Literacy and the comprehension of public safety signs, with and without written aids.
Date
2009-01-28T05:36:09Z
Authors
Howell, Lindsay
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Abstract
The aim of this study is to determine the comprehension levels of safety signs with and
without written aids among South African workers. Numerous studies on warnings and
safety have identified certain factors that can influence the effectiveness of safety
communications such as, individuals’ behavioural responses to safety messages as well as
the impact of design features on safety information (Kline, Braun, Peterson & Silver,
1993). However, little research has explored the role that literacy plays in interpreting
safety information, specifically in developing countries such as South Africa where
illiteracy is common.
Sixty structured interviews were conducted at the Johannesburg General Hospital, a
locale which essentially everyone has equal public access to. Twelve randomly ordered
safety signs were presented to participants upon which they were required to describe
what they understood each safety sign meant. Varied education and literacy levels were
evident however the majority of the sample had only received some level of high school
education. Interestingly, of the twelve safety signs chosen for this study, only three safety
signs (SS1, SS4 and SS7) were ‘acceptable’ according to ANSI Z535.3 (1991) and ISO’s
3864 (1984) criteria. Furthermore, results from this study suggest that there is a
relationship between one’s level of education and the understanding of certain safety
signs.
Description
Keywords
Literacy, Safety signs