Developing effective warnings for the workplace

wording. • Avoid using words or statements that might have multiple interpr etations . Signal Words • Danger-Indicates immediately hazard- ous situation that will result in death or serious injury if not avoided; use only in ex- treme situations. • Warning-Indicates a potentially haz- ardous situation that may result in death or serious injury if not avoided. • Caution - Indicates a potentially haz- ardous situation that may result in minor or moderate injury. Pictorials • Use only symbols that have been compre- hension-tested (refer to the following section on evaluationfor a more detailed description). Font • Use mixed case letters . Avoid using all capitals except for signal words . • Use sanserif fonts (Arial, Helvetica, etc.) and larger font size for signal words. • Use serif fonts (Times, T imes New Roman, etc.) and smaller font size for warn- ing JJ1essages. • Print in a font size large enough so it is readable at a distance and by older people. Color • A red panel should be used with the signal word "Danger." • An orange panel should be used with [Continued on page 148] www .ohsonline.com • OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY