1910.145(f): Accident Prevention Tags

(f) Accident prevention tags — 69 citations

(1) Scope and application.

(i) This paragraph (f) applies to all accident prevention tags used to identify hazardous conditions and provide a message to employees with respect to hazardous conditions as set forth in paragraph (f)(3) of this section, or to meet the specific tagging requirements of other OSHA standards.

(ii) This paragraph (f) does not apply to construction or agriculture.

(2) Definitions. Biological hazard or BIOHAZARD means those infectious agents presenting a risk of death, injury or illness to employees.

Major message means that portion of a tag's inscription that is more specific than the signal word and that indicates the specific hazardous condition or the instruction to be communicated to the employee. Examples include: “High Voltage,” “Close Clearance,” “Do Not Start,” or “Do Not Use” or a corresponding pictograph used with a written text or alone.

Pictograph means a pictorial representation used to identify a hazardous condition or to convey a safety instruction.

Signal word means that portion of a tag's inscription that contains the word or words that are intended to capture the employee's immediate attention.

Tag means a device usually made of card, paper, pasteboard, plastic or other material used to identify a hazardous condition.

(3) Use. Tags shall be 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. Tags shall be used until such time as the identified hazard is eliminated or the hazardous operation is completed. Tags need not be used where signs, guarding or other positive means of protection are being used. Open (f)(3) 45 citations

(4) General tag criteria. All required tags shall meet the following criteria: 6 citations

(i) Tags shall contain a signal word and a major message.

(A) The signal word shall be either “Danger,” “Caution,” or “Biological Hazard,” “BIOHAZARD,” or the biological hazard symbol.

(B) The major message shall indicate the specific hazardous condition or the instruction to be communicated to the employee.

(ii) The signal word shall be readable at a minimum distance of five feet (1.52 m) or such greater distance as warranted by the hazard. 1 citations

(iii) The tag's major message shall be presented in either pictographs, written text or both.

(iv) The signal word and the major message shall be understandable to all employees who may be exposed to the identified hazard. 3 citations

(v) All employees shall be informed as to the meaning of the various tags used throughout the workplace and what special precautions are necessary. 1 citations

(vi) Tags shall be affixed 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.

(5) Danger tags. Danger tags shall be used in major hazard situations where an immediate hazard presents a threat of death or serious injury to employees. Danger tags shall be used only in these situations. Open (f)(5) 12 citations

(6) Caution tags. Caution tags shall be used in minor hazard situations where a non-immediate or potential hazard or unsafe practice presents a lesser threat of employee injury. Caution tags shall be used only in these situations. 3 citations

(7) Warning tags. Warning tags may be used to represent a hazard level between “Caution” and “Danger,” instead of the required “Caution” tag, provided that they have a signal word of “Warning,” an appropriate major message, and otherwise meet the general tag criteria of paragraph (f)(4) of this section. 3 citations

(8) Biological hazard tags.

(i) Biological hazard tags shall be used to identify the actual or potential presence of a biological hazard and to identify equipment, containers, rooms, experimental animals, or combinations thereof, that contain or are contaminated with hazardous biological agents.

(ii) The symbol design for biological hazard tags shall conform to the design shown below:

(9) Other tags. Other tags may be used in addition to those required by this paragraph (f), or in other situations where this paragraph (f) does not require tags, provided that they do not detract from the impact or visibility of the signal word and major message of any required tag.

While the standard does not specifically mandate colors to be used on accident prevention tags, the following color scheme is recommended by OSHA for meeting the requirements of this section:

“DANGER”—Red, or predominantly red, with lettering or symbols in a contrasting color.

“CAUTION”—Yellow, or predominantly yellow, with lettering or symbols in a contrasting color.

“WARNING”—Orange, or predominantly orange, with lettering or symbols in a contrasting color.

“BIOLOGICAL HAZARD”—Fluorescent orange or orange-red, or predominantly so, with lettering or symbols in a contrasting color.

The following references provide information which can be helpful in understanding the requirements contained in various sections of the standard:

1. Bresnahan, Thomas F., and Bryk, Joseph, “The Hazard Association Values of Accident Prevention Signs”, Journal of American Society of Safety Engineers; January 1975.

2. Dreyfuss, H., Symbol Sourcebook, McGraw Hill; New York, NY, 1972.

3. Glass, R.A. and others, Some Criteria for Colors and Signs in Workplaces, National Bureau of Standards, Washington DC, 1983.

4. Graphic Symbols for Public Areas and Occupational Environments, Treasury Board of Canada, Ottawa, Canada, July 1980.

5. Howett, G.L., Size of Letters Required for Visibility as a Function of Viewing Distance and Observer Acuity, National Bureau of Standards, Washington DC, July 1983.

6. Lerner, N.D. and Collins, B.L., The Assessment of Safety Symbol Understandability by Different Testing Methods, National Bureau of Standards, Washington DC, 1980.

7. Lerner, N.D. and Collins, B.L., Workplace Safety Symbols, National Bureau of Standards, Washington DC, 1980.

8. Modley, R. and Meyers, W.R., Handbook of Pictorial Symbols, Dover Publication, New York, NY, 1976.

9. Product Safety Signs and Labels, FMC Corporation, Santa Clara, CA, 1978.

10. Safety Color Coding for Marking Physical Hazards, Z53.1, American National Standards Institute, New York, NY, 1979.

11. Signs and Symbols for the Occupational Environment, Can. 3-Z-321-77, Canadian Standards Association, Ottawa, September 1977.

12. Symbols for Industrial Safety, National Bureau of Standards, Washington DC, April 1982.

13. Symbol Signs, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington DC, November 1974.

[39 FR 23502, June 27, 1974, as amended at 43 FR 49749, Oct. 24, 1978; 43 FR 51759, Nov. 7, 1978; 49 FR 5322, Feb. 10, 1984; 51 FR 33260, Sept. 19, 1986; 61 FR 9239, Mar. 7, 1996; 76 FR 24698, May 2, 2011; 76 FR 44265, July 25, 2011; 78 FR 35566, June 13, 2013]