Safety Colors and Signs: A Comprehensive Guide for Workplace Safety
Typical Field Hazards
Posted on March 23, 1982
1. – The apparatus, equipment, and items of personal protection against risks of occupational accidents and diseases that are used or marketed in the country, be they domestic or foreign, must comply with the standards and quality requirements which govern such items, as appropriate.
2. – The persons, entities, companies, and establishments that manufacture, import, market, or use such devices, equipment, and components may optionally quality control in institutions, laboratories, and establishments to provide this service.
3. – The Public Health Institute of Chile, through its Department of Occupational and Environmental Pollution, is the official agency responsible for authorizing, controlling, and monitoring institutions, laboratories, and establishments interested in obtaining this permit for service quality control of equipment, apparatus, and other personal protection against risks of accidents and occupational diseases.
In fulfilling this function, it specifies the terms and procedures to be awarded the permit, and may terminate it for cause.
4. – The quality checks and tests carried out by all institutions, laboratories, and establishments must be subject to the specifications defined in this area by official standards, and without them, the rules adopted by the Ministry of Health’s proposal Institute Chilean Public Health.
NCh 1410 Safety Colors of 1978
The National Standards Institute, INN, is the body that is responsible for surveying and preparing technical standards at the national level.
This standard studies to standardize the color coding on industrial safety signs.
This rule is an unchanged reprint of the official Chilean norm NCh 1410.Of78, risk prevention, safety colors enforced by decree N° 270, dated October 25, 1978, the Ministry of Public Health.
- Red: danger, fire equipment and apparatus, arrest.
- Orange: dangerous parts of machinery, construction equipment, and transport in snow or desert areas.
- Blue: warnings against use or movement in service.
- Yellow: health and physical hazards. According to the situation: one yellow, yellow with black stripes, yellow with dark tables.
- Green: It is used as the basic color to indicate the location of safety and first aid equipment.
- Purple: risks from ionizing radiation.
- Black and White: The white color is used as a free state or a single direction. It is also applied in cans, trash bins, and parts of the soil must be kept in a clean state.
Safety colors will be used in safety signs and identification of piping.
General Definitions
- Spectrophotometry: Measurement and comparison of radiated light.
- Colorimetry: measurement of diffusing surface staining liquids and colored glass.
- Source: The source is the source illuminating pattern C represented half of the day.
- Munsell notation: l: chromaticity coordinates and daylight reflections collected in the Munsell color book.
NOTE: THE COLORS OF SECURITY DO NOT THEMSELVES ELIMINATE RISKS AND CANNOT REPLACE THE APPROPRIATE ACCIDENT PREVENTION MEASURES. THE COLOR IS APPLIED PROPERLY TO HELP A WORKER DISTINGUISH THE RISKS.
Signal, Colors, and Shapes
WHAT IS A SIGNAL? It is a set of stimuli that determine the behavior of the person receiving address circumstances that are intended to highlight.
Safety signs:
It is a system that provides health and safety information that consists of a combination of geometric shapes and colors to which is added a symbol or symbol with a particular meaning.
THE SIGNAL
- Provides information to people inside and outside companies.
- It is effective as a safety technology.
- It does not eliminate the risk.
USE: Where it is possible to decrease the risk, when not possible and necessary to protect workers.
As a complement to the protection of guards, safety devices, and provide personal protection for events produced by nature and fires.
Basic Principles of Signaling: To attract the attention of the recipient, make known the message early enough, be sufficiently clear and common understanding, in practice real possibility of fulfilling indicated. Se classified according to the sense in which perceived.
Olfactory, Visual, Tactile, Auditory,
Classes most commonly used optical signals
- Signs of Duty: They require a certain behavior, are widely used to indicate area or jobs which require the use of personal protective equipment.
- Prohibition signs: When law, regulation, or condition of proven detrimental effect prohibiting conduct.
- Warning signs: To warn of the presence of danger to a particular behavior.
- Signs of Information: We provide information on various aspects, for rescue and fire fighting equipment.
IDENTIFICATION OF COLORS IN SAFETY SIGNALS
Important aspects: Colors have practical application because through them is achieved: Increase production, improve the efficiency of workers, reduce response times, better to encourage people, reduce accidents. The science and technology used to create a pleasant and comfortable environment. Human beings tend to be influenced by the colors, the color is energy and is present everywhere.
