Safe condition sign (green)

How to read it

ISO 3864-1 defines a safe condition sign as one that indicates “an evacuation route, the location of safety equipment or a safety facility, or a safety action”, and gives it a green square with a white symbol. ISO 7010 numbers these signs with an E: E001 and E002 are the emergency exit, left hand and right hand, E003 is the first-aid sign, E004 emergency telephone and E007 evacuation assembly point. Great Britain’s 1996 regulations list signs for the emergency exit or escape route, first-aid post, stretcher, safety shower, eyewash and emergency telephone, with green covering at least half the sign.

Also searched as: emergency exit sign, green safety sign, iso 7010 safe condition.

Exit signs in the United States

Most American exit signs spell out EXIT instead of showing the running figure, and most are red. OSHA’s construction rule calls for red letters at least 15 cm (6 inches) high on a white field. The National Fire Protection Association’s code requires contrast between the letters and the background, not a red colour, Slate reported in 2010, and New York City changed its fire code in 2006 to require the ISO pictogram on fire doors in high-rises.

Look-alikes

A red square with a white pictogram is a fire equipment sign, ISO 7010’s F category, for a fire extinguisher, fire hose reel or fire alarm call point. On American ANSI signs, a green panel reading SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS is for safety-related instructions or procedures, and OSHA’s older safety instruction signs are white with a green panel.