For this reason, those who work in the facility safety field must know and use these new signage systems. Doing so keeps their company in compliance with standards and protects people from possible injury or death. If an accident does occur, the signage and labeling defined in these standards provides a defense in case of liability litigation.

We live in a time of rapid globalization. People travel with ease to every corner of the earth, and our nations’ economies are tied together through the integration of our commercial workforces.

In 1995, ISO was challenged to create a universal symbol-based system for the communication of information. We are now seeing the effects of this challenge.

In the next 10 years, a new global language of ISO-based graphical symbol signage will help us in two ways.

First, these signs will help us to easily locate places and equipment (e.g. the ATM, the park, the nearest exit, the fire alarm).

Second, these signs will help make us aware of hazards in the environment or on products (e.g. electrocution hazards, chemical hazards, machinery hazards).

The change is happening now, as the ink dries on this page. In a relatively short amount of time, the buildings, public spaces and products we all use will incorporate the new international symbol based language. The goal is simple: To improve communication. From a safety perspective, such an improvement is critical: Better communication means lives saved.

Once learned, symbol-based signs communicate their message quickly and across language barriers, validating the age-old dictum that a picture is worth a thousand words. Since the U.S. continues to be a melting pot of immigrants and travelers (with more than 150 languages spoken here), a symbol-based method of communication is the common sense approach to signage.

NFPA agrees with the need to adopt an international approach to signage so much so that its 2006 revision of the NFPA 170 Standard for Fire Safety and Emergency Symbols adopted the symbols developed by ISO to indicate the location of fire equipment, emergency equipment, and directional exit route marking.

Like NFPA, ANSI is making a major effort to adopt international symbol-based signage systems. The ANSI Z535 standards define the principles to be used for the design of safety signs, labels and tags in the U.S. Given the liability situation in this country, compliance with the current edition of the ANSI Z535 standards should always be the starting point for those responsible for facility and product safety marking systems in the United States.

For the record, the ANSI Z535 standards were the basis documents for the OSHA regulations on signage. From a products liability perspective, the ANSI Z535 standards are acknowledged by the courts as defining the current “state-of the-art” for safety markings.

In mid-summer of this year, the long anticipated 2007 revision to the ANSI Z535 standards will be released. This revision incorporates international graphical symbols for both facility and product safety signs. For example, the same “Fire Extinguisher” sign shown in Figure 1 now appears in the ANSI Z535.2 Environmental and Facility Safety Sign Standard.

New sign formats are defined formats that better accommodate symbols and text messages.

On the product side, the 2007 ANSI Z535.4 Product Safety Sign and Label Standard now allows the use of the international “symbol-only” safety label formats.

The meaning of this change is huge. Symbols become integral. In short, where once we relied on words to communicate safety messages, symbols can be used.

Just as with the food/fuel/lodging/hospital information signs that appear along

our highways, the American public may need some training to fully understand the new safety sign systems. To this point, word messages within standardized sign formats will often be used to explain the meaning of symbols.

Once learned, the symbol-based approach to communicating information has a multitude of positive attributes: Efficient, fast, memorable, transcends language barriers, overcomes illiteracy, attention-getting. Implementing these systems globally will have a dramatic impact.

Wherever you go in the world you will see the same language of graphical symbol-based safety signs, eliminating confusion and enhancing safety.

In our post-9/11 world, we are more aware than ever of the need to develop requirements for building safety and evacuation. The precedent has been set in the U.S. for mandating the use of the new NFPA 170/ISO signage systems.

Following the World Trade Center Taskforce’s final report, the New York City Building Code was amended in 2004 to require the use of standardized egress path-marking systems in all of the city’s 1600+ commercial high-rise buildings.

With installation of these systems mandated by July 1, 2006, NYC put the world on notice that the bar for safety has been raised.

The systems put into the stairwells of NYC’s skyscrapers were required to use the new NFPA/ISO emergency exit signs, step markings, and landing demarcation lines.

All of these markings had to be made from high-performance photoluminescent materials so they function to safely guide people out of buildings in case of power loss.

The world is moving towards a worldwide vocabulary for safety signs and labels. Those responsible for safety in the United States need to be a part of the process.

Through the consistent and uniform application of common safety sign design principles that utilize the new language of safety symbols, persons in all countries will be better able to recognize and follow the information provided by these sign systems. Buildings will be safer, products will be safer, people will be safer. And the companies that implement these systems will know they are playing an important role in promoting safety and reducing risk on a global basis. FSM

Geoffrey Peckham is president of Clarion Safety Systems in Milford, PA. The company’s signs, markings, and egress systems are installed in commercial and residential buildings, entertainment venues, laboratories, factories, power plants and on a wide range of products.