ISO 24409-1
Design principles for shipboard safety signs, fire control plan signs, safety notices and safety markings
Prohibition and restricted access signs for vessels
Marine prohibition signs state what is not permitted in a space or at a particular item of equipment, giving crew and visitors a clear instruction before they act.
No smoking and prohibited activities
The location defines the boundary of the message.
Smoking and naked-flame restrictions need to be visible before someone enters the affected area. Other messages may concern photography, mobile devices or activities on a working deck.
The wording should identify the actual restriction. A notice covering a room needs a position associated with that entrance, while a restriction applying only beyond a certain point needs a clear boundary.
Restricted access aboard ship
Crew-only and no-entry messages distinguish spaces that visitors or unauthorised personnel must not enter. These can include machinery rooms, working decks and other controlled areas.
Where entry depends on permission, the sign should reflect that arrangement. A door name identifies the room, while the access notice explains who may enter it.
Restrictions on equipment use
A prohibition beside a machine or control addresses the action someone is about to take. It can concern starting equipment, switching a system or using an appliance without authorisation.
Temporary restrictions during maintenance may be communicated with tie tags attached to the relevant item. Permanent prohibition signs address the normal arrangement. Keeping those roles clear prevents a general notice from being mistaken for the status of a particular job.
Standards
What each standard covers here
ISO 24409-1 covers how shipboard signs are designed; ISO 24409-3 covers where they belong and how they are used together.
ISO 24409-3
Code of practice: where signs belong on board and how they are used together
Asking for a quote
What to tell us about the restriction
- The restriction itself, and where the boundary of it falls.
- Whether it covers a room, a deck area or one item of equipment.
- Where entry depends on permission, how that arrangement should be worded.
- Rigid plastic or self-adhesive vinyl: the first takes screws, adhesive pads or a hanger, the second goes straight onto a clean, dry surface.
- The size, whether the position needs a photoluminescent face, and the language.
Questions
Prohibition signs, answered
What does the Prohibition range cover?
Smoking and naked-flame restrictions, no photography and no mobile phones, crew-only and no-entry messages for machinery rooms, working decks and other controlled areas, and prohibitions on the use of particular equipment.
Where does a prohibition sign belong?
Where the boundary of the message is. A notice covering a room needs a position associated with that entrance; a restriction applying only beyond a certain point needs that point marked. Placed loosely, the sign leaves a reader unsure how far it reaches.
Which standards apply?
ISO 24409-1 covers how a shipboard prohibition sign is designed and ISO 24409-3 covers where it belongs and how it is used together with warnings and mandatory instructions.
How is this different from a tie tag?
A permanent prohibition sign addresses the normal arrangement. A tie tag communicates a temporary instruction attached to a particular item during maintenance. Keeping the roles separate stops a general notice being read as the status of a specific job.
Can DENFOIL be bought directly?
No. DENFOIL is supplied through distributors, who quote the specification and handle the order.
Local distribution
Specifying prohibition signage for a vessel
Tell us which restrictions apply and where the boundary sits. A distributor quotes the specification.