Visual hazard communication: Essential signage for chemical storage areas

The margin for error in an industrial facility is razor-thin, and the consequence for hazardous chemicals storage is vast. Safety around these zones is always about having the proper equipment and protocols, certainly, but also about communication.

Visual hazard communication includes the likes of signs, labels, and color codes – they help warn workers of invisible dangers long before they consider opening it.

Effective signage helps identify what’s inside a bottle or behind a door, but it also creates a culture of awareness. Getting the details right on these visuals is more complex than it sounds. Ensuring every container and storage area is clearly marked is a legal necessity. You can find more info on the specific signage required at Seton, your partner in chemical safety.

The psychology of language

To know why viscom is so important, we must understand how the human brain processes information – particularly during stress, because cognitive processing slows down. Reading lengthy text requires more mental effort than you would expect – it’s off the table when panic sets in due to a spill.

Visuals bypass the language parts of the brain, and so a bright red diamond or a skull and crossbones triggers a much more immediate and primal recognition. It needs to be stark at a glance.

The global harmonised system (GHS)

Chemical safety used to be a mish-mash of national regulations – it often led to dangerous confusion when products were shipped to an area using different standards. This changed with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). It was an international standard that introduced a unified framework for classifying hazards and how we must communicate them. Though, regulations are ongoing.

GHS uses pictograms: Red diamonds on a white background with a black symbol inside. These are not open to interpretation. For instance, GHS toxic hazard signs uses the skull and crossbones symbol to denote acute toxicity. Seeing this symbol makes it obvious that it’s toxic – perhaps even fatal – if consumed, inhaled, or touched.

Critical components of effective labels

Pictograms get attention, but the rest of the label provides the narrative. A compliant label on a chemical container is a structured document – it must include:

Signal words: Two options here: “Danger” (for more severe hazards) and “Warning” (for less severe hazards). This is a quick way to set the tone for the risk level.
Hazard statements: These are standardized phrases which are assigned to a hazard class and category that describes the nature of the hazard, like “Highly flammable liquid and vapor.
Precautionary statements: Measures to minimize or prevent adverse effects, such as “Keep away from heat/sparks/open flames”.

Chemical storage warning labels must also be durable, else they’ll become ineffective over time. Sun exposure fading or peeling off due to humidity is no better than having no label. While it sounds obvious, it’s often forgotten, but storage managers should make sure that labels are resistant to the very chemicals they are identifying – a solvent tank with a label that dissolves upon contact with solvents is a clear failure.

Decoding common hazard pictograms

There’s more than just the toxic skull and crossbones, but a full suite of symbols.

The Flame: Used for flammables, pyrophorics, self-heating substances and even organic peroxides. It’s the most common sign in fuel storage areas.
The Corrosion: Depicting test tubes spilling onto a hand and a surface, this is a clear indication that it causes skin burns or eye damage, but also that it’s corrosive to metals.
The Exclamation Mark: This is a lower-level warning used more for skin and eye irritants, skin sensitizers, or narcotic effects. It often says “warning” under it.
The Exploding Bomb: Explosives, self-reactives and organic peroxides.
The Health Hazard: Indicates serious long-term health hazards such as carcinogenicity or reproductive toxicity.

Best practices for placement and maintenance

Having the right signs is actually only half the battle – if nobody can spot them properly, they’re immediately ineffective. In a chemical storage room, signage should follow a hierarchy of information.

Large signs should be placed on the exterior doors to warn anyone before entering. Inside, chemical storage warning labels should then be put on individual shelves and cabinets. The Golden Zone, which is the area between eye level and waist height, is precisely where the most important information should be.

Lighting is also important. A warning sign in a dimly lit corner of a warehouse is no good. Signs should be produced with reflective material, otherwise they need to be directly illuminated. A maintenance schedule should then be established so that signs are inspected regularly for their clarity.

Visual communication must be an ongoing endeavour. GHS toxic hazard signs should be taught during onboarding, and regular tests to make sure workers are away of all symbolism. When every container is marked and every employee understands the code, the workplace becomes a much safer place.