Do This, Don t Do That! Can t You Read the Sign? PRESENTED BY: RON WILKINS SENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL, HEALTH & SAFETY COMPLIANCE MANAGER RSR CORPORATION DALLAS TEXAS AHMP NATIONAL CONFERENCE SEPTEMBER 1, 2015 SCOTTSDALE, AZ DTDDT, CYRTS? What makes a good sign particularly from a safety perspective? What leads people to heed or ignore the information /warning? 01 Signs.m4a Got Me Thinking DTDDT, CYRTS? GHS training December 2012 Let s go way back What is the original warning sign? Ossuaries stacked skulls and bones in this manner since the Middle Ages Now universally recognized as a symbol of death/grave hazard Which is More Effective? If None of These Work - WARN 1
Safety as Advertisement Safety as Advertisement Safety signs - advertisements for safe behavior Must be tailored for effectiveness to each situation Sign designers should utilize a wide range of tools and designs to help prevent accidents Slogans Repetition Photos/Graphics Humor Taking into account the audience their training/experience urgency of the hazard Pretty clear what the hazard is. What is Advertising? What Makes an Effective Sign? advertising [...] makes you spend money you haven't got for things you don't want. Will Rogers as Hank Martin in A Connecticut Yankee (1931) Substitute the phrase time and effort for money Advertising Campaign Management (Ali Kanso UTSA) Conduct a Situation Analysis Identify Problems and Opportunities Establish Short and Long Term Objectives Determine Budget Develop Creative Strategy Create Message Select Appropriate Media Measure the Outcome Notice Salience, Proximity signal word to attract attention identification of the hazard, explanation of consequences if exposed to hazard, directives for avoiding the hazard. Communication Human Information Processing What Makes an Effective Sign? Visible Notice Brief Accurate Comprehensible 2
?Question? One Solution If a hazard sign is posted, and no-one is there to read it, does it still get ignored? or, No Sign at All The Regulators Get Involved OSHA has specific marking requirements for physical hazards in 29 CFR 1910.144: Red shall be the basic color used to mark: Fire protection equipment and apparatus Danger including safety cans or other portable containers of flammable liquids, excluding shipping containers. These shall be painted red with some additional clearly visible identification either in the form of a yellow band around the can or the name of the contents conspicuously stenciled or painted on the can (can should also be labeled in accordance with 1910.1200, Hazardous Communication /Global Harmonized System) Stop, emergency stop bars, hazardous machines, stop buttons and other electrical switches used for emergency stopping Yellow shall be the basic color for designating caution and for marking physical hazards, such as striking against, stumbling, falling and getting caught in-between ANSI Sign size - The wording on any safety sign should be concise and easy to read. The size of the lettering must be as large as possible for the intended viewing distance. Minimum letter height for the signal word (danger, caution, notice, etc.) shall be one unit of height for every 150 units of safe viewing distance. Minimum letter height for other words on the sign shall be one unit of height for every 300 units of safe viewing distance (ANSI Z535.2-2011). The Regulators Get Involved ANSI standards for safety color coding are: Safety red identifies danger and stop. Safety orange identifies dangerous parts of machines or energized equipment. Safety yellow designates caution. Solid yellow, yellow and black stripes, or yellow and black checkers must be used for maximum contrast with the particular background. Safety green designates safety, emergency egress, and the location of first aid and safety equipment. Safety blue identifies safety information used on informational signs and bulletin boards. Safety purple is not yet assigned Safety gray is not yet assigned. Safety black, safety white, safety yellow or combinations of safety black with safety white or safety yellow are used to designate traffic or housekeeping markings. 3
Guess This Sign Designer Didn t Read ANSI International Standards Organization In event of fire, do not use elevator Refer to instruction manual Selfie Safety The Regulators Get Involved OSHA has three classifications of signs: Danger signs Indicate immediate danger and that special precautions are necessary. OSHA also specifies that the red, black and white colors used for Danger signs be in accordance with ANSI Z53.1-1967. Caution signs Warn against potential hazards or caution against unsafe practices. OSHA specifies that the standard color for Caution signs shall have a yellow background black panel and yellow letters. All letters used against the yellow background shall be black. The colors must be in accordance with ANSI Z53.1-1967. Safety instruction signs Used where there is a need for general instructions and suggestions relative to safety measures. OSHA specifies that the standard color for Safety Instruction signs shall be a white background, green panel and white letters. Any letters used on the white background shall be black. The colors must be in accordance with ANSI Z53.1-1967. Notice Notice Do you see it? 4
Traffic Signs Huh?? TMI!!!!! Who would have thought? Viewer does a cost-benefit analysis cost of compliance, perception of danger level and personal and social and cultural decision-making factors. 5
All elements of the cost-benefit analysis are psychological. Perceived risk, perceived hazard, perceived control and perceived norms that matter, not actual ones. Familiarization Dilution Appearance (size, color, location) Specificity Risk taking High cost of compliance Underestimate danger Partial Compliance (Control Perception) I can control risk by behaving safely I know this process Social Factors No one else heeds the warning Culture Many of the people who design warnings are engineers - not so likely to consider mental models or psychological concepts. That's one reason that much of the warning research is so concerned with physical factors such as warning color, shape, wording and less with goals and motivation. Remember all the rules on signs from ANSI, OSHA, ISO? Conclusion Signs Your Going Nowhere There is much more to creating effective warnings than choosing the right color, size, location and font or even the right message. Understand what the viewer is trying to achieve and how the warning affects attainment t of his/her goal. The designer must consider the cost-benefit calculations that the viewer is likely to perform. Must consider the viewer's experience and knowledge and how s/he fits into the social world. 6