Evaluating Safety Color Hazard Perception Across Different Color Vision Types

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K02353
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 08030:Family and consumer sciences, and culture and living-related
• Research Institution: University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan
• Principal Investigator: Ochiai Nobuhisa 産業医科大学, 医学部, 助教 (90386649)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 安全色 / リスク認知 / 色覚 / バリアフリー / ユニバーサルデザイン / 高齢者 / 色覚異常 / 色彩

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of new safety colors incorporated into the Japanese Industrial Standard, which was revised in 2018 to improve color vision accessibility. We explored hazard perception across old and new safety colors by assessing perceived hazard levels and conducting color identification tasks using color names and charts. Participants included older adults, those with congenital red-green deficiencies, and those with normal color vision. The new red color was perceived as less hazardous than the old standard color across all groups. There was no significant difference between red, yellow, and orange colors in the new standard, suggesting its limited effectiveness as a safety color. Although 44% of older adults showed blue-yellow deficiencies and 62% with congenital red-green deficiencies showed intensity anomalies, hazard perception for safety colors did not differ markedly from the normal color vision group.

Free Research Field

色彩心理学、人間工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

日本産業規格（JIS）の安全色は、2018年改正の新規格において、色覚バリアフリーに対応したユニバーサルデザインカラーを採用し、旧規格とは異なる色に変更された。JIS新規格安全色は、色の見分けやすさの評価に基づき選定されており、色覚バリアフリーの観点からは効果が検証されているが、他の評価指標による検討はされておらず、安全色として有効に機能するかどうかは不明である。本研究は、異なる色覚特性を有する人々を対象に、JIS新規格安全色の有効性をリスク認知の観点から実証的に検討し、新規格の赤の有効性に疑義を呈する結果を導き出した点で学術的・社会的意義を有する。