WARNINGS, Cautions, and Notes

Functions and presentations

Warning: Highest level

Alerts users to potential hazards that may result in death or injury to workers or public

Warnings involve an actual step that should or should not be taken.

Two-part structures

WARNING: Do not touch the bus bars and circuit boards inside the battery charger access doors. The bars and boards present an electrocution hazard.

Warnings and Cautions are in two parts The step not to do The consequences of ignoring the above

Caution: Medium level

Alerts users to potential hazards that may damage machinery or equipment; also alerts users to actions that may jeopardize the process

Do not sand indoors. The sanding dust will coat curtains and rugs with a fine silt.

Avoid passive voice in warnings and cautions

WARNING: Bus bars and circuit boards inside the battery charger access doors may be energized, presenting an electrocution hazard.

Is the user supposed to energize the bus bar or circuit board?

Active voice for warnings and cautions

WARNING: Do not touch the bus bars and circuit boards inside the battery charger access doors. The bars and boards present an electrocution hazard.

Notes: Lowest level

Calls attention to important supplemental information that may enhance users’ understanding and performance of the procedure.

If you have no turpentine, you may also use other cleaning fluids such as alcohol or benzene. Turpentine, though, is most effective.

Formatting

Visually format warnings and cautions so that they are clearly distinct from instructions and from each other.

WARNING Caution

Visually hierarchize warnings, cautions, and notes

Organize the visual hierarchy of warnings, cautions, and notes so that

WARNINGS are the most visually distinct,

cautions less visually distinct than warnings, and notes less visually distinct than cautions.

All three though should be visually distinct from the stages and steps of the procedure.

One hazard per warning or caution

Identify only a single hazard and the consequences of that hazard for each warning and caution.

Action ≠ Warning/Caution!

Actions to be performed MUST be set up as steps, not placed within cautions or warnings

Do not include actions in warnings and cautions

Caution/Warnings BEFORE Related Steps

(and finally)

Integrate warnings and cautions into the flow of the procedures (don’t lump them together into a separate side or intro section)