NEMA Launched ANSI Z535 Safety Standards Web Site During National Safety Month
July 3, 2008 // Published as a news service by IHS
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) launched a web site dedicated to the NEMA ANSI Z535 series of safety standards and guidelines to coincide with the observation of National Safety Month.
The NEMA ANSI Z535 web site provides easy access to the six different standards in the NEMA ANSI Z535 series and offers tips for using the safety standards in the home or office, said the association.
According to the National Safety Council (NSC), June 2008 was designated National Safety Month as a "call to action" for employers and other organizations to help reverse a dramatic national increase in accidental injuries and deaths.
The entire NEMA ANSI Z535 series provides a tangible means to prevent injuries by standardizing recognized symbols and colors, said NEMA. It incorporates a unified means of signs, colors and symbols that identify and warn against specific hazards and other accident prevention purposes.
According to NEMA, the decision to create a web page for the documents grew from a discussion by the committee to increase visibility of the series and to supplement the committee's mission to develop standards for the design, application and use of signs, colors and symbols intended to identify and warn against specific hazards and for other accident prevention purposes.
According to NEMA, several NSC statistics spotlight the need for safety standards:
- Unintentional injury deaths were up 2% in 2006, following what had been years of decline.
- Accidental injuries cost Americans more than $650B annually.
- Every four minutes, someone is killed as a result of a preventable injury.
- Unintentional injuries continue to be the fifth leading cause of death.
- 28.4 million people were treated in hospital emergency departments for unintentional injuries.
- The economic impact of unintentional injuries amounted to $652.1B in 2006, the equivalent of $2,200 per capita.
"We live in a multi-ethnic and highly mobile country," said Paul Orr, NEMA program manager and secretary for the Z535 committee. "Different reading skills complicate the effectiveness of word-only signs. This standard demonstrates effective safety symbols and their ability to provide critical information for accident prevention and for personal protection without using words."
Source: National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA).