Safety Communication Update Released By Clarion Safety Systems Following International Organization For Standardization Meetings In Delft, Netherlands
Milford, PA (PRWEB) December 13, 2016 -- Clarion Safety Systems, a leading designer and manufacturer of safety signs and safety labels, is pleased to share insight on safety communication and symbol development following the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) committee meetings held last month in Delft, Netherlands.
Clarion is an active member of the preeminent standards bodies responsible for safety sign standards – the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) domestically and ISO internationally. The company’s CEO, Geoffrey Peckham, is chairman of both the ANSI Z535 Committee for Safety Signs and Colors and of ANSI’s U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to the ISO standards committee responsible for safety signs, labels, colors and symbols – ISO/TC 145.
ISO/TC 145 standardizes the symbols that appear on products and for use in built environments. These include symbols that indicate windshield wipers and headlights on a car, fast and slow on a lawn tractor, and the location of departure gates and baggage claim at an airport.
ISO/TC 145 subcommittee 2 (SC 2), which focuses on safety identification, signs, shapes, symbols and colors, held its working group 1 (WG 1) and working group 6 (WG 6) meetings in Delft in the end of November.
WG 1's central task is the registration of standardized safety symbols that are meant to visually convey to viewers the nature of hazards and how to avoid them. In addition to moving several new symbol proposals through the working group’s process, November’s meeting centered on two areas:
- Approving 10 new safety symbols: these new symbols will be adopted into ISO 7010 Graphical symbols – Safety colours and safety signs – Registered safety signs shortly, through an amendment to the standard likely to be published before the end of 2016. Hazards identified by these symbols include: warning of an arc flash; indicating the location of a fire protection door; indicating the location of a protection shelter; prohibiting the use of smart glasses; prohibiting intoxicated people from undertaking hazardous actions or activities; and various behaviors related to toboggan use.
- Beginning discussions on a working draft for ISO/Technical Report 20559, Graphical Symbols – Safety colours and safety signs – Code of practice for use of safety signs: This new “code of practice” will be an informative guidance document for best practices in the design and installation of safety sign systems. “While the final product is likely three to four years away, Clarion is using our workplace safety communication expertise to be actively involved in the development of this first draft, helping to shape its scope and content,” says Peckham.
WG 6’s primary task is the development of a new global standard on pipemarking, ISO 20560-1 – Safety signs – Part 1: Pipemarking – the first of its kind. ISO 20560 will help to bolster safety for personnel, maintenance staff and firefighters in any type of workplace where pipemarking systems are in use – from oil rigs and ships to industrial plants and building complexes. Progress continues to be made in writing this standard, which will be published within the next three years.
“With their focus on symbolic safety communication, the two groups of experts that make up WG 1 and WG 6 work with topics that affect people’s daily lives,” says Peckham. “The standards that these two working groups are developing will impact safety communication around the world. It’s work that we’re proud to be a part of.”
In addition to the company’s prominent positions on the ANSI and ISO standards committees, Clarion actively participates in leadership roles in standards-related initiatives headed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Underwriters Laboratories (UL), Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI), the Association of Aquatic Professionals, and the Laser Institute of America.
To learn more about how ISO uses symbols, vocabulary and color to standardize safety signage on a worldwide basis, watch Clarion’s short, educational video "ISO Symbols for Safety Signs and Labels."
ABOUT CLARION SAFETY SYSTEMS
Clarion Safety Systems, LLC, is the leading designer and manufacturer of visual safety solutions that help customers in more than 180 industries worldwide to make their products and premises safer. Clarion offers a full range of standard and custom products including machinery safety labels, environmental and facility safety signs, pipe and valve identification markings, lockout/tagout products, and safety-grade photoluminescent egress path-marking escape systems. Founded in 1990, the company continues to play a leading role in the development and writing of international and national standards for safety signs, labels, and markings. Clarion is headquartered at 190 Old Milford Road in Milford, PA, 18337, and online at http://www.clarionsafety.com.
ABOUT ISO
ISO is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 161 national standards bodies. Through its members, it brings together experts to share knowledge and develop voluntary, consensus-based, market-relevant international standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges. To learn more, visit http://www.iso.org.
Erin Earley, Clarion Safety Systems, http://www.clarionsafety.com, +1 570-296-5686 Ext: 228, [email protected]
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