The intent of the standard is to establish a Standard for Safety Colors that will alert and inform persons to take precautionary action or other appropriate action in the presence of hazards.

This standard is not a substitute for engineering or administrative controls, including training, to eliminate identifiable hazards. It is not the intent of this ANSI Z535.1 standard to replace existing standards or regulations, which are uniquely applicable to a specific industry or use. It is the intent to encourage adoption of this standard in subsequent revisions of other standards and regulations.

"People have a natural tendency to associate certain colors with levels of risk. For example, people readily associate red with fire or dangerous situations. The consistent use of colors in a uniform safety alerting system can be a fast and effective way of communicating the level of severity of a hazardous situation. This standard defines the specific colors used in the ANSI Z535 safety alerting system," said Chairman Gary M. Bell, Sauder Woodworking Company.

The new ANSI Z535.1-2006 "provides the precise color tolerance specifications and test methods for proper color usage in safety signs, labels, tags, tapes, as well as any other application related to safety alerting," he said.

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