Symbols (Graphical)

Graphical symbols  

If a picture is worth a thousand words, it is also open to a thousand interpretations. That may be acceptable where art is concerned, but when a graphical symbol intended to convey, for example, safety-related information does not get the right message across, then the consequences can turn out serious.

ISO/TC 145 deals with the problem. Amongst others it has developed ISO 9186, Graphical symbols - Test methods for judged comprehensibility and for comprehension which proposes a protocol consisting of two tests: a comprehensibility judgement test and a comprehension test. This method can be used to determine which symbols are best suited to effectively communicate the intended message.

ISO 7010, Graphical symbols - Safety colours and safety signs - Safety signs used in workplaces and public areas, provides a method of communicating safety information through a collection of signs designed for use in any workplace, location and sector where safety-related questions may be posed.

• ISO 14617 Graphical Symbols for diagrams on CD-ROM

• ISO 7000 Graphical Symbols for use on equipment on DVD

Water and beach safety flags

Summer time very often rhymes with time spent on the beach or in aquatic parks and playgrounds, but, whether it is the sea, the lake or the pool, the aquatic environment can be risky, particularly when climatic or water conditions are unfavourable.

Water safety signs and flags can therefore be an invaluable aid in bringing people's attention to hazards and indicating where safety aids or lifeguards are available. Naturally, these flags and signs must be understandable to all and the continued growth in international trade, travel and mobility requires a common method of communicating safety information at an international level.

With an internationally harmonized approach, the three-part standard ISO 20712 on water safety signs and beach safety flags answers the need to standardize a system for giving safety information related to aquatic activity that relies as little as possible on the use of words to achieve understanding. It consists of the following parts:

• ISO 20712-1:2008, Water safety signs and beach safety flags – Specifications for water safety signs used in workplaces and public areas
• ISO 20712-2:2007, Water safety signs and beach safety flags – Specifications for beach safety flags – Colour, shape, meaning and performance
• ISO 20712-3:2008, Water safety signs and beach safety flags – Guidance for use

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