For manufacturers, applying safety labels on their products have never been more important. Inadequate warnings could have a wide variety of consequences for the company, its employees and its customers — consequences that range from non-compliance to lawsuits to minor injuries or even death. But it’s not enough just to apply safety labels; their design and presentation are critical to their effectiveness.

Because of the significance of safety labels in the manufacturing process, a number of industry standards have been developed. But these standards change every day, with more being required of manufacturers to meet them. With this ever-growing list of standards, the label design issue has become complicated and confusing.

ANSI and ISO

Fig. 1. Sample safety label, in both vertical and horizontal formats, illustrates pictographs and verbiage for a lawn mower. The pictograph shows the hazard. The verbiage contains, in order, the signal word, the identification of the type of hazard, the text on how to avoid the hazard, and the consequences of not avoiding the hazard.

For guidance in the development of safety labels, manufacturers often turn to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Organization for Standardization (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 whether a particular industry has its own set of standards (e.g., the lawn mower industry or medical devices), as those standards supersede the standards set by ANSI and ISO.

ANSI labels are comprised of four key elements:

• The signal word panel (CAUTION, WARNING, DANGER).
• Identification of the hazard.
• How to avoid the hazard.
• 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.
• Optional text outlining the hazard and hazard avoidance.

At the core of both sets of standards is the actual hazard, which is the sole purpose of the 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 (ISO 3864-2) 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.
• 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.

Label design

Sampling of informational and warning labels.

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.

Pictorials: 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 visualize the hazard and see how to avoid it without needing to read text.

A wide variety of standardized pictorials are available for use on safety labels, nearly all of which can be referenced through a number of resources.

There are a number of databases available for manufacturers to review pictorial standards, including the subscription-based ISO database, which also allows for pictorial downloading. Within ISO, manufacturers can make reference to a variety of existing applicable standards, such as:

• ANSI Z535.4 – Product Safety Signs and Labels.
• ASAE S441.3 – Safety Signs.
• ANSI B71.1 – Outdoor Power Equipment, Walk, Behind Mowers and Ride-On Machines with Mowers, Safety Specifications.
• ISO 7000 – Graphical Symbols for use on Equipment.
• ISO 3864 – 1, 2 & 3 – Graphical Symbols, Safety Colors and Safety Signs: Design Principles for Graphical Symbols for use in Safety Signs.
  
  These resources, or standards unique to an industry, can identify the pictorials that best depict 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.
  
  Verbiage: While 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 by using one of the signal words CAUTION, WARNING or DANGER. The next step is to put the identified hazard into words and describe how do avoid the hazard.
  
  Fig. 1 illustrates potential verbiage for a lawn mower. The label contains the signal word (WARNING), identification of the hazard (SEVER HAZARD), avoidance text (Keep clear of mower blades), and the consequences of not avoiding the hazard (Failure to comply could result in death or serious injury).
  
  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 (e.g., “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 (e.g. SEVER HAZARD).
  
  Second, be mindful of the font size of the text and the space available on the label. Manufacturers need to determine the proper distance from which the label will be viewed. ANSI has a set of font size guidelines that can be referenced for this very purpose (see ANSI Z535.4 Product Safety Signs and Labels Annex B).
  
  Layout and consistency: 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. (See Fig. 1.) Both of 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 program 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 recognize a safety message quickly.
  
  Design and production
  Once all of the elements are in place — pictorials, verbiage and consistency — designers should 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 also a good idea to test the label by gathering a group of people to critique the label on symbol recognition and messaging.
  
  During this testing, it is important for manufacturers to remember that safety labels are not a panacea for hazard identification. The labels are there to remind the users of what they should have already reviewed in the Operators 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, designers should work with a proven label supplier to produce the finished product, making certain to provide size requirements and any special instructions to the supplier. In addition, while there are no set standards for the type of material on which the label should be printed, there are special conditions that should be considered by the manufacturer. It is recommended to inform the supplier if the label will be exposed to extreme conditions such as high heat, abrasion, chemicals, long-term exposure to the sun or other harsh climate conditions.
  
  All of these factors will play a role in determining which adhesive, base material and over-laminate (if applicable) are optimal. Other issues to be addressed with the supplier involve the surface to which the label is being applied. Is it curved or flat? Is the surface painted, powder-coated or plastic? Does it have a smooth or rough texture?
  
  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.