Keep This Door Locked Sign – ISPS0017 (IMPA 33.5824)

Keep This Door Locked Sign – ISPS0017 (IMPA 33.5824 / ISSA 47.558.24)

This restricted access door sign carries the direct instruction “Keep This Door Locked” for crew, contractors and visiting officials at any point on a vessel or terminal where a door must remain secured against casual entry. It is posted on watertight and weathertight doors, perimeter hatches, and other access points identified in the vessel’s security plan as needing to stay closed and locked outside of authorised movements, giving everyone approaching the door a clear, unambiguous instruction rather than a general warning.

Within Safety Sign Hub’s ISPA Signs range, ISPS0017 sits alongside related door-control signage covering internal spaces such as store rooms and equipment lockers (see ISPS0016, IMPA 33.5825, for the internal-door version of this wording). This SKU is intended specifically for perimeter and weather-deck access points – gangway-adjacent doors, hull openings, and deck stores opening onto open deck. As a restricted access door sign, it plays a defined role in the Ship Security Plan (SSP) or Port Facility Security Plan (PFSP), reinforcing the physical access controls the Ship Security Officer (SSO) has designated for that boundary.

ISPS0017 is produced on rigid marine-grade board for permanent door fittings or as a self-adhesive vinyl label for curved or painted steel surfaces, both finished to resist UV fading and saltwater exposure in exposed deck locations. A photoluminescent option is available where the door sits on an emergency egress route and needs to remain legible if lighting fails.

Why Restricted Access Door Signage Matters

A perimeter door left unlocked, even briefly, is one of the most common ways unauthorised persons gain access to a ship’s restricted areas. Under the ISPS Code, every access point into a restricted area is a control point in the vessel’s overall security posture, and a door that is not clearly marked invites confusion about whose responsibility it is to secure it after use. A restricted access door sign removes that ambiguity: it tells anyone passing through, in plain language, that the door is not to be left open or unlocked, supporting the layered access-control approach that underpins ISPS security levels 1 through 3. Consistent signage at every designated door also makes it far easier for the crew and for Port State Control to confirm, at a glance, that the physical security measures match what the Security Plan describes.

Compliance and Certification

This is a maritime security sign produced to support the ISPS Code (International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, part of SOLAS Chapter XI-2) – it is not an ISO 7010 hazard pictogram and should not be described as one. Instead, it is intended to reflect the door-control measures documented in the vessel’s Ship Security Plan or the facility’s Port Facility Security Plan, as approved for the Ship Security Officer (SSO), Company Security Officer (CSO) or Port Facility Security Officer (PFSO) to implement. During ISPS audits, Port State Control officers and classification society surveyors routinely check that door signage on board matches the access points and wording specified in the approved Security Plan.

Installation Recommendations

Fit this restricted access door sign at eye level on the door itself, on the side facing the person about to pass through, so the instruction is read before the door is left unattended. On weather-deck doors, choose the rigid board version and fix with marine-grade fasteners rather than adhesive alone, since vinyl exposed to constant spray can lift over time.

• Rigid marine-grade board or self-adhesive vinyl construction for flush or curved door surfaces
• UV-stable and saltwater-resistant printing for long-term exposed-deck use
• Reproduces the standard “Keep This Door Locked” security instruction under IMPA 33.5824 / ISSA 47.558.24
• Optional photoluminescent finish for doors on emergency egress routes
• Sized for single-door fitting at gangway, deck store and hull-opening access points

Order ISPS0017 from Safety Sign Hub’s ISPA Signs range to keep every perimeter access point clearly marked, or browse our Mandatory Signs for related instructional signage covering the rest of the vessel.