Tactile Triangle Labels

Our world is full of chemicals. Whether it is oven-cleaner, paint, ink, bleach or hair spray, the every-day chemicals around our homes have the potential to become highly dangerous substances. If treated improperly or mishandled accidentally, these ordinary materials have an ability to harm and damage both people and other objects.

Tactile Danger Warning Label

It therefore makes perfect sense to have dangerous objects labelled clearly and for liquids and pressured gases, such as aerosols, to be marked as toxic or harmful. However, the standard yellow triangle plastered in a corner of the product does not aid those with visual impairments to recognise its dangerous nature, and nor does it comply with the new European Standard BS EN ISO 11683:1997.

Labelling Chemicals to Protect the Visually Impaired

Health and Safety Regulations in the United Kingdom have long prescribed that any dangerous or harmful material must be labelled as such, to prevent accidental damage and injury. Many of the rules and regulations pertaining to ‘Health and Safety’ can be seen by the public as over protective for toxic substances, the warnings are absolutely necessary.

Traditionally these warnings have been displayed as yellow triangles with a black depiction of the hazard – e.g. Test tubes and corroded fingers for corrosive liquids. However, almost two million people in the United Kingdom live with partial or full sight loss. It is therefore absolutely crucial that the visually impaired community are equally warned of the potential hazards and dangers. This is why tactile triangle warning labels were introduced.

Tactile triangle labels are raised outlines of triangles, made from a transparent plastic and 18mm in size. It functions as a warning in the same way as braille – the visually impaired individual runs their finger over it and perceives that this object is either ‘toxic’, ‘corrosive’, ‘extremely flammable’ or ‘harmful’ and as such should be used with caution.

The transparent tactile warning label means that a complete redesign of your company’s products is not necessary; instead, the label can fit discreetly anywhere on your product without interfering with the design.

If your company or business supplies products or materials which are required by law to display a yellow warning triangle, then they will also be legally required to affix a tactile triangle label in addition. Click here to view a complete range of order sizes from Dantech Ltd.


Dantech Ltd are market-leading specialists in product labelling solutions. They also produce a series of industrial labels for identification and metal asset marking plates.