ANSI stands for American National Standards Institute, a not-for-profit organisation that mediates and reviews safety standards in the United States. The organisation is responsible for products, services, personnel and, best of all, labels!
ANSI was founded by a group of engineers in 1918 and, since then, it has grown into an organisation that governs a wide range of safety policies.
So, what is the purpose of the ANSI? In total, the activity of the ANSI outside of the US includes:
- Promoting US safety standards across the world
- Advocating for US policy in international organisations
- Holding technical positions in organisations
- Facilitating the use of international safety standards
However, what does a US organisation have to do with the UK? Well, given their international activites, ANSI has a big say in UK safety policy, and this is reflected in ANSI safety symbols.
Below, we outline the role ANSI safety labels have in the UK and why it may be important for you to use them.
Why Would I Need To Use ANSI Safety Labels?
ANSI safety labels have one major benefit over their UK and EU counterparts: detailed descriptions. These descriptions breakdown the hazard, the consequences of interacting with it, and provide information on how best to avoid it.
Curious about how to use hazard labels? Don’t think you need them? Then read ‘Whoops: The Costs and Consequences of Improper Signage’ to get informed.
Overall, there are several kinds of ANSI safety labels:
- High voltage
- Crush hazard
- Pinch point
- Chemical warnings
- Hot surface
- PPE symbols
In the UK, you will need to use COSHH labels to warn against hazards. However, if you’re exporting goods to the United States that fall into the above hazards, you will need to invest in ANSI safety symbols too.
However, these can be used in the UK to supplement certified COSHH labels should you want them to. They feature hazard symbols that comply with ISO EN 1710, so they will be recognisable in the UK.
Where Can I Get ANSI Safety Symbols?
So, where could you possibly get American National Standards Institute labels in the UK? Well, Label Source of course!
We stock a wide range of ANSI safety labels, so you can export goods and services to the US with peace of mind.
