ISO 24409-1
Design principles for shipboard safety signs, fire control plan signs, safety notices and safety markings
Mandatory signs for required actions aboard ship
Marine mandatory signs state the action required at an entrance, workstation or item of equipment, from protective equipment to keeping a door closed.
Personal protective equipment signs
The instruction belongs where someone needs to act on it.
Eye protection, hearing protection, protective footwear and other PPE messages relate to the work being carried out. At an entrance, the sign gives the instruction before a person steps into the area. At a workstation, it addresses the task performed there.
This distinction is useful in workshops and machinery spaces that contain several activities. A general entrance notice and a task-specific instruction do not always need the same wording.
Door, hatch and access instructions
Mandatory messages also address everyday shipboard arrangements. Door and hatch notices can state when an opening must remain closed or when access must be kept clear.
The wording needs to reflect the actual operating condition. An instruction that applies at sea may differ from one used during loading or maintenance. A clear message names the action and, where relevant, the condition under which it applies.
Short instructions at the point of use
Handwashing reminders, handrail instructions and reporting notices each have a practical location. The message is most useful where the action can be carried out, such as beside a wash station or before a stairway.
Warning signs can explain the associated hazard, while training material provides a fuller account of the task. The mandatory sign keeps the immediate instruction visible.
Standards
What each standard covers here
ISO 24409-1 covers how shipboard signs are designed; ISO 24409-3 covers where they belong and how they are used together.
ISO 24409-3
Code of practice: where signs belong on board and how they are used together
Asking for a quote
What to tell us about the instruction
- The action required, and whether it applies to the whole area or to one task within it.
- Whether the sign goes at an entrance or at the workstation where the action is carried out.
- Any condition attached to it, such as an instruction that applies at sea but not during loading.
- Rigid plastic or self-adhesive vinyl: the first takes screws, adhesive pads or a hanger, the second goes straight onto a clean, dry surface.
- The size, whether the position needs a photoluminescent face, and the language.
Questions
Mandatory signs, answered
What does the Mandatory range cover?
Signs stating a required action: personal protective equipment such as eye protection, hearing protection, protective footwear and safety harness; door, hatch and access instructions; and short practical instructions at the point of use, including handwashing notices for food handling areas.
Entrance or workstation?
Both, and usually not with the same wording. At an entrance the sign gives the instruction before a person steps into the area. At a workstation it addresses the task performed there. The distinction is worth making in workshops and machinery spaces that contain several activities.
Which standards apply?
ISO 24409-1 covers how a shipboard mandatory sign is designed and ISO 24409-3 covers where it belongs and how it is used together with warnings and prohibitions.
How specific should the wording be?
Specific enough to name the action, and where relevant the condition under which it applies. An instruction that a hatch must remain closed at sea says something different from one that applies during maintenance, and the difference is the part a reader needs.
Can DENFOIL be bought directly?
No. DENFOIL is supplied through distributors, who quote the specification and handle the order.
Local distribution
Specifying mandatory signage for a vessel
Tell us which actions apply and where people need to read them. A distributor quotes the specification.