multiple signs .10
6.7 Selecting sign materials .10
6.7.1 General.10
6.7.2 Luminous materials .11
6.8 Elimination of outdated existing safety signs and markings .11
7 Installation plan .11
7.1 General .11
7.2 Display .11
7.3 Orientation .12
7.4 Mounting height .14
7.5 Size .14
8 Performance evaluation .15
8.1 General .15
8.2 Inspection and maintenance .15
9 Documentation .15
Bibliography .16
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
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ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www .iso .org/ directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
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on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www .iso .org/ patents).
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expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the
World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www .iso .org/
iso/ foreword .html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 145, Graphical symbols, Subcommittee SC
2, Safety identification, signs, shapes, symbols and colours.
This corrected version of ISO/TS 20559:2020 incorporates the following corrections:
— space has been added between the two examples in Figure 2.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www .iso .org/ members .html.
iv © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

Introduction
The primary objective of safety signing systems is to support the provisions of a safe and healthy
workplace or public area.
For those responsible for the health and safety of people in an organization or for the safety of people
in a public area, implementing an effective safety signing system is a strategic and operational decision.
The success of these systems of visual safety communication depends on leadership, commitment and
participation from all levels and functions of the organization.
The information contained in this document gives safety professionals a “systems” approach to safety
signage that works in tandem with an organization’s occupational health and safety management
system (see ISO 45001).
Several ISO documents have been written for the design of the components of safety signing systems.
This document provides a framework for systematically using these safety sign components to reduce
risk by accurately communicating:
— the nature of potential hazards in facilities and related to equipment, and how to avoid these
potential hazards;
— the location of essential safety equipment and fire equipment;
— the accurate identification of materials and related safety precautions;
— evacuation paths that lead persons to a place of safety.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION ISO/TS 20559:2020(E)
Graphical symbols — Safety colours and safety signs —
Guidance for the development and use of a safety signing
system
IMPORTANT — The colours represented in the electronic file of this document can be neither
viewed on screen nor printed as true representations. For the purposes of colour matching
see ISO 3864-4, which provides colorimetric and photometric properties together with, as a
guideline, references from colour order systems.
1 Scope
This document serves to complement the basic standards for safety signs: the ISO 3864 series, ISO 7010,
ISO 16069, ISO 23601 and ISO 17398, as well as ISO 45001. This document contains recommendations
and explanations on t
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