Hazard symbol
Hazard symbols or warning symbols are recognisable
List of common symbols
Type of hazard | Unicode glyph | Unicode | Image |
---|---|---|---|
Generic caution | ⚠ | U+26A0 | |
Poison |
☠ | U+2620 | |
Ionizing radiation | ☢ | U+2622 | |
Ionizing radiation – high-level source | |||
Non-ionizing radiation | |||
Biological hazard | ☣ | U+2623 | |
Carcinogen | |||
High voltage | ⚡︎ | U+26A1 | |
Laser hazard | |||
Accident | ⛌ | U+26CC | |
Disabled car | ⛍ | U+26CD | |
Icy road | ⛐ | U+26D0 | |
More hazard symbols can be found on the list of GHS hazard pictograms and the list of ISO 7010 warning pictograms
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Tape with yellow and black diagonal stripes is commonly used as a generic hazard warning. This can be in the form of barricade tape, or as a self-adhesive tape for marking floor areas and the like. In some regions (for instance the UK)[1] yellow tape is buried a certain distance above buried electrical cables to warn future groundworkers of the hazard.
Generic warning symbol
On roadside warning signs, an exclamation mark is often used to draw attention to a generic warning of danger, hazards, and the unexpected. In Europe and elsewhere in the world (except North America and Australia), this type of sign is used if there are no more-specific signs to denote a particular hazard.[2] When used for traffic signs, it is accompanied by a supplementary sign describing the hazard, usually mounted under the exclamation mark.
This symbol has also been more widely adopted for generic use in many other contexts not associated with road traffic. It often appears on hazardous equipment, in instruction manuals to draw attention to a precaution, on tram and train blind spot warning stickers and on natural disaster (earthquake, tsunami, hurricane, volcanic eruption) preparedness posters and brochures, as an alternative when a more-specific warning symbol is not available.
Poison symbol
☠ | |
---|---|
Hazard symbol | |
In Unicode | U+2620 ☠ SKULL AND CROSSBONES |
The skull-and-crossbones symbol, consisting of a
The symbol, or some variation thereof, specifically with the bones (or swords) below the skull, was also featured on the
In the United States, due to concerns that the skull-and-crossbones symbol's association with pirates might encourage children to play with toxic materials, the Mr. Yuk symbol is also used to denote poison.
This symbol has also been more widely adopted for generic use in many other contexts not associated with poisonous materials. It used for denoting number of dead victims caused by natural disasters (e.g. earthquakes and tsunamis) or armed conflicts on event infographics.
Ionizing radiation symbol
☢ | |
---|---|
Radioactive sign | |
In Unicode | U+2622 ☢ RADIOACTIVE SIGN |
The international radiation symbol is a trefoil around a small central circle representing radiation from an atom. It first appeared in 1946 at the University of California, Berkeley Radiation Laboratory.[3] At the time, it was rendered as magenta, and was set on a blue background. The shade of magenta used (Martin Senour Roman Violet No. 2225) was chosen because it was expensive and less likely to be used on other signs.[4] However, a blue background for other signs started to be used extensively. Blue was typically used on information signs and the color tended to fade with weathering. This resulted in the background being changed on the radiation hazard sign.[5] The original version used in the United States is magenta against a yellow background, and it is drawn with a central circle of radius R, an internal radius of 1.5R and an external radius of 5R for the blades, which are separated from each other by 60°. The trefoil is black in the international version, which is also used in the United States.[6]
The symbol was adopted as a standard in the US by
The sign is commonly referred to as a
On February 15, 2007, two groups—the
-
ISO 361 International ionizing radiation trefoil symbol
-
Yellow and magenta ionizing radiation trefoil used in the US
-
Early ionizing radiation symbol (1946)
-
ISO 21482 high-level sealed-source ionizing radiation symbol
Biohazard symbol
☣ | |
---|---|
Hazard symbol | |
In Unicode | U+2623 ☣ BIOHAZARD SIGN |
The biohazard symbol is used in the labeling of biological materials that carry a significant health risk, including viral and bacteriological samples, including infected dressings and used
History
The biohazard symbol was developed by the Dow Chemical Company in 1966 for their containment products.[16]
According to Charles Baldwin,[16] an environmental-health engineer who contributed to its development: "We wanted something that was memorable but meaningless, so we could educate people as to what it means." In an article in Science in 1967, the symbol was presented as the new standard for all biological hazards ("biohazards"). The article explained that over 40 symbols were drawn up by Dow artists, and all of the symbols investigated had to meet a number of criteria: "(i) striking in form in order to draw immediate attention; (ii) unique and unambiguous, in order not to be confused with symbols used for other purposes; (iii) quickly recognizable and easily recalled; (iv) easily stenciled; (v) symmetrical, in order to appear identical from all angles of approach; and (vi) acceptable to groups of varying ethnic backgrounds." The chosen scored the best on nationwide testing for memorability.[15]
Geometry
All parts of the biohazard sign can be drawn with a
Chemical symbols
A chemical hazard symbol is a pictogram applied to containers of dangerous chemical compounds to indicate the specific hazard, and thus the required precautions. There are several systems of labels, depending on the purpose, such as on the container for end-use, or on a vehicle during transportation.
