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Since technical communicators have developed a growing awareness of product liability issues, safety notes and warnings have increased dramatically in all kinds of product manuals and handbooks. The American standard ANSI Z535.4 for safety signs and labels has frequently been adapted by them since the early 1990s. That decade also saw the introduction of so called “safety chapters” to manuals. Nonetheless, many writers are uncertain concerning correct design and wording of safety notes and warnings. Legislators around the world, and particularly in Europe, have set minimum rules concerning both content and presentation of safety-related information. In 2012 an international standard – IEC 82079-1 – covered the subject in more detail. This guide introduces tech writers to the legal regulations, the rules set in diverse standards and provides practical suggestions on how to apply the rules in their daily work.

Since technical communicators have developed a growing awareness of product liability issues, safety notes and warnings have increased dramatically in all kinds of product manuals and handbooks. The American standard ANSI Z535.4 for safety signs and labels has frequently been adapted by them since the early 1990s. That decade also saw the introduction of so called “safety chapters” to manuals. Nonetheless, many writers are uncertain concerning correct design and wording of safety notes and warnings. Legislators around the world, and particularly in Europe, have set minimum rules concerning both content and presentation of safety-related information. In 2012 an international standard – IEC 82079-1 – covered the subject in more detail. This guide introduces tech writers to the legal regulations, the rules set in diverse standards and provides practical suggestions on how to apply the rules in their daily work.