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Safety Message Formats for Printed Manuals Abstract This study compared four formats for warnings in printed manuals by obtaining ratings of hazardousness from college students. Four of the formats were derived from suggested formats in a new standard of the American National Standards Institute (AMSI Z535.6) Two previous undergraduate research projects provided a foundation for further research (Lynn, 2006) (L. Jensen, 2003). The objectives of the study were: (1) to expand the previous two undergraduate projects by increasing their sample size and (2) empirically compare four warning formats suggested in the new ANSI Standard, Z535.4. The four warning formats were presented on the same page of a booklet, with a rating scale beside each consisting of five choices from no hazard (0) to extreme hazard (4). Position on the page was established using a Latin Square. For the two formats with the signal word WARNING, the one centered above the text message received higher ratings than the one with the signal word imbedded in the first line of the message. For the two formats with the hazard alert symbol (triangle with exclamation) left of the text message, the one having a black exclamation on a yellow background received higher ratings than the one with a white exclamation on a black background. The ranked order of the four formats based on estimated median values was; yellow hazard alert symbol (3.375) versus black hazard alert symbol (2.125), signal word above text (3.125), versus signal word imbedded in text (2.875). Student participants consisted of 58 volunteers from three different classes at Montana Tech. Most warnings signs on products follow the color standard; but very few use the color standard in their user and instruction manuals. Most adopt a format that prints in black ink. Further findings are discussed in the paper. Biography
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