October 22, 2012 | Vol. 20

feature story
Reducing Risk and Protecting People with 2011 ANSI Z535 Standards
by Geoffrey Peckham, Chair of ANSI Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) Z535

The ANSI Z535 standards are the principle standards in the U.S. for the development of safety signs, labels, and tags, and for formatting safety information in manuals. Safety professionals who are responsible for protecting people (either on-premises or using products) should consider purchasing a full set of the ANSI Z535 standards and using them to their fullest extent to reduce risk.

These standards were revised in the last quarter of 2011 and their newest versions do a great job of setting forth a national system for safety communication in ways that are in synch with modern day risk assessment methodologies. Through their use, companies, industries, and the country as a whole will benefit from improved safety communication. The six standards that make up the series are:

• ANSI Z535.1-2011 Standard for Safety Colors
• ANSI Z535.2-2011 Standard for Environmental and Facility Safety Signs
• ANSI Z535.3-2011 Standard for Criteria for Safety Symbols
• ANSI Z535.4-2011 Standard for Product Safety Signs and Labels
• ANSI Z535.5-2011 Standard for Temporary Safety Tags and Barricade Tapes
• ANSI Z535.6-2011 Standard for Safety Information in Product Manuals and Other Collateral Material

ANSI Z535 standards clearly articulate a national uniform system for communicating safety. In the 2011 version, all six standards share common language to define terms, design elements, and design principles.

In the U.S., ANSI Z535.2 applies to nearly all safety signs installed inside and outside facilities and on fences, walls, and posts in public and private venues; ANSI Z535.4 to most safety labels found on commercial, industrial, and consumer products; and ANSI Z535.5 to all safety tags. When these three standards are combined, they set forth a single systematic approach to communicating safety that covers the vast majority of visual safety communication that takes place in this country.

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NEMAvoice
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Systems Approach: Simplifying Complexity
In document AC/37/2006, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) announced that it intended to implement the systems approach for developing standards within its scope.
—National Electrical Manufacturers Association

Benefits of SMART Signal System
Developed by researchers led by civil engineering associate professor Henry Liu at the University of Minnesota, the SMART Signal (Systematic Monitoring of Arterial Road Traffic Signals) system is said to be reducing congestion on roads controlled by traffic lights.
—ITS International

SAE International Releases New Fast-Charging "Combo: Coupler Standard (SAE J1772) for Plug-In Electric and Electric Vehicles
SAE International’s much-anticipated technical standard for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and electric vehicles (EV) has been approved and published. Developed in a consensus environment by more than 190 global experts representing automotive, charging equipment, utilities industries and national labs, "J1772™: SAE Electric Vehicle and Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Conductive Charge Couple" enable charging time to be reduced from as long as eight hours to as short as 20 minutes.
—SAE International

FERC Proposes Enhancements to Reliability of Bulk Power System
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) took steps to ensure continued reliable operation of the nation's bulk power system by proposing to approve a revised vegetation management standard and to require new standards addressing the impacts of a geomagnetic disturbance (GMD).
—Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Workshop: Doing Business with the Inter-American Development Bank
Date: November 13, 2012
Location: IDB Headquarters, Washington, DC
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Each year, IDB-financed projects administered by public-sector agencies in Latin America and the Caribbean generate up to 20,000 contracts for goods, works and services.
—U.S. Department of Commerce

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