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What Safety Sign Design to Choose?

ANSI

Traditional OSHA

Prevalence of designs

10% of market

90% of Market

Common uses

Utility warnings
Equipment Warning Labels
PPE notices

General use

Advantages

Area for detailed or bilingual messages
Clear consequence and hazard avoidance statements

Most common, familiar, and tested system
Short headers are quickly understood
Large library of stock designs.

Disadvantages

Overuse of warning headers
Too often designed by lawyers
Reliance on untested symbols

Overuse of danger headers
Lower legibility for complex warnings.

Custom ANSI Signs Custom Traditional OSHA Signs

Many different safety sign systems continue to coexist, but the design principles remain the same. Click on our OSHA or ANSI guides to learn how to design an effective safety sign.

Will the revised OSHA signs save lives?

OSHA standards are changing to permit signs designed according to ANSI Z535 standards. Learn about when to use traditional or ANSI safety designs — and why the traditional signs still dominate the market.

Safety Sign Tips