Ready-To-Ship and Custom Printed Warning Labels & Safety Labels

Workplace Safety Labels & Warning Labels
Stay in compliance and avoid accidents with safety labels in the workplace. Suitable for any work environment, workplace safety labels can be hung in offices, garages, workshops and break rooms. Protect your employees when they are on the job with ready-to-ship and custom printed warning and safety labels.

Typical Layout and Features Of Warning Labels & Safety Labels

	Product Safety Sticker or Label: Sticker, label, or decal affixed to a product or devices that provides hazard and safety information about that product, device or immediate area.
	Panel: Area of label having a distinctive background color different from adjacent areas, or which is clearly delineated by a line, border, or margin. There may be up to three panels per label: Signal Word, Symbol (optional), Message.
	Message Panel: Area containing word messages which identify the hazard, indicate how to avoid the hazard, and advise of the probable consequence of not avoiding the hazard.
	Signal Word Panel: Area that contains the signal word. For personal injury hazards, the signal word panel also contains the safety alert symbol.
	Symbol/Pictorial Panel: Optional area containing symbol/pictorial

Safety Alert Symbols Safety Alert Symbol: An equilateral triangle surrounding an exclamation mark, it indicates a potential personal injury hazard. Should NOT be used to alert persons to property-damage-only accidents.

	Signal Words Signal words call attention to the safety label and designates a degree or level of hazard seriousness:
	Danger: Indicates an imminently hazardous situation which, if not avoided, will result in death or serious injury. This signal word is to be limited to the most extreme situations. COLOR: Use Fireball Red (485). White lettering on red background.
	Warning: Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in death or serious injury. COLOR: Use Safety Orange (152). Black lettering on orange background.
	Caution: Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, may result in minor or moderate injury. It may also be used to alert against unsafe practices. COLOR: Use Process Yellow (106). Black lettering on yellow background.

Symbol/Pictorial
(Optional) Graphic representation intended to convey a message without the use of words. It may represent a hazard, a hazardous situation, a precaution to avoid a hazard, a result of not avoiding a hazard, or any combination of these messages. (See ANSI Z535.3-1998, also available from NEMA or Global Engineering Documents.)

Word Message
Word message should be concise and readily understood. Multiple messages should have enough space between them so that they do not visually blend together. See Fonts section for size and style of font.

Safety & Warning Label Layout and Design

Warning and safety labels may be horizontal or vertical, and may incorporate two or three panels (Signal, Word Message, and optional symbol/Pictorial). All of the layouts shown are acceptable. Actual size, layout, and proportion of panels may vary depending on application requirements.

Typical Layouts and Designs Of Warning Labels & Safety Labels

Safety & Warning Label Fonts & Colors

Label Fonts
Font Styles: Font Styles: Signal words must be in all uppercase sans serif font. Message panel should be a combination of capitals and lowercase letters (clc), also using a sans serif font. A serif font may be used for longer text, andupper case only lettering may be used for short messages or emphasis of individual words. Sans serif fonts we recommend are Arial, Helvetica, Futura, and Univers. We also recommend that BOLD versions of these fonts be used.

Font Size: Although font size must be determined by legibility requirements of the particular application, the following guidelines establish minimum character heights for "Favorable" and "Unfavorable" conditions. The height of an uppercase "H" should be used to determine character height, and for practical purposes you can use a conversion of .01 inches for every point of type size. (e.g. use 12 point type for to achieve 0.12" character height.)

Label Colors
Safety color standards are specified in ANSI Z535.1-1998, Safety Color Code, also available from NEMA or GED.

Signal Word Panel:
DANGER: Word in white letters on safety red background. In quoting and specifying with us, use Fireball Red (485).
WARNING: Word in black letters on safety orange background. In quoting and specifying with us, use Safety Orange (152).
CAUTION:Word in black letters on safety yellow background. In quoting and specifying with us, use Process Yellow (106). Message Panel: Black lettering on white background OR white lettering on black background.

Symbol/Pictorial
Should normally be black on white background. Other colors may be used for emphasis or special situations, such as safety red for fire.

Safety & Warning Label Materials

The application and environment where the safety labels will be used should determine the substrate material to use.

The most common materials used in warning and safety labels are:

Standard 4 mil Vinyl - Gloss White or Clear: Inexpensive and has a 3-5 year outdoor vertical surface rating. Conforms to uneven or corrugated surfaces. For extra physical durability, add a 1 mil or 2 mil Gloss Polyester Over-Laminate (better for indoor applications), or for ultimate durability use LexSaver® 5 mil Velvet Lexan Over-Laminate. For extended UV protection use 1 mil Tedlar Over-Laminate (will extend 3-5 year resistance to fading; for example in outdoor, horizontal surface applications in very sunny areas.) For warning labels meant to be read through glass, use Clear Vinyl, and add white as a flood coat color.

Polyester 2 mil - Gloss White or Clear: Tougher than vinyl, and better suited to applications where the safety label will experience physical contact. Also for high temperature applications. For additional protection, add 1 or 2 mil Gloss Polyester Over-Laminate, or LexSaver® 5 mil Velvet Lexan Over-Laminate. For warning labels meant to be read through glass, use Clear Polyester, and add White as a flood coat color.

Reflective White 7.5 mil Vinyl: For highly visible, typically outdoor warning label applications. Reflects light, so will draw attention to itself in dark. 7 year outdoor vertical surface rating makes it one of our most long lived, durable vinyls. Add LexSaver® 5 mil Velvet Lexan Over-Laminate for super physical durability.

Lexan® 10 mil: For warning label applications requiring a premium, nameplate look, superior durability, or adhesion to highly textured surfaces. 10 mil clear Lexan®(polycarbonate) with a velvet finish on the top surface is subsurface printed (printed with mirror image) on the back side. A 2 mil or 5 mil adhesive (usually crystal clear adhesive; we use 2 mil 300LSE, 2 mil 467MP or 5 mil 468MP) is laminated over the printed back, and the safety label is cut from the Lexan. The warning decal printing is protected by the 10 mils of Lexan, and the velvet surface masks minor surface scratches keeping the ANSI Warning Label looking like new for years. Using Thick (5 mil) Adhesive (3M 468MP) facilitates adhesion to highly textured surfaces (Only use thick adhesive for that purpose. It will not increase bond, and maybe weaken it, when used on smooth surfaces.) 2 mil LSE is used for adhering your warning label to Low Surface Energy plastics. 2 mil 3M 467MP is our most common adhesive.

NOTE: When quoting a 10 mil subsurface printed Lexan® ANSI Warning Label: Select "Lexan 10 mil - clear" from Substrate Materials. Do not select an Over-Laminate. Select thin (2 mil) or thick (5 mil) adhesive (unless you have special needs and will be applying your own adhesive.) Select your colors, being sure to add white as background and for opacity behind the other safety decal colors.