Use barrier cream
Instructs the reader to use barrier cream.
Understanding this sign
Blue circular signs communicate an action, such as wearing eye protection or following a specified procedure.
A pictogram does not select the grade of PPE or explain a complete procedure. Use the task-specific instructions.
Skin Protection Before Work Starts
M022 instructs workers to apply an appropriate barrier cream — a protective skin product put on clean, dry hands and forearms before the task begins. Among mandatory signs it is unusual in prescribing a consumable rather than a wearable, and it belongs to occupational skin-care programmes aimed at preventing work-related contact dermatitis. The cream forms a light film that reduces how much a wetting agent, coolant, or mild irritant reaches the skin and, just as importantly, makes contaminants easier to wash off at the end of the task.
The settings that post M022 are those where hands meet irritants continuously rather than catastrophically: metalworking with cutting fluids, wet work in kitchens, cleaning and hairdressing, concrete and mortar handling, and print shops working with inks and washes. Occupational dermatitis develops gradually through repeated low-level exposure, which is exactly the pattern a pre-work cream, disciplined washing, and after-work conditioning are designed to interrupt.
What Barrier Cream Does Not Do
The critical limit: barrier cream is not a substitute for gloves. It gives no meaningful defence against corrosives, solvents in quantity, or anything a safety data sheet routes to chemical-resistant gloves — an M022 sign never overrides an M009 glove requirement, and where both appear the cream goes on first with gloves over it only if the glove manufacturer permits. Treating the cream as invisible PPE against serious chemicals is a recognised misuse that skin-care guidance from occupational health bodies warns against explicitly.
Product matching matters too, because creams are formulated against either aqueous or oily contaminants, and a water-miscible product can worsen exposure to water-based irritants. The choice belongs to whoever performed the skin risk assessment, and the dispenser stocked below the sign should carry only the specified product. Reapplication after every hand wash keeps the film intact through the shift.
Where the Sign Belongs
M022 works as a point-of-use sign mounted directly above the cream dispenser — typically at washroom sinks, workshop entry benches, or the start of a production line — rather than as an area boundary marker. Its natural companions are M011 (wash your hands) and the after-work conditioning products of a three-step skin-care regime; many facilities mount the trio of dispensers on one station with M022 and M011 identifying the protective and cleansing steps.
As a rarity among mandatory signs, M022 usually needs a short induction explanation the first time workers encounter it. A one-line supplementary text such as 'apply barrier cream before starting work and after each wash' converts an unfamiliar pictogram — a hand above a tube dispensing cream — into a routine, and shift-start supervision does the rest. Compliance is easy to audit: dispensers that never empty are a sign no one is following the instruction.
Where you will see M022
Settings with continuous low-level hand exposure post it: metalworking shops using cutting fluids, commercial kitchens and wet-work cleaning operations, hairdressing salons, concrete and mortar handling, and print shops working with inks and washes. It functions as a point-of-use sign mounted directly above the cream dispenser at washroom sinks, workshop entry benches, or line starts, typically alongside M011 wash-hands signage in a three-step skin-care station.
Common questions about M022
What does the barrier cream safety sign mean?
ISO 7010 M022 means workers must protect their skin with an appropriate barrier cream before starting the task — typically applied to clean, dry hands and forearms at a dispenser near the sign. It appears in workplaces with continuous low-level skin exposure such as metalworking fluid contact, wet work, and cement or ink handling, as part of a programme to prevent occupational dermatitis.
Is barrier cream a replacement for protective gloves?
No. Barrier cream only reduces the effect of mild irritants and makes contamination easier to wash off; it offers no dependable protection against corrosives, strong solvents, or sensitisers. Where the assessment calls for chemical-resistant gloves, gloves are mandatory regardless of any cream, and the M022 sign supplements rather than replaces the M009 glove sign.
How often should barrier cream be applied at work?
Before work begins and again after every hand wash or significant sweating, because washing removes the protective film. The usual occupational regime has three steps — barrier cream before work, mild cleansing during and after work, and a conditioning cream at shift end to restore the skin. Follow the specific product's instructions, since formulations differ.
Reference details
| Symbol code | M022 |
|---|---|
| Sign family | ISO Mandatory Signs |
| Standard reference | ISO 7010:2019 / ISO 3864-1 ISO Online Browsing Platform: M022 |
| Screen color reference | #0000FF. Screen colors are not a production color specification. |
| Download formats | SVG reference artwork; a 1024 × 1024 pixel PNG conversion on a white canvas. |
| Record date | · How to interpret our dates |
| Page updated |
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Sources and artwork credits
- Artwork source
- Wikimedia Commons file page
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- ISO
- License
- Public domain
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