GHS symbols and statements
The United Nations has designed GHS hazard pictograms and GHS hazard statements to internationally harmonize chemical hazard warnings. Several European countries have started to implement these new global standards, but older warning symbols are still used in many parts of the world.
Europe
European standards are set by:
- CLP regulation (2008) for chemical containers, following international GHS recommendations; see European CLP/GHS hazard symbols
- European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road(ADR) for additional packaging for transportation. Vehicles carrying dangerous goods must be equipped with orange signs, where the upper code number identifies the type of hazard, and the lower code number identifies the specific substance. These symbols cannot be readily interpreted without the aid of a table to translate the numerical codes.
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Obsolete German symbol
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Highly Flammable symbol
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CLP/GHS symbol
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ADR European hazard sign, meaning "highly flammable" (33)—"gasoline" (1203)
Canada
The Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System, or WHMIS, is Canada's national workplace hazard communication standard.
United States
The US-based National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has a standard NFPA 704 using a diamond with four colored sections each with a number indicating severity 0–4 (0 for no hazard, 4 indicates a severe hazard). The red section denotes flammability. The blue section denotes health risks. Yellow represents reactivity (tendency to explode). The white section denotes special hazard information. One example of a special hazard would be the capital letter W crossed out (pictured left), indicating it is water reactant.
Non-standard symbols
A large number of warning symbols with non-standard designs are in use around the world.
Some warning symbols have been redesigned to be more comprehensible to children, such as the Mr. Ouch (depicting an electricity danger as a snarling, spiky creature) and Mr. Yuk (a green frowny face sticking its tongue out, to represent poison) designs in the United States.
See also
- Bouba/kiki effect – Non-arbitrary attachment of sounds to object shapes
- Pictogram
- ISO 7010 – ISO standard for safety symbols
- ISO 7001 – ISO standard for public information symbols.
- GHS hazard pictograms – Symbols used by the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals
- Safety sign
References
- ^ "Notes of guidance for the use of electricity cable ducts", E.ON Central Networks, retrieved and archived 25 December 2021.
- ^ "Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals" (PDF). United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). 2006. p. 50. and "Consolidated resolution on road signs and signals" (PDF). UNECE. 2010. p. 15.
- ^ "Origin of the Radiation Warning Symbol (Trefoil)". Museum of Radiation and Radioactivity. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
The three-bladed radiation warning symbol, as we currently know it, was "doodled" out at the University of California Radiation Laboratory in Berkeley sometime in 1946 by a small group of people.
- ^ Lodding, Linda (March 2007). "A Symbolic History" (PDF). iaea.org. International Atomic Energy Agency. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 May 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ a b c "Radiation Warning Symbol (Trefoil)", Museum of Radiation and Radioactivity, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, accessed and archived 25 December 2021.
- ^ a b "Biohazard and radioactive symbol, design and proportions" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 31, 2013.
- ^ "Regulatory Guide 8.1: Radiation Symbol", US Atomic Energy Commission, 2 February 1973.
- OCLC 926741055.
- ^ a b ISO 361:1975(en): Basic ionizing radiation symbol (Forword), www.iso.org, retrieved 25 December 2021.
- ^ "Ionizing Radiation". CAREX Canada. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ^ "Civil Defense Fallout Shelter Sign (ca. 1960s)", Museum of Radiation and Radioactivity, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, accessed and archived 25 December 2021.
- ^ "New Symbol Launched to Warn Public About Radiation Dangers". 15 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-15. This symbol is included in ISO 21482:2007.
- ^ "New Symbol Launched to Warn Public About Radiation Dangers". IAEA. 15 February 2007. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
- ^ "Drop it". Deccan Herald. 26 June 2007. Archived from the original on 2009-02-10.
- ^ S2CID 38466300. Archived from the original(PDF) on March 24, 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
- ^ a b "Biohazard Symbol History". Archived from the original on July 16, 2011.