ANSI Z535
Encyclopedia
ANSI Z535 is an American standard published by NEMA
the National Electrical Manufacturers Association
, which is accredited by the American National Standards Institute
. It corresponds to (but is not fully compatible with) the international ISO 3864
standard.
The ANSI Z535 standard comprises the following six individual standards:
These ANSI Z535 standards were developed and formulated by the ANSI Z535 committee led for many years by chairman Gary Bell. The stated goal of the ANSI Z535 standard series is to avoid personal injury. Property damage hazards are only addressed at the periphery.
Some of the standards like the Z535.4 standard or in particular the newly formulated ANSI Z535.6 standard, first published in October 2006, have found wide acceptance not only in the United States but also in foreign countries. Manufacturers of a very wide array of products use the ANSI Z535.4 and Z535.6 standards to make their products and their manuals safer in an effort to minimize accidents and product liability
law suits. The ANSI Z535.4 standard is often cited in U.S. court decisions as the state of the art benchmark against which product labels and their adequacy are judged. Likewise the ANSI Z535.6 standard is quickly developing into the benchmark for the adequacy of warnings and safety related information in manuals.
The signal word hierarchy of the Z535 series—DANGER, WARNING, CAUTION and NOTICE—are likely to be used by upcoming ISO standards as well giving the Z535 standards a reach beyond the borders of the United States.
On September 15, 2011 NEMA published the 2011 revision of the ANSI Z535 standard series.
Néma
Néma is a town in southeastern Mauritania, close to the border with Mali. It is located at around . It is the capital of Hodh Ech Chargui Region and of the Néma Department....
the National Electrical Manufacturers Association
National Electrical Manufacturers Association
is the association of electrical and medical imaging equipment manufacturers. Founded in 1926 and headquartered near Washington, D.C., its approximately manufacture products used in the generation, transmission, distribution, control, and end use of electricity. These products are used in utility,...
, which is accredited by the American National Standards Institute
American National Standards Institute
The American National Standards Institute is a private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. The organization also coordinates U.S. standards with international...
. It corresponds to (but is not fully compatible with) the international ISO 3864
ISO 3864
ISO 3864 specifies international standards for safety symbols. These labels are graphical, to overcome language barriers.The corresponding American standard is ANSI Z535, which is incompatible with the ISO standard....
standard.
The ANSI Z535 standard comprises the following six individual standards:
- ANSI Z535.1 American National Standard for Safety Colors
- ANSI Z535.2 American National Standard for Environmental and Facility Safety Signs
- ANSI Z535.3 American National Standard for Criteria for Safety Symbols
- ANSI Z535.4 American National Standard for Product Safety Signs and Labels
- ANSI Z535.5 American National Standard for Safety Tags and Barricade Tapes (for Temporary Hazards)
- ANSI Z535.6 American National Standard for Product Safety Information in Product Manuals, Instructions, and Other Collateral Materials
These ANSI Z535 standards were developed and formulated by the ANSI Z535 committee led for many years by chairman Gary Bell. The stated goal of the ANSI Z535 standard series is to avoid personal injury. Property damage hazards are only addressed at the periphery.
Some of the standards like the Z535.4 standard or in particular the newly formulated ANSI Z535.6 standard, first published in October 2006, have found wide acceptance not only in the United States but also in foreign countries. Manufacturers of a very wide array of products use the ANSI Z535.4 and Z535.6 standards to make their products and their manuals safer in an effort to minimize accidents and product liability
Product liability
Product liability is the area of law in which manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, retailers, and others who make products available to the public are held responsible for the injuries those products cause...
law suits. The ANSI Z535.4 standard is often cited in U.S. court decisions as the state of the art benchmark against which product labels and their adequacy are judged. Likewise the ANSI Z535.6 standard is quickly developing into the benchmark for the adequacy of warnings and safety related information in manuals.
The signal word hierarchy of the Z535 series—DANGER, WARNING, CAUTION and NOTICE—are likely to be used by upcoming ISO standards as well giving the Z535 standards a reach beyond the borders of the United States.
On September 15, 2011 NEMA published the 2011 revision of the ANSI Z535 standard series.
Resources
- ANSI Sign Builder 2.0, a free resource for creating ANSI Z535 compliant safety signs in PDF format.