Download safety symbols worksheet

Name:________________________
Date: ________________________
Safety Symbols
Safety symbols are used to identify dangers associated with products. There are two types of safety symbols:
1. Hazardous Household Product Symbols (HHPS) are warning symbols found on household products.
2. Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) symbols were developed to standardize
the labeling of dangerous materials used in all workplaces, including schools.
Homework Questions: (answer all questions on a separate piece of paper except when completing the tables in
questions 2 and 6):
1) Why do you think symbols are used (instead of words) to indicate the dangers associated with a product?
2) Complete the table at the bottom of this page. Use page 522 in your textbook to find the name of the
symbol, and then think of one precaution you could take to keep yourself safe. The first symbol has been
done for you.
3) Products with which WHMIS symbols should be stored separately? Why?
4) We store tanks of oxygen gas and hydrogen gas in the storage room at W-O. These gasses are under high
pressure. Which WHMIS symbol would you expect to see on these tanks?
5) If acid splashes and lands on your skin, your skin will get irritated, and it may burn. Which WHMIS
symbol would you expect to see on bottles of acid?
6) Read about HHPS symbols on the back of this page, and answer the following questions:
Symbol
i.
For each hazard symbol, describe two precautions you could take when handling a product
with that symbol to keep yourself safe.
ii.
Describe the difference between the triangle (yield) frame and the octagon (stop sign) frame
Name of symbol
Compressed gas
WHMIS Symbols
Risks
Contents under high pressure
Could explode if heated or dropped
Catches fire easily
May ignite without warning
May cause combustible material to
explode
Increases fire hazards
May be fatal if swallowed, inhaled, or
absorbed through skin
May cause death, permanent injury, or
cancer
Contains living organisms that can cause
harm (viruses, bacteria, parasites, etc.)
Causes eye and skin irritation on contact
Severe burns after long period of contact
May react violently with water
May explode if exposed to heat or shock
Precautions
Keep away from heat
Store it safely (not on a high
shelf where it could fall)
Hazardous Household Product Symbols (HHPS)
Hazard Symbols:
Symbol
The Danger
Explosive This container can explode if it's
heated or punctured. Flying pieces of
metal or plastic can cause serious
injuries, especially to the eyes.
Product Examples
 water repellant for
shoes or boots in an
aerosol container
 spray paint in an
aerosol container
Corrosive This product will burn skin or eyes on
contact, or throat and stomach if
swallowed.


toilet bowl cleaner
oven cleaner

gasoline

windshield washer
fluid
furniture polish
Flammable This product, or its fumes, will catch
fire easily if it's near heat, flames or
sparks.
Poison
Licking, eating, drinking, or
sometimes smelling, this product will
cause illness or death.

Precautions (fill this in)
These symbols are made up of a picture and a frame. The picture tells you the type of danger. The frame
tells you if it is the chemical inside the container that is hazardous or if it is the container that is hazardous.
Triangle
(inverted)
This frame looks like a traffic yield sign.
It means that the container is dangerous.
Octagon
(eight sides)
This frame looks like a traffic stop sign.
It means that the contents inside the container are dangerous.
Before October 1, 2001 the old regulations required three different frames to indicate the degree of hazard.
Now, only two frames are used to distinguish between the contents of the product and the container itself.
*Note the old frames:
Yield sign – caution (least dangerous)
diamond – warning
stop sign – danger (most dangerous)