Background
When the European Commission passed the EU Council Directive 2004/27/EC - Article 56(a), the European Blind Union (EBU) circulated a Guidance Document for use by the pharmaceutical industry and supporting organisations (for example design organisation, carton manufacturers and label manufacturers).
Best endeavours were used to encourage both Braille authorities and organisations representing blind and partially sighted people across the European Union to agree to allow the pharmaceutical industry to apply braille to their packaging following the EBU Guidance.
More information about the EU Directive can be found on our pharmaceutical home page.
Where is the EBU Guidance?
The current EBU Guidance can be found on the EBU pharmaceutical braille website. It's accessible through a subscription based website area.
Information displayed includes:
1. The EBU Guidance (Alphabet, numbers, symbols, common abbreviations including units of measurement.)
2. A list of those countries where EBU Guidance has been accepted (with relevant notes relating to exceptions or limitations where applicable).
3. The Braille Code for each EU Country in relation to the corresponding alphabet, numbers, symbols, common abbreviations (including units of measurement so that a comparison can be made where a country does not choose to implement EBU Guidance).
4. Frequently Asked Questions (There will be a section of FAQ with a response giving best practice advice available).
Will EBU Guidance apply to all?
Some braille authorities or representative organisations may not accept the EBU Guidance in their country. There will be a list of countries where EBU Guidance does and does not apply on the EBU pharmaceutical braille website.
The Braille Code for each EU Country in relation to the corresponding alphabet, numbers, symbols, common abbreviations including units of measurement will be displayed for information in so much as the information is available.
Dot height for braille
RNIB always recommend checking the Braille height against current RNIB and European Blind Union (EBU) guidelines for dot height as these are current verified standards.
The current RNIB recommendation for Braille dot height is: 0.46mm
The current EBU recommendation for Braille dot height is: 0.5mm
With this said we have been working very closely with the pharmaceutical industry, carton manufacturers, and label manufacturers to develop a Braille dot height standard that works within the production capabilities of the industry, whilst still ensuring a high percentage of users can read the Braille.
Current British Standard
The current British Standards Institute (BSI) Draft for Development refers to a dot height of 0.12 mm for embossed materials and 0.2 mm for other materials. It also provides advice on aspects such as dot height, spacing, measuring techniques and positioning, and can be purchased directly from the British Standards Institute.
RNIB and the EBU in the spirit of compromise accept the current recommendations made by BSI although we would strongly recommend that a minimum target height of 0.2mm is aimed for as a much higher percentage of Braille readers can identify Braille at this height and this is likely to be the target height set in the future. This view is supported by the Braille dot height research that been carried out as part of the CEN (The European Committee for Standardization) standard development process.
CEN document due in 2010
Through the CEN process RNIB, EBU and key stakeholders in the pharmaceutical industry and related packaging industry have carried out very thorough and lengthy consultations and negotiations as part of the standard development process. This will result in the publication of a document defining target dot height and tolerances. We believe that CEN will strive to set a target height of 0.2mm, and that minimum parameters will be set to ensure that dot height does not fall below 0.12mm. This document is due to be published in 2010 and we would recommend contacting BSI for an update on progress.
Marburg Medium Braille
You will find Marburg Medium mentioned in various documents. The specifications for this can be found on our Tiresias website in the table on the Braille Cell Dimensions page.
Contact us
RNIB Business Development Team
Tel 01733 37 53 45
Email ebupharma@rnib.org.uk