- Colors that are used regularly are the following: Yellow, Orange, Green, Red, Blue, Yellow, Purple, White, Gray, Black.
- Application: If possible they should be applied as follows: In the objects themselves, in areas or stripes on walls, floors, etc.., To indicate the objects and obstacles, walls, floors, etc..; To expose the presence of the object or obstacle so that it is a contrast to the painted wall.
– Red: This is the basic color to denote danger or to indicate immediate halt. Symbolize the fire prevention and thus serve to identify the prevention of such equipment.
Be used to identify the following elements:
- Notices hazardous lights and flags (in construction), security containers (hazardous materials), Emergency exit devices, fire fighting equipment.
– Orange (unpleasant) warning symbolizes and identifies the dangerous parts of machinery or equipment, if the guard of a machine can be opened or removed, the inside is painted this color to draw attention to the risk, shall apply: Inside of electrical switch boxes and fuse boxes, internal party machinery and equipment guard, being the same color outside of the machine, start buttons, safety exposed parts of machines and equipment such as pulleys, gears, rollers, and cutting devices, mechanical transmission elements.
– Yellow (Alegra and stimulated): The color of the highest visibility and color will indicate the need for caution as these risks must be captured easily, is combined with black when needed attention more decisively.
The yellow color is employed in: Warning signs (physical hazards and unsafe practices), Equipment moving (heavy transport and construction), Obstructions and projections (columns, pillars, beams rotating bands), open spaces, walkways, treads and risers of stairs.
– Yellow and black stripes: This combination is used in: Barriers, Borders unprotected pits, loading and unloading platforms, Gripping, Outgoing Parties installations in general.
– Green (Rest and fresh): This is the basic color to symbolize security and applied in these cases: First aid kits, safety devices, stretchers, panels for security advisories, equipment Push Buttons.
– Blue (feeling cold): The basic color to symbolize the prevention and its main function is to indicate that caution should be exercised in the work to be performed, shall be used: Announcements, Barriers, Signs, flags.
– Violets: The basic color to indicate risks of radiation and is usually used in combination with yellow, is applied in: Storage of radioactive material, Burial of radioactive materials, waste containers, contaminated equipment, production equipment radioactive.
– White, gray or black: The combinations of these colors are used to mark traffic alerts, housekeeping, and general information, the combination of black and white bands or pictures of these colors are used depending on the needs identified.
Extreme-sac (Hallways, alleys, etc..), Storage areas, and limit address of stairs.
– If signs or notices to address exits, stairways or other important areas, in case of defining housekeeping, dumpsters, Drinkers, other instruments related to housekeeping.
Geometric shapes are used depending on the sign in question:
- Obligation: to prescribe a particular action (white circle) require particular conduct, white symbol, color blue safety white contrast.
- Prohibition: Prohibits an action likely to cause risks (white circle crossed out above) prohibit conduct which may cause danger, black symbol property, safety color: red, white contrast.
- Caution: Warns of danger (triangle), warn or prevent a hazard symbol black, yellow safety color, contrast black.
- Information: Provides general information (squares and rectangles) provide information, white symbol, color green security, contrasteblanco.
EPP
What is an EPP? It is an article designed to act as a barrier that protects the body or limb of the worker, from bumps, drops, abrasions, punctures, and wounds, or an element that absorbs or retains a noxious substance or avoiding radiation injury or disease.
PROTECTION FOR THE HEAD The most common injuries that occur in the industry are: Injuries to the scalp, brain injury, skull fracture or neck vertebrae, skull perforation (puncture wound), Safety Helmet, Caps.
HEARING PROTECTION: In industry, noise is a phenomenon that is present in most activities. Caps insertion: fluffy disposable anatomical type ear protectors glass.
FACE GUARDS: It is used primarily to prevent the injured worker or face the biological material to prevent contact with skin, are made of plastic, metal mesh.
EYE PROTECTION: Type cap, are common: the severity varies from mild irritation to the destruction, a stroke, hemorrhage, lens dislocation, laceration on the globe, laceration of the eyelid, Monogafas, goggles, face shields.
HAND PROTECTION: Hands are the most sophisticated instruments that exist on our planet ..
The variety of risks exposed to entrapment mechanical abrasions, cuts, skin irritations, Electrocution.
Gloves: natural material, metal mesh, neoprene.
Protect: chemicals, electrical contact cleaning.
