15 July 2004 - Survey Shows Public Safety Signs Are Confusing
A recent survey commissioned by the Health and Safety Sign Association (HSSA) has shown that shoppers in the UK do not understand the meaning of life-saving escape exit signs posted in buildings and public places and also find them confusing.
Allan Asher, Chairman of the Consumer Policy Committee of the British Standards Institution (BSI), commented:
“A worrying number of people don’t understand the meaning of warning signs that are meant to help. The potential consequences of not understanding a fire escape symbol over a normal exit sign could be grave.”
Mr Asher also pointed out that the survey has shown that there are other, potentially catastrophic findings such as the fact that only one in five consumers understanding the biological hazard warning sign.
The BSI and HSSA have offered these tips in relation to health and safety signs:
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UK legislation requires every employer to ensure employees understand the meaning of signs and actions to be taken in conjunction with signs
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Signs should be standardised and tested
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If the relevant testing shows low comprehension, the sign should not be used
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Applying graphical symbols that are not standardised and have not been tested in accordance with the required standards, so that comprehension credentials are known, is negligent
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It is for architects, building and estates managers and fire and safety enforcement agencies to promote the standard to meet legislation and ensure consumers are not at risk
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Confusion is caused specifically when graphical symbols are used without explanatory supplementary text
Further information about the survey by Dr Jeremy Foster - The Comprehensibility Testing can be found on the HSSA web site by clicking here.
