ISO 7010 · M-series · Mandatory action

M009 Wear protective gloves

Our drawing, not ISO’s artwork.

Protective gloves must be worn beyond this point. The sign does not say which kind; the job's risk assessment does.

ISO 7010 reference: M009
Registered title: Wear protective gloves ISO Online Browsing Platform, ISO 7010 - M009, Wear protective gloves, reference number and registered title
Colour and shape: Blue circle, white symbol: Mandatory action: you must do this here

What the blue circle means

In HSE’s guidance on the UK Safety Signs and Signals Regulations 1996, a mandatory action sign has a round shape Health and Safety Executive (HSE), L64 Safety signs and signals: The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996. Guidance on Regulations (third edition), Part 2, mandatory signs, intrinsic features (a), page 16 and a white pictogram on a blue background (the blue part to take up at least 50% of the area of the sign) Health and Safety Executive (HSE), L64 Safety signs and signals: The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996. Guidance on Regulations (third edition), Part 2, mandatory signs, intrinsic features (b), page 16

Its colour stands for: Mandatory sign, Specific behaviour or action, eg wear protective equipment Health and Safety Executive (HSE), L64 Safety signs and signals: The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996. Guidance on Regulations (third edition), Table 1, blue, meaning or purpose (page 12)

In the UK: HSE L64

Safety gloves must be worn Health and Safety Executive (HSE), L64 Safety signs and signals: The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996. Guidance on Regulations (third edition), name under the mandatory signs in Schedule 1, page 16

In the US: OSHA

OSHA’s rule below is about the hazard or the equipment, not about the sign itself.

Employers shall select and require employees to use appropriate hand protection when employees' hands are exposed to hazards such as those from skin absorption of harmful substances; severe cuts or lacerations; severe abrasions; punctures; chemical burns; thermal burns; and harmful temperature extremes. US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 29 CFR 1910.138 Hand protection, 1910.138(a)

Signs people confuse with it, or find beside it

Other mandatory action signs

Sources

ISO 7010 is a paid standard. Its OBP entries are free to view, but they are a script-driven app, so the title and reference number above are copied from the entry's own heading as it lists them (read 2026-09-29), not from the paid text. Other lines in quotation marks are HSE’s or OSHA’s words.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE): L64 Safety signs and signals: The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996. Guidance on Regulations (third edition) (published 2015). Used here: name under the mandatory signs in Schedule 1, page 16; Part 2, mandatory signs, intrinsic features (a), page 16; Part 2, mandatory signs, intrinsic features (b), page 16; Table 1, blue, instruction and information (page 12); Table 1, blue, meaning or purpose (page 12). www.hse.gov.uk Checked 2026-09-29.
US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): 29 CFR 1910.138 Hand protection (current eCFR text). Used here: 1910.138(a). www.osha.gov Checked 2026-09-29.
ISO Online Browsing Platform: ISO 7010 - M009, Wear protective gloves (registered safety sign entry). Used here: reference number and registered title. www.iso.org Checked 2026-09-29.