Product Safety Labelling Design for Household Chemical Products Sold in Nigerian Markets

Household chemical products including bleach, disinfectants, insecticides, and detergents sold in Nigerian open markets frequently carry inadequate or entirely absent safety labelling, creating significant public health risks from misuse, accidental ingestion, and improper storage. This project investigates the design of effective product safety labels for common household chemicals sold through informal retail channels in Aba, Abia State, South East Nigeria. A market survey of eighty-two chemical product samples collected from Ariaria International Market and Ogbor Hill Market documented label deficiencies including absent first-aid instructions, missing hazard pictograms, illegible small font sizes, and lack of Igbo-language content. Drawing on international hazard communication standards including the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals and NAFDAC labelling regulations, this project develops prototype safety label designs for five product categories. Labels incorporate standardised GHS hazard pictograms, colour-coded danger level indicators, simplified first-aid instructions in English and Igbo, and child-safety warnings using pictorial formats accessible to low-literacy users. Field evaluation involving fifty market retailers and eighty consumers assessed label comprehension, hazard recognition, and stated behaviour change intentions. Results show a sixty-one percent improvement in hazard recognition and a forty-eight percent increase in correct first-aid knowledge. The project recommends mandatory safety labelling standards for informal market chemical sales enforced by NAFDAC regional inspectors. Keywords: product safety labels, hazard communication, household chemicals, Abia State, visual literacy.