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This preliminary investigation evaluates the impact of pictograms and signal words that would be present on chemical product labels following the modification of the Hazard Communication Standard by OSHA to incorporate the United Nation's Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). The GHS classification for a given hazard determines the hazard classification category (Category 1 or Category 2), if a pictogram and/or a signal word will be present on the label, and the hazard and precautionary statements that would appear on the label. Participants were able to refer to samples of chemical product labels to assist them in completing an on-line questionnaire. The hazard classification category and the presence of a signal word ("Danger" or "Warning") were significant with regard to the level of perceived risk by individuals, but there was no significant effect for pictograms on the sample chemical product labels.

The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the feasibility of using hand drawn images to identify symbol components for incorporation into warning symbol design software. This software will use an interactive evolutionary computation (IEC) algorithm to generate and evolve symbols mathematically described by a set of numerical parameters. Therefore, participants (N = 100) ages 19–43 (x = 23.2) were recruited to determine these symbol design parameters. Participants were invited to hand draw warning symbols for three referents: fall from elevation, hearing protection, and hazardous atmosphere. A panel of design engineers determined 27 attributes were present in the fall from elevation, 19 in the hearing protection, and 25 in the hazardous atmosphere images. A direct clustering algorithm was used to determine which attributes, or symbol parameters, were most commonly present or conspicuously absent among the clustered image families. For the fall from elevation, hearing protection and hazardous atmosphere referents, the clustering algorithm identified six, four and four symbol parameters, respectively, primarily responsible for distinguishing one drawn symbol from another. Thus, these parameters will be included as evolvable genes in the IEC software.

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