Signs, tags, and markings

Scope

Under 29 CFR 1910.144, OSHA calls for general industry employers to apply the safety colors red or yellow to certain physical hazards listed in that regulation.

If failure to designate specific hazards in general industry may lead to accidental injury to employees or the public, or both, or to property damage, then signs or symbols are required under 29 CFR 1910.145 to indicate and, insofar as possible, to define those hazards. However, these requirements do not apply to street/highway/railroad signs, news releases, in-house safety posters, or bulletins.

Also under 1910.145, OSHA says that tags must be used as a means to prevent accidental injury or illness to general industry employees who are exposed to hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions, equipment, or operations which are out of the ordinary, unexpected, or not readily apparent. Tags must be used until such time as the identified hazard is eliminated or the hazardous operation is completed. However, tags need not be used where signs, guarding, or other positive means of protection are being used.

Other provisions under 29 CFR 1910 have further requirements for safety signs, labels, tags, and other markings. Whether they apply to you depends if you fall under the scope and applicability of the specific regulation and the marking requirement itself.

Regulatory citations

• 29 CFR 1910.144 — Safety color code for marking physical hazards
• 29 CFR 1910.145 — Specifications for accident prevention signs and tags

Note: Numerous regulations within 29 CFR 1910 also have marking requirements for specific situations.

Key definitions

• Floor marking: A marking method whereby slip-resistant paint, tape, or other coating media is applied to, adhered to, or integral with the floor in a solid color, angled bars of alternating color, a checkerboard of alternating color, a geometric combination of colors, or a photoluminescent application.
• Label: Any written, printed, or graphic material displayed on or affixed to equipment, a container, or other item. Labels are not intended to be either the sole, or the most complete, source of information regarding the nature or identity of the item.
• Marking: This section uses the term “marking” to refer to all signs, labels, tags, placards, and specific markings. However, a marking is also a Department of Transportation term that refers to identification text printed on or affixed to the surface of a package or on a label, tag, or sign.
• Placard: A Department of Transportation term that refers to a rather large diamond-shaped “sign” used on the outside of a transport vehicle to identify the hazard name, class, and illustration of the hazardous material being transported.
• Sign: a surface prepared for the warning of, or safety instructions of, industrial employees or members of the public who may be exposed to hazards. Signs do not include news releases, displays commonly known as safety posters, and bulletins used for employee education.
• Tag: Cards, papers, pasteboard, plastic, or other material to identify a hazardous condition. Tags are used as a means to prevent accidental injury or illness to employees who are exposed to hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions, equipment, or operations which are out of the ordinary, unexpected, or not readily apparent.

Summary of requirements

Employers must:

• Use appropriate safety colors for identification of equipment and hazards per 1910.144 and other OSHA regulations.
• Ensure emergency stop bars and buttons on hazardous machines are red.
• Ensure yellow is used for designating caution and for marking physical hazards such as striking against, stumbling, falling, tripping, and “caught in between.”
• Follow OSHA specifications for accident prevention signs and tags. This includes, but is not limited to:
  • Using the proper signal word and color scheme;
  • Using signs furnished with rounded or blunt corners and free from sharp edges, burrs, splinters, or other sharp projections;
  • Ensuring the wording of any sign is easily read and concise, contains sufficient information to be easily understood, is accurate in fact, and makes a positive, rather than negative, suggestion;
  • Affixing tags as close as safely possible to their respective hazards by a positive means, such as string, wire, or adhesive that prevents their loss or unintentional removal; and
  • Removing tags once the identified hazard is eliminated or the hazardous operation is completed.
• Instruct employees in recognizing accident prevention signs and tags and the appropriate action to take regarding those signs and tags.
• Appropriately mark permanent aisles and passageways, in accordance with 1910.176(a), as well as any applicable state or local fire and building codes.
• Identify and follow any other applicable sign, label, tag, placard, or marking requirements in 29 CFR 1910.