The issue of signage in industrial, commercial, and business establishments continues to be a significant issue for SH&E professionals. This session will discuss appropriate signage uses and review the ANSI Z535 Standards as a guide to more effective signage management.
A few prefacing remarks are offered to redirect somewhat this sessions description beginning with reversing the title of the session to "A GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE SIGNAGE: "Using the ANSI Z535 (or not using)". The first objective of this paper is to describe effective signage and measure it against the Z535 Standards principally the Z535.2 and Z535.4 sign standards (Ref. 2 and 4). When a Preface is used, it usually means the author has a soundly reasoned rationale and justification to present his biases and even prejudices. While the author may be critical of some aspects of the Z535 standards the critique is offered to address questions you may have to apply its requirements in the real world as well as discussing the standards strengths and any gaps or shortfalls in its coverages. However, balance will be the objective of the paper wherever the facts take us.
From my favorite comedic author of mysteries, DONALD WESTLAKE., let me cite, a conversation in his Bad News (Ref. 20): "The signage stinks", Kelp said. Dortmunder looked at Kelp's profile, gleaming like a Halloween mask in the dashboard light. "Signage" he said. "Is that a word?" "Not for those pitiful markers they had back there", Kelp said". My objective then is a hope that this presentation leads to the selection of the best signage for each of you and there will be no Dortmunder in your future.
To obtain ultimate perspective as there is going to be historical references cited aplenty let's begin with the very first warning… in the Book of Genesis: Chapter 11/verses 16 and 17:
"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for on the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die".
The Good Lord knew how - without an attorney- to set forth a warning as it:
identified the hazard
specified means for avoidance
described the consequences if not heeded
And of course Adam and Eve promptly ignored the warning which brings us here today to try to modify human behavior for the preservation of the species though effective visual clues of signs, labels, and markings.
An issue of essential importance in sign warning development is the need for universal criteria, more commonly known as standardization.
