Authorised Personnel Only Sign – IMPA 33.8690 (ISPS0024)

Authorised Personnel Only Sign – IMPA 33.8690 (ISPS0024)

This authorised personnel only sign tells crew, contractors, visitors and port officials in plain terms that entry beyond this point is limited to individuals with verified authorisation. It is typically posted at the threshold of restricted operational spaces where uncontrolled movement could compromise safety or security, and its core message is simple: stop here unless your presence in this space has been specifically approved.

Within Safety Sign Hub’s ISPA Signs range, ISPS0024 (IMPA 33.8690 / ISSA 47.586.90) is fitted at points where a general ship or terminal population must be filtered down to a named or credentialed group — engine control room doors, cargo control room entrances, IT and server spaces, crew accommodation access points, and administrative offices within a port facility. In practice, this authorised personnel only sign forms one of the physical boundary markers referenced in the vessel’s Ship Security Plan or the facility’s Port Facility Security Plan, helping the Ship Security Officer or Port Facility Security Officer demonstrate that access-controlled areas are clearly delineated at every applicable security level.

ISPS0024 is produced on rigid marine-grade board or self-adhesive vinyl, both finished to withstand UV exposure, saltwater spray and constant handling in exposed shipboard and wharfside environments, with a photoluminescent option available where the posted location has limited ambient lighting.

Why Authorised Personnel Only Signage Matters

A restricted space without a visible authorised personnel only sign gives crew and visitors no reason to question their own presence there, and that ambiguity is exactly what the ISPS Code is designed to remove. Undocumented individuals wandering into cargo control rooms, engine spaces or administrative offices increase the risk of tampering, theft, sabotage or simple procedural breakdown, and screening failures at these secondary boundaries are just as damaging to a vessel’s security posture as a breach at the gangway itself. Clear signage reinforces the security culture that the ISPS Code depends on — everyone aboard understands, without needing to ask, that some doors are not for them.

Compliance and Certification

This is a maritime security sign, not an ISO 7010 hazard pictogram, and it should never be described as a registered ISO 7010 symbol. Its authority instead derives from the ISPS Code (International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, part of SOLAS Chapter XI-2) and from its explicit inclusion in the vessel’s Ship Security Plan or the facility’s Port Facility Security Plan. The Ship Security Officer, Company Security Officer and Port Facility Security Officer are jointly responsible for ensuring signage of this kind matches what those approved plans specify, in line with IMO guidance on maritime security signage. Port State Control officers and classification society surveyors routinely check during ISPS audits that an authorised personnel only sign is present, legible and consistent with the vessel’s or facility’s approved security documentation.

Installation Recommendations

Mount ISPS0024 at eye level on or immediately beside the door, hatch or access point it governs, ensuring it is the first thing anyone sees before reaching for a handle. On exterior or high-traffic bulkhead locations, the rigid board format resists impact and repeated cleaning better than adhesive vinyl.

• Available in rigid marine board or self-adhesive vinyl for flush-mounted or curved surfaces
• UV- and saltwater-resistant construction suited to weather decks and enclosed spaces alike
• Reproduces IMPA 33.8690 / ISSA 47.586.90 restricted-area wording and symbol exactly as catalogued
• Photoluminescent variant available for poorly lit companionways and internal access points
• Sized for single-door and hatch applications, from engine spaces to shore-side security offices

Order this authorised personnel only sign from Safety Sign Hub’s ISPA Signs range to keep every access-controlled space on your vessel or terminal correctly marked, and pair it with the wording-specific restricted area sign ISPS0023 (IMPA 33.8691) or browse our Mandatory Signs for adjoining compliance requirements.