?
Friday, February 11, 2022
Question:
Hello Code Question of the Day.
We have an owner who marked his electrical room door Danger - High Voltage - Keep Out. He used black spray paint and a stencil right on the door to accomplish this. Does the NEC address these types of hazard warnings and require signs?
Brett Mortensen
A
Answer:
Hi Brett,
Thanks for participating. The NEC does require such hazard warnings, markings, and signs in a number of the rules. The NEC does provide information and guidance about criteria for developing signs and labels required by the NEC. Section 110.21(B) indicates that where caution, warning, or danger signs or labels are required by this Code, the labels shall meet the requirements in 110.21(B)(1) through (3). There is an important Informational Note referring to ANSI Z535.4 2011 which provides more specific guidelines for the development of these warning signs and labels. Criteria such as colors, font sizes, words, symbols, and locations are provided. See the full text of this section for the complete requirements. In this case, we believe the signal word is "Danger" which according to the Z535.4 information should trigger the use of red, white, and black on a danger sign. This is commonly what is installed in these situations. Hope this information is useful.