GOST 12.4.040-78 PDF

Full title and description

GOST 12.4.040-78 — System of Labour Safety Standards (SSBT). Control elements (organs) of industrial equipment. Designations. Establishes unified graphical symbols, inscriptions, color, shape and size conventions for controls and control positions used on industrial machinery and equipment; excludes control designations for railway, road, air and water transport.

Abstract

This standard defines the visual notation and marking rules for operating controls on production equipment — including single-meaning symbols, combined-symbol compositions, requirements for contrast, color coding (emergency elements in red), placement, and modular drawing rules for symbol artwork. It is intended to ensure unambiguous, durable and easily reproducible markings for safe operation and rapid recognition of control functions and states.

General information

• Status: In force / active (applies in current SSBT practice in CIS jurisdictions and is listed as действующий in contemporary distributors).
• Publication date: Approved by decree 5 April 1978; date of entry into force 1 January 1979; first published 1978 (Standards Publishing).
• Publisher: State standard authority (Gosstandart USSR) — published by Izdatel'stvo standartov (Standards Publishing) in original release; subsequently reproduced by national standards distributors.
• ICS / categories: ICS 13.100 (Safety of machinery; safety of industrial equipment — marking and controls).
• Edition / version: Original designation 12.4.040-78 (1978); contains published amendments (Изм. №1, №2, etc.) in later reprints/editions.
• Number of pages: Typical printings reported between 15 and 26 pages depending on edition/annexes; different distributors list 15 or 26 pages for various reprints.

Scope

Applies to control organs (pushbuttons, switches, levers, selectors, indicators, knobs and other operator interfaces) on stationary and manufacturing equipment. Sets rules for symbolic representation, inscription use, color coding, form and sizing of control elements so that functions and states are transmitted reliably to operators. This standard does not cover control designations for transport vehicles (rail, road, air, water).

Key topics and requirements

• Graphical symbols as preferred primary means of designation — each semantic meaning must have a unique symbol.
• Symbols must be attention-catching, easy to memorize, and reproducible by multiple manufacturing methods (printing, stamping, engraving, decals, etc.).
• Combined symbols allowed but should consist of no more than three basic elements to preserve clarity.
• Placement rules to ensure unambiguous association of symbols with specific controls and positions; inscriptions may be used where symbols are insufficient.
• Color rules (contrast requirements); emergency-action controls must use red coloring per referenced safety sign standard.
• Modular drafting rules for original symbol artwork: grid module (8 mm typical), line-thickness options, and scaling guidance for production use.
• Requirements for size, shape and anti-glare surface treatment to ensure legibility under expected operational lighting.

Typical use and users

Used by machine designers, control-panel layout engineers, safety specialists, technical illustrators, standards writers, manufacturers of industrial equipment, and regulatory bodies responsible for occupational safety and machinery conformity. Also referenced in sectoral and machine-specific standards for consistent control marking and safety documentation.

Related standards

Closely related to other SSBT and GOST documents governing safety signs, color coding and control requirements — for example GOST 12.4.026 (safety signs and labels), GOST 12.2.064 (general requirements for control organs / machine safety), and other machine-safety or marking standards cited in sector regulations. It is commonly cross-referenced by machine- and process-specific safety standards.

Keywords

control symbols, operator controls, graphical notation, safety marking, color coding, emergency control, control-panel labeling, SSBT, GOST 12.4.040

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: A USSR/CIS labour-safety standard that specifies symbols, inscriptions, color and sizing rules for controls and control positions on industrial equipment (GOST 12.4.040-78).

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers the design and application of visual designations for control elements — symbols, inscriptions, color, form and modular drawing rules — to make control functions and states unambiguous and easily perceived by operators.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Equipment designers, safety engineers, technical drafters, manufacturers of control panels, regulatory and certification bodies, and authors of specialized machine-safety standards.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The document is listed as active in contemporary standards catalogues and continues to be referenced by machine- and sector-specific safety standards; it has received later amendments but remains the base designation for control-element notation in SSBT practice.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it is part of the System of Labour Safety Standards (SSBT) and belongs to the GOST 12.4 family covering various aspects of occupational safety, marking and protective equipment.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Control symbols, operator controls, marking, safety symbols, color coding, emergency stop, control-panel design, GOST, SSBT.