ISO 20712-1:2008 prescribes water safety signs intended for use in connection with the aquatic environment. It is intended for use by owners and operators of aquatic environments and by manufacturers of signs and equipment. However, it is not applicable to signalling used for maritime traffic.

The shape and colour required to be used for safety signs, as prescribed by ISO 3864-1, are given together with the graphical symbols contained within each sign. The water safety sign originals meet the design criteria of ISO 3864-3.

ISO 20712-1:2008 specifies the water safety sign originals that may be scaled for reproduction and application purposes.

ISO 20712-1:2008 includes water safety signs which require that supplementary text signs be used in conjunction with these water safety signs to improve comprehension.