What is ISO 11684:2023?
ISO 11684:2023 is an international standard that deals with safety signage for machines and equipment. It specifies how warning signs and safety signs should be designed and used to indicate potential hazards and support the safe use of machines. It is frequently used in agricultural, industrial, and mechanical engineering environments.
The aim of the standard is to present safety information in a clear, understandable, and, as far as possible, language-independent manner. This is intended to reduce the risk of misinterpretation and achieve a uniform level of safety.
What should a safety label according to ISO 11684:2023 look like?
The appearance, format, and content of safety labels are specified in ISO 11684:2023. The standard sets out requirements for the design of safety labels to ensure that safety information is presented clearly and consistently.
Standard formats for Safety Labels:
According to ISO 11684:2023, safety labels are differentiated into four formats:
- Two-panel safety label without text
- Two-panel safety label with text
- Three-panel safety label without text
- Three-panel safety label with text
The versions differ in terms of the number of information areas and the use of text to convey security information.
The most commonly used label among these is the two-panel safety label without text. (see illustration)
The two-panel safety label without text:
Two-panel safety signs without text are divided into two sections. The hazard description (1) and the hazard prevention (2) are each represented by corresponding pictograms, designed according to ISO 11684:2023. The standard precisely defines the appearance and size of the figures in the pictograms.
The colors are also precisely defined.
In addition to the design and symbols, ISO 11684:2023 also defines the colors used on safety labels. Signal colors are used for safety-related labeling, with color specifications defined in ISO 3864-4:2011. Standard-compliant implementation is based on precisely defined RAL colors to ensure clear and consistent visual perception.
The RAL colors used in this context include:
- RAL 3001 Signal Red
- RAL 1003 Signal Yellow
- RAL 9004 Signal Black