ANSI Z535.5-2022: Safety Tags and Barricade Tapes

Falls continue to be the leading cause of death in the construction industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 865 fatalities due to slips, trips, and falls in 2022; and devastatingly 700 of these fatalities were the result of falls from elevated heights, such as ladders or roofs, to lower levels. To minimize these fatal tragedies, using barricade tags is crucial for workplace safety as they clearly communicate hazards and restrictions within a work zone. ANSI Z535.5-2022: Standard for Safety Tags And Barricade Tapes (For Temporary Hazards aims to help users convey information, in the form of safety tags and barricades tapes, to decrease the amount of accidents in temporary hazardous situations.

What Is ANSI Z535.5-2022?

ANSI Z535.5-2022 sets forth a procedure for presenting safety and accident prevention information from safety tags and barricade tapes. It specifies the graphic approaches for introducing nationally uniform tags and tapes to use until an identified hazard is eliminated or a hazardous operation is finished.

Industries (typically manufacturing and construction) that employ lockout/tagout procedures or have a need to mark an area affected by a temporary hazard will find ANSI Z535.5-2022 beneficial.

Signal Words and Color Codes for ANSI Z535.5-2022 Safety Tags and Barricade Tapes

The message in tags and tapes is concise and thus easily understood, and it is displayed in high contrast colors. Moreover, safety tags and barricade tapes are classified by their distinct signal word and color:

• DANGER: Indicates a hazardous situation that, if not avoided, will result in death or serious injury. This signal word is in safety white letters on a rectangular safety red background with a safety red exclamation mark, embedded in a white equilateral triangle.
• WARNING: Indicates a hazardous situation that, if not avoided, could result in death or serious injury. This signal word is in safety black letters on a rectangular safety orange background with a safety orange exclamation mark, embedded in a black equilateral triangle.
• CAUTION: Indicates a hazardous situation that, if not avoided, could result in minor or moderate injury. This signal word is in safety black letter on a rectangular safety yellow background with a safety yellow exclamation mark, embedded in a black equilateral triangle.
• NOTICE: Indicates information considered important, but not hazard-related (e.g., messages relating to property damage). This signal word is italicized in white safety letters on a safety blue background.
• SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS or similar words: Indicates a type of safety tag, or a separate panel on a safety tag, where specific safety-related instructions or procedures are described (e.g., SAFE SHUTDOWN PROCEDURE; BOILER SHUTDOWN PROCEDURE; LOCKOUT PROCEDURE). This signal word is in white safety letters on a rectangular safety green background.

Key Changes to the 2022 Edition of ANSI Z535.5

The first edition of ANSI Z535 was made available to the public in 1992. Revisions to the 2011 edition of ANSI Z535.5 better harmonized it with ANSI Z535.2, ANSI Z535.4, and ANSI Z535.6—all of which mentioned signal word panels. Furthermore, it was not until 2002 that guideline requirements were introduced for the design of safety barricades tapers. The 2022 edition of this American National Standard was revised to clarify the relationship of this standard and other applicable standards and regulations.

In this 2022 edition, the Safety Instructions Tag was added in addition to the existing types of signs, hazard alerting tags, and barricade tapes. In addition, safety notice tags and barricade tapes were more clearly defined and named.

Why ANSI Z535.5‑2022 Matters for the Construction Industry’s Growing Safety Risks

Construction workers engage in a wide range of activities that could expose them to serious hazards, like falling from rooftops, unguarded machinery, being struck by heavy construction equipment, electrocutions, silica dust, and asbestos. In fact, the construction industry in 2022, nearly 1 in 5 workplace deaths occurred in the construction industry and 38.4% of these deaths were due to falls, slips, and trips.

The risk of hazardous situations within construction is especially worth noting as the construction industry is growing in the United States. 10.8 million workers were employed in the US construction industry in 2020; the overall number of people employed in the construction industry has increased an average of 2.8% from 2017 to 2022. In short, ANSI Z535.5-2022 is crucial to protecting the growing number of construction workers, as this particular industry is exposed to hazardous situations frequently.

What Are the Seven Standards in the ANSI Z535 Series?

1. ANSI Z535.1: Safety Color Code
   • Learn more about ANSI Z535.1 in our blog post: ANSI Z535.1-2022: Standard for Safety Colors
2. ANSI Z535.2: Environmental and Facility Safety Signs
   • Learn more about ANSI Z535.2 in our blog post: ANSI Z535.2-2023: Facility/Environment Safety Signs
3. ANSI Z535.3: Criteria for Safety Symbol
   • Learn more about ANSI Z535.3 in our blog post: ANSI Z535.3-2022: Criteria for Safety Symbols
4. ANSI Z535.4: Product Safety Signs and Labels
   • Learn more about ANSI Z535.4 in or blog post: ANSI Z535.4‑2023 Guide to Product Safety Signs & Labeling
5. ANSI Z535.5: Safety Tags and Barricade Tapes (for Temporary Hazards)
6. ANSI Z535.6: Product Safety Information in Product Manuals, Instructions, and Other Collateral Materials
   • Learn more about ANSI Z535.6 in our blog post: ANSI Z535.6-2023: Product Safety Information
7. ANSI Z535.7: Product Safety Information in Electronic Media (new in 2024)

Where to Get ANSI Z535.5-2022

ANSI Z535.5-2022: Standard for Safety Tags and Barricade Tapes is available on the ANSI Webstore. It can also be acquired with the other ANSI Z535 standards as the ANSI/NEMA Z535 SET.

ANSI Z535.7 is developed the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA).

Please direct any technical questions relating to this American National Standard to the developer. You can find the contact information for all standard developing organizations (SDOs) here: Who to Contact for Standards Related Questions.