ISO 24409-1:2020

Overview - ISO 24409-1:2020 (Design principles)

ISO 24409-1:2020 specifies general design principles for shipboard safety signs, fire control plan signs, safety notices and safety markings. Intended to communicate safety-related information to persons on board ships, the standard aligns shipboard signage with internationally recognised safety colours, shapes and graphical symbols so that passengers, crew, visitors and trained specialists receive consistent, legible and durable safety information.

Key SEO terms: ISO 24409-1, shipboard safety signs, fire control plan signs, safety markings, design principles, maritime safety.

Key topics and technical requirements

The standard defines the foundational elements that govern shipboard safety signage. Major technical topics include:

• Types and uses: categories such as means of escape signs (MES), emergency equipment signs (EES), life‑saving systems (LSS), fire‑fighting equipment signs (FES), prohibition, warning and mandatory action signs.
• Design fundamentals: colour, geometric shape and contrast consistent with ISO 3864 series and ISO 7010 to ensure recognisability.
• Graphical symbols and determinants: requirements for symbol content, combination of symbols, determinants (common elements) and supplementaries.
• Fire control plan signs: signs for specialists to identify and locate fire control equipment (distinct from general safety signs).
• Supplementary and combination signs: layout, text usage, borders and arrow conventions for multi-element signs.
• Performance aspects: illumination, photometric/photoluminescent options, durability and marking of signs for long-term effectiveness in shipboard environments.
• Audience considerations: design variations for general public vs. trained personnel to optimise comprehension.

(Topics are drawn from ISO 24409-1 clauses on sign types, design, layout, illumination and durability.)

Applications and who uses it

ISO 24409-1 is practical for:

• Ship designers and naval architects integrating safety signage during vessel design
• Ship operators, safety managers and crew responsible for compliance and onboard safety systems
• Regulatory bodies and classification societies assessing SOLAS and national requirements
• Sign manufacturers and suppliers producing marine-grade, photoluminescent and durable signs
• Emergency planners and training teams using consistent signs for drills and passenger information

Use cases: escape route marking, fire‑fighting equipment identification, life‑saving appliance labelling, specialist fire control plans and safety notices throughout passenger and cargo vessels.

Related standards

Important normative and related references:

• ISO 3864-1, -3, -4 (safety colours, symbols, photometric properties)
• ISO 7010 (registered safety symbols)
• ISO 24409-2 (catalogue of specific shipboard signs) and ISO 24409-3 (application on ships)
• ISO 17398, ISO 17724, ISO 15370 and IMO/ISM Code

ISO 24409-1 provides the design foundation for effective, consistent shipboard safety signage and complements SOLAS requirements and other ISO graphic-safety standards.