Wear a face shield sign (M013)
A blue circle with a white head behind a clear visor means a face shield must be worn where the sign is posted. It is sign M013 in ISO 7010.
Easily confused with
How to read it
ISO 7010 registers M013 as “Wear a face shield”, one of ISO 3864-1’s mandatory action signs. Great Britain’s Safety Signs and Signals Regulations 1996 have “Face protection must be worn”, which HSE’s guidance also uses as its example of the wording that goes with a mandatory sign. The University of Houston’s safety office describes face shields as designed against projectiles, splashes or both, used where no contact with the skin, eyes, nose or mouth is wanted and vapour or gas exposure is not a concern.
Also searched as: face protection must be worn, face protection sign, face shield symbol, M013, visor symbol.
These explain what each sign means and which standard sets it. What to do in a laboratory is set by the lab’s own rules, signs and trained staff; for a chemical, refer to its label and safety data sheet.
Face shield or eye protection
The two signs are often posted together, and they are different requirements. M004 shows goggles over the eyes; M013 shows a visor in front of the whole face. The CDC’s training on biosafety levels calls a face shield a device that shields the wearer’s face and eyes from splashing, spraying or splattering of infectious materials.
Look-alikes
M019, “Wear a welding mask”, also covers the face. A head wearing a respirator is M017, respiratory protection.
Read next
- Next in Lab safety symbolsWear respiratory protection sign (M017)A blue circle with a white head wearing a respirator means respiratory protection must be worn where the sign is posted. It is sign M017 in ISO 7010.
- The same shape in Accessibility symbolsAccessible Icon (dynamic wheelchair symbol)A wheelchair symbol with the figure leaning forward and an arm swept back on the wheel, from the Accessible Icon Project. It marks the same accessible places as the International Symbol of Access; the project put it in the public domain.
More lab safety symbols
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with circles or curves and waves.
Sources
- ISO 3864-1:2011, Graphical symbols — Safety colours and safety signs — Part 1: Design principles for safety signs and safety markings (preview), ISO 3864-1:2011, International Organization for Standardization, preview via iTeh Standards, 3.5, Table 1, 6.3
- ISO 7010:2011, Graphical symbols — Safety colours and safety signs — Registered safety signs (preview), ISO 7010:2011, International Organization for Standardization, preview via iTeh Standards, Table 1
- The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996, Schedule 1, SI 1996/341, legislation.gov.uk (UK Government), Part II, 3.3
- Safety signs and signals: The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996, Guidance on Regulations, L64 (third edition, 2015), Health and Safety Executive (Great Britain), paragraph 46
- Laboratory Doorsigns, University of Houston Environmental Health and Safety, Personal Protective Equipment
- Recognizing the Biosafety Levels (Quick Learn), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Glossary: Face Shields
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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