ISO Emergency Signs

Green square or rectangular signs identify emergency escape routes, safety facilities, and rescue equipment.

ISO safe condition signs guide people to safety: emergency exits, escape routes, first aid, defibrillators, eyewash stations, assembly points, and life-saving equipment. They are designed to be read under stress, often in smoke or low light, so consistency matters more here than anywhere else.

Escape route signs work as a system. A running-figure sign alone does not show a safe route; it needs directional arrows, a continuous sequence of signs, and, in most jurisdictions, emergency lighting or photoluminescent materials. The family also contains a large set of maritime life-saving appliance signs used on ships and offshore installations.

Follow the complete wayfinding system and local emergency plan. A symbol alone does not establish a safe route.

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Exits and escape routes

Evacuation, refuge and assembly

First aid and medical

Emergency controls and equipment

Natural disasters

Ships and maritime life-saving

Water and snow rescue

Where safe condition signs come from

ISO 7010 registers the pictograms; ISO 3864-1 sets the colors, shapes, and layout rules they are drawn to. In the EU, Directive 92/58/EEC sets minimum requirements for safety signs at work, and its annex requires the green to cover at least half of an emergency escape or first-aid sign's area. The UK implements the same requirements through the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996, and both markets publish ISO 7010 as EN ISO 7010.

In the United States, OSHA 29 CFR 1910.145 and the ANSI Z535 series govern accident-prevention signs. ISO pictograms are widely used inside ANSI Z535 layouts, but the ANSI format adds signal words and text panels that an ISO sign does not carry. Australia uses AS 1319. Always check the rules for the site where the sign will be installed.

Frequently asked questions

What does a green sign with a running man mean?

It marks an emergency exit or escape route (ISO 7010 E001 and E002). The two codes are mirror images for exits to the left and right. In practice they are combined with a directional arrow and placed in a continuous sequence so that people can follow the route to a place of safety.

Why are some exit signs green and others red?

ISO 7010 and EU/UK practice use green running-figure signs. Many US jurisdictions still require red or green "EXIT" wording under building and fire codes and OSHA 1910.37. Follow the code that applies to the building; an ISO pictogram does not automatically replace required exit wording.

What is the difference between E001 and E002?

They are mirror images. E001 shows the figure running left and E002 running right, so the sign can point the reader toward the exit door or the direction of travel. Use the version that matches the arrow and the layout of the route.

Are first aid and AED signs safe condition signs?

Yes. First aid (E003), defibrillator (E010), eyewash (E011), and safety shower (E012) all use the green safe condition format because they identify help and safety equipment rather than a hazard.