NEMA ANSI Z535 Safety Series: Building Safety First
By Pat Walsh, Standards Publication Manager, NEMA
The U.S. Celebration of “World Standards Day” on October 23 spotlights the critical role of standards and conformity assessment programs in ensuring safety requirements; facilitating coordination among contractors, builders, engineers and architects; and incorporating new technologies in the design and construction of intelligent and sustainable buildings.
So there’s no time like the present to review the ANSI Z535 series of safety communications standards and guidelines. The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has recently launched the ANSI Z535 Web page to make these standards even more accessible. Go to http://www.nema.org/z535 for a complete overview. The site also offers tips for using the safety standards in the home or office.
According to Paul Orr, NEMA program manager and secretary for the Z535 committee, the decision to create a Web page for the documents grew from a discussion by the committee to increase visibility of the series and to supplement the committee’s mission to develop standards for the design, application and use of signs, colors and symbols intended to identify and warn against specific hazards and for other accident prevention purposes.
Recently updated, the ANSI Z535 series of standards for safety signs and colors depicts and explains unique properties that can be used to alert people to hazards in the workplace and at home.
“It’s a growing need, not just an electrical safety issue,” Orr said. “The safety standards apply across the board—construction, automotive, manufacturing, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceutical, home, leisure, everywhere.”
Together, these six standards contain information needed to specify formats, colors and symbols for safety signs used in environmental and facility applications (Z535.2), product applications (Z535.4), temporary accident prevention tags (Z535.5) and product-accompanying literature (Z535.6). All three types of signs have provisions for graphic depictions. Individually, they address specific safety concerns. Collectively, they prevent accidents and injuries.
The newest addition to the series, ANSI Z535.6 American National Standard for Product Safety Information in Product Manuals, Instructions, and Other Collateral Materials, focuses on providing users with a hazard communication system developed specifically for product safety information presented in collateral materials.
ANSI Z535.3 Criteria for Safety Symbols addresses the multi-ethnic and highly mobile U.S. population. “Different reading skills complicate the effectiveness of word-only signs,” Orr said. “This standard demonstrates effective safety symbols and their ability to provide critical information for accident prevention and for personal protection.”
ANSI Z535.1 American National Standard for Safety Color and the accompanying Safety Color Chart provide color notations based on the Munsell and CIE color systems. However, users wanted to reference another popular color system—the Pantone Matching System (PMS). Yet many committee members were somewhat hesitant to provide the PMS matches because they weren't always in the center of the color tolerance ranges.
“When you print out a color, the temperature, humidity, material you print on—all these affect the final print color,” Orr said. “Sometimes when you use a PMS number, it could actually fall outside the range of color tolerances and not be a true safety red.”
User demand, however, won out, and the 2006 Safety Color Chart includes the closest Pantone number for each of the safety colors defined in the standard. Users of the standard can purchase the Safety Color Chart separately from the standard; it provides a single offset printed sample of each of the safety colors, along with information about each color’s ink formulation and the closest PMS color.
To review the ANSI Z535 series, go to http://www.nema.org/z535. It’s a visit that can save a life.