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Testing the Effects of Label Deterioration on the Legibility and Comprehensibility of Warnings



Details

  • Personal Author:
  • Description:
    On-product warning signs and labels face a variety of potential sources of deterioration (e.g., abrasion, ultraviolet light, and exposure to chemicals). Reviews of the available literature have produced few references regarding the effects of this deterioration on the ability of warnings to communicate. The objective of this study was to provide an initial investigation into this void in the literature. Actual warnings used on forest-harvesting equipment were photographed and rated with respect to the intensity of degradation. These real-world labels were then tested for legibility and comprehensibility using a sample of undergraduate students. The results indicate that at moderate levels of label deterioration persons can often correctly comprehend the intended safety messages. With respect to a degradation intensity rating of 3 (on a 5-point scale), the number of participants that correctly identified the conceptual meaning of the warnings (82) considerably exceeded the number that correctly identified the entire set of text messages (53). [Description provided by NIOSH]
  • Subjects:
  • Keywords:
  • ISSN:
    1071-1813
  • Publisher:
    Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
  • Document Type:
    Text
  • Funding:
    Grant
  • Genre:
    Proceedings
  • Place as Subject:
  • CIO:
    National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
  • Topic:
    Workplace Safety & Health
  • Location:
    North America
  • Volume:
    47
  • Issue:
    14
  • NIOSHTIC Number:
    nn:20057643
  • Citation:
    Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 47th Annual Meeting, October 13-17, Denver, Colorado, A Summit for People & Technology. Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 2003 Oct; 47(14):1726-1729
  • Federal Fiscal Year:
    2004
  • Performing Organization:
    Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
  • Peer Reviewed:
    True
  • Start Date:
    19980701
  • Source Full Name:
    Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 47th Annual Meeting, October 13-17, Denver, Colorado, A Summit for People & Technology
  • End Date:
    20040630
  • Collection(s):
  • Main Document Checksum:
    urn:sha-512:353841f871e5c90e2b8b02d5c447626d4171b8863d4134dfb73152a5a36946c304434e8616232671b6dc50391a09961a4eb07c7f3d4f3ab7f7425378eef95811
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 442.44 KB ]
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