Iec 60073 Pdf _hot_ Jun 2026
The standard is designed to ensure safety and clarity in industrial and commercial environments by standardizing how operators interact with machinery. It defines what specific colors, sounds, or physical pulses should represent (e.g., danger, normal operation, or emergency).
Assigns specific meanings to colors used in indicator lights and pushbuttons. For example, red typically indicates an emergency or danger, while green indicates a safe or normal condition.
Color, shape, position, and state (e.g., flashing). Acoustic Coding: Tone, frequency, and duration.
IEC 60073 is an international safety standard titled "Basic and safety principles for man-machine interface, marking and identification - Coding principles for indicators and actuators." iec 60073 pdf
"Start" functions generally sit on the left, while "Stop" functions sit on the right, matching standard reading directions. Implementation in Modern Control Systems
Other standards that reference or align with IEC 60073 include:
| Color | Meaning (for indicators) | Meaning (for actuators) | |-------|--------------------------|--------------------------| | | Emergency, fault, danger condition requiring immediate action | Emergency stop, stop/off (mains disconnect) | | Yellow/Amber | Warning, abnormal condition, attention needed before a fault occurs | Acknowledge, restart after trip, return to normal | | Green | Safe, normal operation, ready | Start, on (mains connect), enable | | Blue | Mandatory action, operator intervention required (e.g., reset after override) | Reset, auxiliary function (not start/stop) | | White | Neutral information (power present, general data) | General actuation (no specific safety meaning) | | Black/Grey | Not preferred for safety – used only where color coding is impractical | Same – not for safety-critical functions | The standard is designed to ensure safety and
Do not use green for a stop button or red for a normal running state.
: Used for general operational control (Start, Stop, Jog) where specific safety colors are not strictly required. Beyond Color: Multimodal Coding
Indicates an immediate hazard or an emergency state. It requires immediate action by the operator (e.g., a dangerous overload or critical safety guard failure). For example, red typically indicates an emergency or
For actuators, red is used for functions. However, exceptions are allowed when the color red is not available.
In cutting-edge manufacturing environments, IEC 60073 color codes indicate different machine operating statuses. Three-colored signal towers are ubiquitous on factory floors, with red indicating equipment failure requiring immediate shutdown, yellow signaling attention needed within a specific timeframe, and green showing normal operation.
IEC 60417 provides the actual graphical symbols that complement the color coding principles of IEC 60073. Together, they enable consistent visual communication on equipment worldwide.