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 A good safety warning label can act as a deterrent against injury, simply by communicating danger in situations where a hazard isn´t obvious. For example, warning labels of this type are ideal for consumer appliances that require electricity, for prescription drugs, for swimming pools, and for machinery that may cause injury if not properly respected.
Product and hazard warning labels are especially crucial when you own a business, since one way to keep your business running smoothly is by minimizing the problems caused by hazardous materials and situations. Often, this isn´t just a good idea, it´s required by law. Warning labels are also ideal if you or your employees use hazardous materials on the job, since they warn people to take special care when handling such materials. If you´re a manufacturer of hazardous materials, you´re probably required to affix a product warning label to every finished item before it leaves the loading dock.
A safety warning label should be obvious and easy to understand. Most are rectangular in shape, and consist of just a few simple elements. At the top is a text warning in bold capital letters set against a solid background of a contrasting color, usually black, red, or orange. Often there´s an accompanying caution symbol (an exclamation point inside a contrasting triangle), but not always. The part of the warning label below the heading is usually divided into two panes. The square pane on the left contains a graphical symbol denoting the hazard, while the rectangle on the right contains text explaining the hazard. Occasionally, it may be necessary to use two or more different warning labels to appropriately represent the hazard.
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