TS ISO 17398

TS ISO 17398 is the Turkish edition of the standard dealing with performance-based classification of safety signs used in the field of safety colours and safety signs. It helps define a safety sign by the environment in which it is expected to operate, the principal materials used, its photometric properties, the means of illumination, the fixing method, and the surface characteristics.

Why performance and durability are treated together

The standard’s core idea is that a safety sign should be assessed not only for immediate legibility, but also for how well it maintains its function over the expected service life. Performance criteria and test methods are specified so that durability-related properties can be described and agreed at the time of delivery. In practical terms, this matters for signs that must continue to communicate warnings, directions, or emergency information clearly over time.

What the classification is meant to distinguish

• Different expected service environments and their impact on use.
• The principal material family and relevant surface characteristics.
• Photometric behaviour linked to visibility and light interaction.
• The means of illumination and the fixing method as part of the overall product definition.
• Electrical power supplies and electrically powered elements, which are outside the scope of the standard.

In general technical use, safety signs support rapid recognition of hazards, mandatory actions, prohibitions, emergency exits, and other safety-related information. The value of this standard is that it links sign identity to measurable product characteristics, so the same sign concept can be specified with comparable performance criteria for different conditions of use.

The standard does not cover the properties of illuminating components themselves, although it does address the photometric properties relevant to particular types of safety signs. That distinction matters because it separates the performance of the sign from the characteristics of the equipment that makes it visible.