NEW - BS EN ISO 7010 Safety Sign Legislation

The creation of ISO 7010 meant major design changes to safety signs in recent years.

ISO 7010 was approved by CEN in June 2012 and became a European Normative in January 2013. This means it has been written into European Law and that the UK and other member states will also have to adopt this new safety sign legislation to meet with the BS EN ISO 7010 standards. BS5499-5:2002 has now been replaced with the new BS EN ISO 7010.

Health and Safety guidance recommends that the two different types of signs, BS 5499 and BS EN ISO 7010 should not be mixed in the workplace, so you may want to change your current signs in order to comply. When looking to purchase new signs, please ensure they meet with the new BS EN ISO 7010 standards.

As the UK’s leading sign manufacturer you can be assured that the safety signs we sell are compliant with BS EN ISO 7010.
ARE YOURS UP-TO-DATE?

What is ISO 7010?
ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) 7010 determines the shape, colour and graphical symbol required on safety signs. New common symbols or pictograms (“a symbol that represents a word, object or concept”) were introduced and tested throughout all European countries to ensure that they were easily understood and recognised across the EU.

Why was it implemented?
Due to the increased number of non-native speaking workers in each country, it was deemed that text based safety instructions were no longer sufficient. It also highlighted similar problems facing those with poor eyesight, reading difficulties and other disabilities - the danger to worker safety became even more apparent.

The answer was the creation of an international standard for safety signs using pictograms that could be easily understood by everyone, regardless of their language, culture or ability. Now a Hearing Protection safety sign will look exactly the same in any European country.

How does it affect me?
Since BS EN ISO 7010 applies to all workplaces, sectors and locations, with the exception of some very specialist signs used in guiding transport (i.e., rail, road, river, maritime and air traffic), any premises required to display safety signs will be affected. It is therefore best practice that the latest safety sign guidance is followed and symbols are updated.

The BSI will need to determine how this is interpreted within UK Law and, as the leading manufacturers and experts in safety signs; we will keep you fully updated with the latest information on BS EN ISO 7010.

How can I be sure my signs comply?
We updated all of our safety sign symbols in 2011 and now only manufacture signs that comply with BS EN ISO 7010.  As a Safetyshop customer you can be certain that any sign purchased from us will adhere to the requirements of the latest sign legislation.