Meritus Ready — Sticker Spec

1. Purpose

Every Meritus worker has two QR codes: one for credentials, one for life-safety. Both need to be physically present on the worker at the moment of use — a hard hat at the gate, a vest at the scene, a phone case in the ambulance. This spec defines the materials, payload format, and visual requirements for any vendor that wants to print Meritus-compatible stickers.

The spec is open. Any sticker shop can implement it. There is no licensing fee, no exclusivity, no per-unit royalty. Compliant vendors are listed in the Meritus Ready directory. The directory is the moat — the spec is free.

2. The Two QR Codes

Meritus issues two visually and cryptographically distinct QR codes per worker. They MUST be printed as separate stickers and MUST be visually distinguishable at arm's length.

Mixing the two QRs into a single sticker is non-compliant. They MUST be physically separate so a paramedic and a foreman cannot accidentally see each other's data plane.

3. QR Payload Format

Both QR payloads are HTTPS URLs that resolve on getmeritus.org. No proprietary scheme; any standard QR reader works.

Serial format: MER-NNNN-YYYY-XXXX (four-digit year is the issue year). Serials are persistent for the life of the credential.

Token format: URL-safe base64, 32 bytes of entropy. Tokens are opaque — do not parse them. Workers can rotate the token at any time via their dashboard; any sticker printed against an old token becomes inert at the moment of rotation. This is by design.

4. Print Specifications

• Error correction: Level H (~30% redundancy). Required so a partially damaged sticker on a hard hat still scans.
• Quiet zone: Minimum 2 modules of clear space on all four sides of the QR.
• Minimum module size: 0.5 mm printed module size at final scale. Smaller modules fail to scan on weathered surfaces.
• Recommended QR size: 30 mm × 30 mm minimum for hard-hat use. 20 mm × 20 mm acceptable for phone-case inserts. Larger is always allowed.
• Center logo: The shield (credential) or first-aid cross (emergency) MUST be embedded inside the QR within the 30% safe zone. Logo size 20–25% of QR width. White circular background under the logo.

5. Material Requirements

Stickers used on outdoor industrial PPE MUST meet the following minimum specifications:

• Substrate: Marine-grade vinyl or equivalent (3M IJ180Cv3, Avery MPI 1105, or comparable). Minimum 3-year outdoor durability.
• UV resistance: Print laminate MUST include UV-blocking overlay. Unlaminated prints fade in 6–12 months on a sun-exposed hard hat.
• Temperature range: -40 °C to +80 °C operational. Stickers MUST remain readable and non-delaminating at both extremes.
• Abrasion: ASTM D4060 (CS-10 wheel, 1 kg load) minimum 500 cycles to legibility loss.
• Adhesive: Permanent acrylic, rated for textured surfaces (hard hat shell, helmet, FRP, polycarbonate).

6. Recommended Form Factors

• • Hard-hat dome (50 mm round, conformable)
• • Hard-hat flat (35 mm square or round, side or front)
• • Safety vest patch (sewn or adhesive, 40 mm square)
• • Phone case insert (25 mm round)
• • Keychain tag (PVC, double-sided, 30 mm round)
• • Tool-box adhesive (50 mm square)

Vendors may offer additional form factors. The minimum requirement is that at least one credential-QR form and one emergency-QR form are available.

7. Visual Differentiation

A paramedic kneeling beside an injured worker has seconds to identify which sticker to scan. Credential stickers MUST be visually unambiguous as credentials (navy palette, shield mark) and emergency stickers MUST be visually unambiguous as life-safety (red palette, first-aid cross). Vendors MAY add their own branding around the QR but MUST NOT obscure or recolor the central QR or its embedded mark.

8. Token Handling (Emergency QR Only)

Vendors implementing per-sticker token printing MUST follow these rules:

• Source of truth: The current emergency token for a worker is obtained from the Meritus API at order time. Do not cache tokens.
• Audit trail: Each print run MUST be logged with the worker ID, the token printed, and the timestamp. Workers can request this log via their dashboard.
• Reprint policy: When a worker rotates their emergency token (e.g., they suspect a sticker was photographed or stolen), any sticker printed before the rotation is automatically inert — the URL returns 404. Vendors are not responsible for recalling old stickers; they will simply stop working.
• No bulk pre-print: Emergency stickers MUST NOT be pre-printed with placeholder tokens and assigned later. Each sticker is printed for a specific worker against a specific token issued at the time of printing.

9. Compliance Checklist

To be listed as a Meritus Ready vendor, a manufacturer attests to the following:

• □ Two physically separate sticker types (credential + emergency)
• □ Correct color palettes and embedded marks
• □ H-level error correction, 0.5 mm minimum module size
• □ Marine-grade vinyl + UV laminate
• □ -40 °C to +80 °C temperature rating
• □ At least one credential form factor and one emergency form factor
• □ Per-sticker token printing via Meritus API (no caching, no pre-print)
• □ Audit log of every emergency-token print run
• □ Public price list and minimum order quantity

10. How to Get Listed

1. Implement the spec above. Print three test stickers (one credential, two emergency with different tokens).
2. Mail the test stickers and your printed compliance checklist to: [email protected] for a postal address.
3. Meritus tests each sticker for scan reliability, weathering (accelerated UV + thermal cycling), and token freshness against the API audit log.
4. On pass, your shop is added to the public Meritus Ready directory with a listing including form factors, materials, minimum order, lead time, and price.
5. The first vendor in each major region (North America, EU, AU/NZ, UK) to pass certification gets co-launch press and a featured listing.