New safety signs added to ISO standard

New safety signs have been added to the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO’s) Graphical symbols standard — ISO 7010 — to reflect signs used around the world. The standard aims to create globally consistent use of symbols, colours and shapes on safety signs so that they can be clearly understood regardless of language, culture or setting. Jan-Bernd Stell, Chair of the ISO technical committee that developed the standard, said lack of harmonisation and standardisation in this area could lead to confusion and accidents.

“International standardisation of safety signs means everyone speaks the same language when it comes to safety. This provides a simple solution for everyone, both in workplaces and public areas like airports where many nationalities converge,” Stell said. “Examples of safety signs documented in the standard include everything from warnings around deep water, electricity or barbed wire to instructions such as ‘do not walk or stand here’, or to not use lifts in the event of a fire.”

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