The Mexican Official Law NOM-026-STPS-2008
The purpose of good communication is to be able to transmit something to other people so that they can understand us perfectly. Suppose you have paid attention during your visit to a company. In that case, you will have noticed signs of different shapes and colors whose purpose is to provide information about safety aspects using a minimum of words, or even none.
The Mexican Official Standard NOM-026-STPS-2008, Colors and Signs for Safety and Hygiene, and Identification of Risks Due to Fluids Conducted in Pipes, is a mandatory standard that establishes the colors, contrasts, and shapes that all signage used to indicate risks within a work center in Mexico must have.
Why is this standard so important? As we said at the beginning, communication is the key to success! Not always will there be someone who can inform us about the dangers and risks to which we can be exposed in any work area.
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Standardizing the design and correct use of signage helps companies to communicate quickly and accurately to staff what they can and cannot do during their stay or activities. These signs also serve as a reminder because it never hurts to say again, “be careful, it’s for your own good.”
The safety colors, their contrasts, meanings, and indications are as follows:.
– Red: Indicates the prohibition and stoppage of activities due to an emergency, for example, an emergency stop button or forbidden to pass signs. It also indicates the location and materials, equipment, and systems for firefighting and pipelines used for this purpose. The contrasting color is white.
– Yellow: Warns us of present dangers (physical, chemical, biological, radioactive), as well as the limitation of areas, and to pay attention. Pipes that carry dangerous fluids will be yellow. The contrasting color is black; magenta is used only in the case of signs indicating the presence of ionizing radiation.
– Green: Indicates safe conditions, for example, emergency routes and exits, safety zones, and first aid. Pipelines carrying low-risk fluids will be green. The contrasting color is white.
– Blue: Indicates something of a mandatory nature, for example, specific actions such as the use of masks, mandatory use of helmets, and hand washing. The contrasting color is white.
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The shapes for the signs are as follows:
– Prohibition: Circle with a diametrical band at 45° from top left to bottom right. To be used for any action likely to cause a risk.
– Obligation: Circle. To be used for any indication of obligation to personnel.
– Caution: Equilateral triangle. It will be used when it is required to inform of a danger.
– Information: Square (the ratio of sides shall be a maximum of 1:2). Provides information.
Additionally, the standard includes the sizes and distances at which the signs should be placed, the number of signs, where to place them, and the texts, among other important data to facilitate their understanding by the user.
Due to its importance in reducing the probability of an occupational hazard occurring, during Veggies from Mexico’s internal audits, compliance with this standard and other complementary standards, such as NOM-018-STPS-2015, is evaluated.
If you want to learn more about this and other standards, as well as to know which ones apply to your workplace in Mexico, you can consult the following link:
