A multi dimensional analysis of warning signal words

Warning signal words (e. g. DANGER, WARNING and CAUTION) are often used on warning signs and labels to denote the level of hazard implied by the situation they indicate. This process of hazard matching assumes that warning signal words communicate primarily hazard and yet we know little about the alternative associations they may communicate. Here we take a broader perspective on warning signal words and consider whether they do lie on a single dimension of hazard or whether they are in fact multidimensional. Multidimensional analysis of similarity ratings of 17 signal words ratings revealed three dimensions - the level of hazard implied by the signal words, the extent to which they explicitly implied a risk and the explicitness of the instruction given. A follow up study supported the interpretation of dimensions 1 and 2. The results support the practice of using signal words to achieve hazard matching, and further suggest that there might be utility in mapping signal words to the conditions that they indicate in terms of the extent to which the situation or product constitutes an explicit risk.