RESPIRATORY PROTECTION: These are elements that have a device that purifies the air, removing contaminants by mechanical means (filter) may be comprised of an element that covers the nose and mouth, or full face mask (with air supply).
Working at heights:. This type of PPE should be used during the development of work where the potential drop at different levels, the impact force developed during a fall depends mainly on: The weight of the worker, the fall distance, The effect of stopping the fall, the harness should be checked periodically for damage.
Foot Protection: They are classified into four main groups: Footwear with toe where it is required to manipulate heavy objects, conductive-soled footwear for environments with explosive atmospheres, footwear has not worked in cast ribs, upper shoes should be covered ( with pants or leggings, to work with electricity (dielectric).
DRESS FOR THE JOB: You can find variety of risks. There are special garments to protect workers of these risks and aims to reduce the effects: protection against heat. (Aluminized, fireproof), protection against acids, Clothing and ordinary overalls, white linen. (Biological hazards), Protection in sterile areas.
MAINTENANCE OF PPE: The PPE not only are prone to be contaminated by the agents in the workplace, but also by human fat and sweat, should be washed with detergent and water (depending on the manufacturer’s recommendations)
SAFETY SHOES: The Safety shoe, Safety Shoe, is referred to the Security Footwear Normal or Standard, which protects the foot and ankle, according to Norma Chilena INN 721 (1997).
SAFETY FOOTWEAR: The Chilean legislature defined as safety shoes to anyone who meets the Chilean Official Standard and is sewn accreditation seal created by the Standards Institute of Chile, INN. To comply with current legislation, safety footwear must necessarily meet with the Chilean Official Standard and the accreditation seal sewn shoes, is that testifies that this is true.
How is the seal of Accreditation? This is a circular seal of 1.3 cm radius printed on a label which is sewn to the shoe. This circular contains a code label to identify the footwear manufacturer
CERTIFICATION: Safety footwear must be “Certified” as a “Quality” by a certified company. In Chile they are: CESMEC LTDA. IDIC, CAL-TEX LTD, IDIEM.
SOURCES OF RISK: The shoes generally protects for: Material Handling or stepping on loose material. (Mines, Quarries and the like), step on offcuts of wood, scrap metal and other risky exposure to welding or hot particles in igneous sources, Walking on slippery surfaces due to moisture or water, walk on land with slopes or having loose materials, exposure to risks arising from movement of machinery or equipment used for transporting materials and / or personal risks loads or impacts on fingers or ankles, punctures or cuts risks, risks of landslides, slips and the like.
SHOE SPECIFICATIONS What is a waterproof leather shoes? Waterproof leather is called the one who is treated in the tanning process with chemicals, to give enhanced features waterproof and more resistant to corrosive elements and oil.
What does it mean to be injected shoes? (PlantadePoliuretano) Corresponds to which the liquid polyurethane is injected into molds which are closed on the uppers to form the sole of footwear, thus achieving a complete seal between skin and plant
What is a Good Year Welt footwear? (Plantadegoma) which corresponds to sew up a rubber plant and a welt entretapa. Then these are sewn together at the toecap.
Which means that an insulator or dielectric footwear is? These safety shoes with steel tips for protecting against contact with energized electrical circuit voltages down to 600volts.
What is an Anti-static shoes? This is safety footwear with steel toe that allows the conductance and the transfer of static electricity to ground
Inspections SAFETY PLAN
Objective: To detect all the substandard conditions that present in the work environment can generate losses, the risks identified through the inspections must be recorded on forms to sort through and correct them.
WHAT TO IDENTIFY THE IPS? From the source identified the following: unnecessary losses, injuries, loss of energy, environmental pollution, property damage, space misused, defective tools and equipment.
COMMENTS WORK PLAN Objectives: To identify substandard and dangerous situations acts arising primarily of human behavior, determine specific needs and effectiveness of training and training of the person, check the necessity, appropriateness or deficiencies of work procedures, Correct “in situ “immediately and convinced substandard situations and events, recognize and reinforce habits of effective and safe behaviors, which are included or not in work procedures.
ANALYSIS AND SAFE WORK PROCEDURES: Objectives: To consider and evaluate the most important aspects of a particular job, define the most efficient and safest way to perform a specific job.
Background: All aspects of the total work are interrelated and interdependent, optimum performance at work requires more efficient use of people, equipment, materials and environment, to achieve efficiency is absolutely necessary to integrate the above in all the procedures .