California Code of Regulations
Title 8 - Industrial Relations
Division 1 - Department of Industrial Relations
Chapter 4 - Division of Industrial Safety
Subchapter 7 - General Industry Safety Orders
Group 2 - Safe Practices and Personal Protection
Article 7 - Miscellaneous Safe Practices
Section 3341 - Accident Prevention Tags

(a) Scope and application. This section applies to all accident prevention tags used to identify hazardous conditions and provide a message to employees with respect to hazardous conditions as set forth in subsection (c) of this section, or to meet the specific tagging requirements of other standards.

EXCEPTION: This section does not apply to construction, maritime or agriculture.

(b) Definitions. "Biological hazard" or "BIOHAZARD" means those infectious agents presenting a risk of death, injury or illness to employees.

"Major message" means that portion of a tag's inscription that is more specific than the signal word and that indicates the specific hazardous condition or the instruction to be communicated to the employee. Examples include: "High Voltage," "Close Clearance," "Do Not Start," or "Do Not Use" or a corresponding pictograph used with a written text or alone.

"Pictograph" means a pictorial representation used to identify a hazardous condition or to convey a safety instruction.

"Signal word" means that portion of a tag's inscription that contains the word or words that are intended to capture the employee's immediate attention.

"Tag" means a device usually made of card, paper, pasteboard, plastic or other material used to identify a hazardous condition.

(c) Use. Tags shall be used as a means to prevent accidental injury or illness to employees who are exposed to hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions, equipment or operations which are out of the ordinary, unexpected or not readily apparent. Tags shall be used until such time as the identified hazard is eliminated or the hazardous operation is completed. Tags need not be used where signs, guarding or other positive means of protection are being used.

(d) General Tag Criteria. All required tags shall meet the following criteria:

(e) Danger Tags. Danger tags shall only be used in major hazard situations where an immediate hazard presents a threat of death or serious injury to employees.

(f) Caution Tags. Caution tags shall only be used in minor hazard situations where a non-immediate or potential hazard or unsafe practice presents a lesser threat of employee injury.

(g) Warning Tags. Warning tags may be used to represent a hazard level between "Caution" and "Danger," instead of the required "Caution" tag, provided that they have a signal word of "Warning," an appropriate major message, and otherwise meet the general tag criteria of subsection (d) of this section.

(h) Biological Hazard Tags. Biological hazard tags shall be used to identify the actual or potential presence of a biological hazard and to identify equipment, containers, rooms, experimental animals, or combinations thereof, that contain or are contaminated with hazardous biological agents.

(i) Other Tags. Other tags may be used in addition to those required by this section, or in other situations where this section does not require tags, provided that they do not detract from the impact or visibility of the signal word and major message of any required tag.

Appendix A Recommended Color Coding For Accident Prevention Tags

While this appendix does not specifically mandate colors to be used on accident prevention tags, the following color scheme is recommended for meeting the requirements of Section 3441:

"DANGER"--Red, or predominantly red, with lettering or symbols in a contrasting color.

"CAUTION"--Yellow, or predominantly yellow, with lettering or symbols in a contrasting color.

"WARNING"--Orange, or predominantly orange, with lettering or symbols in a contrasting color.

"BIOLOGICAL HAZARD"--Fluorescent orange or orange-red or predominantly so, with lettering or symbols in a contrasting color.