ISO/TC 145/SC 2 - Safety identification, signs, shapes, symbols and colours

This document specifies the principles governing the design and application of signs and plans used to create a natural disaster safety way guidance system to help people evacuate to safe areas or places of refuge in case of natural disasters (e.g. tsunamis, floods, debris flows, steep slope failures, landslides, tornados, large-scale fires, active volcanoes). This document provides guidance on the selection and use of safety signs conforming to ISO 7010, public information symbols conforming to ISO 7001, and text on evacuation route signs, places of refuge signs and evacuation plan signs for information related to one or more particular natural disasters. Guidance on the design, location, mounting positions and maintenance of the sign components of a natural disaster safety way guidance system is also provided. This document does not apply to the determination of the need for natural disaster safety way guidance. This document assumes that the risk assessment or requirements of an enforcing authority have established the need for such natural disaster safety way guidance systems. This document is not applicable to the particular hazards of high winds, snow avalanches, earthquakes or hurricanes, which cause the natural disasters covered in this document. This document is applicable to safety way guidance from natural disasters from the outside of buildings to safe areas. ISO 16069 is applicable to safety way guidance within a building to the emergency exit(s).

This document establishes design principles for displayed escape plans that contain information relevant to fire safety, escape, evacuation and rescue of the facility's occupants. These plans may also be used by intervention forces in case of emergency. These plans are intended to be displayed as signs in public areas and workplaces. This document is not intended to cover the plans to be used by external safety services nor detailed professional technical drawings for use by specialists.

This document specifies safety information for overground piping systems related to the content of the piping system and associated hazards for the purpose of accident prevention, reducing risks to health and providing information for use in case of an emergency. This document does not cover piping that is buried. Safety signing of the hazards in an area is not part of this document. This document can also be used for marine structures and ships.

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 the practical application of safety signs to form a system of communication intended to reduce risk.

This document gives guidance for the selection and use of water safety signs as specified in ISO 7010 and beach safety flags as specified in ISO 20712-2 in aquatic environments. It provides guidance on their location, mounting positions, lighting and maintenance. It also provides guidance on the design and location of multiple signs. This document does not apply to traffic signs for use on the public highway or maritime signalling. It is not applicable to flags for use on firing ranges or to flags used to indicate water quality. It does not cover means of escape signs and their illumination which may be present. NOTE 1 The illustrations in this document are as accurate as possible within the limitations of the printing process. NOTE 2 This document refers to water safety signs which were originally specified in ISO 20712-1[1]. These water safety signs have been integrated in ISO 7010, but are not specifically identified as water safety signs. [1] This document has been withdrawn and replaced by ISO 7010.

This document prescribes safety signs for the purposes of accident prevention, fire protection, health hazard information and emergency evacuation. The shape and colour of each safety sign are according to ISO 3864‑1 and the design of the graphical symbols is according to ISO 3864‑3. This document is applicable to all locations where safety issues related to people need to be addressed. However, it is not applicable to the signalling used for guiding rail, road, river, maritime and air traffic and, in general, to those sectors subject to a regulation which may differ with regard to certain points of this document and of the ISO 3864 series. This document specifies the safety sign originals that can be scaled for reproduction and application purposes.

ISO 16069:2017 describes the principles governing the design and application of visual components used to create a safety way guidance system (SWGS). ISO 16069:2017 contains general principles valid both for electrically powered and for phosphorescent components. Special information which is related to the type of component is given to assist in defining the environment of use, choice of material, layout, installation and maintenance of SWGS. ISO 16069:2017 does not cover risk assessment. Applications with different risks to the occupants typically require different layouts and types of SWGS. The specific application and exact final design of SWGS is entrusted to those persons responsible for this task. ISO 16069:2017 also does not include the special considerations of possible tactile or audible components of SWGS, nor does it include requirements for high mounted components of the emergency escape route lighting, especially the design and application of emergency escape route lighting. ISO 16069:2017 is intended, by collaboration and coordination, to be used by all other Technical Committees within ISO and IEC charged with developing SWGS for their specific requirements. ISO 16069:2017 is not to be used for ships falling under regulations of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

ISO 3864-2:2016 establishes additional principles to ISO 3864‑1 for the design of safety labels for products, i.e. any items manufactured and offered for sale in the normal course of commerce, including but not limited to consumer products and industrial equipment. The purpose of a product safety label is to alert persons to a specific hazard and to identify how the hazard can be avoided. ISO 3864-2:2016 is applicable to all products in all industries where safety-related questions can be posed. However, it is not applicable to safety labels used - for chemicals, - for the transport of dangerous substances and preparations and - in those sectors subject to legal regulations which differ from certain provisions of this document. The design principles incorporated in this document are intended to be used by all ISO Technical Committees and anyone designing product safety labels in the development of product safety label standards for their industries or services.

ISO 3864-3:2012 gives principles, criteria and guidance for the design of graphical symbols for use in safety signs as defined in ISO 3864‑1, and for the safety sign element of product safety labels as defined in ISO 3864‑2.

ISO 3864-1:2011 establishes the safety identification colours and design principles for safety signs and safety markings to be used in workplaces and in public areas for the purpose of accident prevention, fire protection, health hazard information and emergency evacuation. It also establishes the basic principles to be applied when developing standards containing safety signs. ISO 3864-1:2011 is applicable to all locations where safety issues related to people need to be addressed. However, it is not applicable to the signalling used for guiding rail, road, river, maritime and air traffic and, generally speaking, to those sectors subject to a regulation which may differ.

ISO 3864-4:2011 establishes the colorimetric and photometric requirements and test methods for the colours of safety signs to be used in workplaces and public areas. It provides the colorimetric and photometric specifications for the named safety and contrast colours prescribed in ISO 3864­1. The physical requirements that safety signs have to meet are primarily related to daytime colour and normally lit environments. ISO 3864-4:2011 also includes the colorimetric requirements and test methods for safety signs and phosphorescent material which also operate in unlit environments. ISO 3864-4:2011 is applicable to all locations where safety issues related to people need to be addressed. However, it is not applicable to signalling used for guiding rail, road, river, maritime and air traffic and, generally speaking, to those sectors subject to a regulation that may differ. The colorimetric and photometric properties of retroreflective safety signs, retroreflective materials combined with fluorescent or phosphorescent materials, or luminous safety signs activated by a radioactive source are not specified in ISO 3864-4:2011.

ISO 20712-2:2007 specifies requirements for the shape and colour of beach safety flags for the management of activities on coastal and inland beaches, to be used for giving information on wind and water conditions and other hazardous conditions, and to indicate the location of swimming and other aquatic activity zones extending from the beach into the water. It also specifies the colorimetric and photometric properties and the physical properties, including strength and colour fastness, of the materials from which beach safety flags are to be made. It is not applicable to flags for use on firing ranges or to flags for use to indicate water quality or to signalling used for maritime traffic.