Wash Your Hands Sign

Wash Your Hands Sign – ISO 7010 Mandatory Symbol MS0015

The Wash Your Hands sign is a mandatory hygiene pictogram used throughout galleys, mess rooms, medical bays, and washroom facilities aboard ships to instruct crew, catering staff, and visitors to wash your hands before handling food, after using sanitary facilities, or before medical procedures. Rendered in the internationally recognised ISO 7010 blue circle with a white photoluminescent pictogram of hands being washed under running water, this sign gives a clear, unmistakable instruction regardless of language or literacy level.

Onboard vessels, maintaining strict hand hygiene is essential to preventing the spread of gastrointestinal illness and infection in the confined, shared living conditions typical of maritime environments. Galley entrances, crew mess facilities, medical bays, and washroom exits are key locations where a visible reminder to wash your hands supports the vessel’s public health standards and helps prevent outbreaks that could affect an entire crew complement during a voyage.

Why Washing Your Hands Matters

Failing to wash your hands at critical points, particularly before food handling and after using sanitary facilities, is one of the most common causes of preventable illness outbreaks aboard ships. In the close quarters of a vessel, an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness can spread rapidly through the crew, affecting operational capability and requiring costly medical intervention. A clearly displayed mandatory sign at every relevant location removes reliance on memory alone and reinforces hygiene practice as a routine, non-negotiable part of shipboard life.

Compliance and Certification

This sign is manufactured to the ISO 7010 international graphical symbol standard, ensuring the pictogram is instantly recognisable to seafarers and catering staff regardless of nationality or first language. Hygiene signage of this kind supports compliance with the ISM Code’s requirements for documented health and safety procedures, and complements the broader shipboard safety and welfare regime established under SOLAS Chapter II-2. Fitting compliant, durable signage at galleys, mess rooms, and washrooms helps demonstrate a proactive health and safety culture during flag state and port state control inspections.

Installation Recommendations

Mount the Wash Your Hands sign at galley entrances, crew mess rooms, medical bays, and washroom exits at eye level so it is seen at the point of decision. Fix the sign using stainless steel screws, rivets, or a suitable marine-grade adhesive so it withstands humidity, cleaning chemicals, and frequent contact in high-traffic areas. Choose the photoluminescent variant for washrooms and galleys where lighting may be reduced during off-hours, and inspect signage periodically as part of routine hygiene and safety rounds to confirm it stays legible and securely fixed.

• Manufactured to ISO 7010 mandatory pictogram standard (blue circle, photoluminescent symbol)
• Rigid or self-adhesive 425 x 425mm panel to suit bulkhead or equipment mounting
• UV-stable and saltwater-resistant construction for reliable long-term marine performance
• Photoluminescent charge provides visibility during power loss or low-light conditions
• Multiple fixing options available including screw-fix, rivet, and adhesive backing

Order the Wash Your Hands Sign (SKU: MS0015) today to reinforce essential hygiene practice across your vessel’s galley, mess room, and washroom facilities.

For related shipboard safety requirements, browse our Hazard Signs and Fire Fighting Signs categories to complete your vessel’s compliant signage package.