Safety Signs and
Signals:
Guidance Notes
Table of Contents
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Employers duties ............................................................................................................................ 2
Employee duties .............................................................................................................................. 2
Key terms used ................................................................................................................................ 3
Determining the appropriate signage ........................................................................................ 4
Safety colours ................................................................................................................................ 4
Safety shapes ................................................................................................................................ 6
Using signs as a safety precaution for the public ..................................................................... 6
Fire safety signs .............................................................................................................................. 8
Using signs on containers and pipes ........................................................................................ 8
Training .............................................................................................................................................. 8
22/12/09 – Safety Signs & Signals Guidance Notes
Introduction
The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 set out
minimum requirements for the provision of safety signs at work. Safety signs
are not a substitute for other methods of controlling a risk; they are to be used
to supplement or reinforce other measures, such as engineering controls and
safe systems of work, to reduce risk further.
In determining where to use safety signs, managers need to take into account
the results of the risk assessment made under the Management of Health and
Safety at Work Regulations 1999. This assessment deals with hazard
identification, the risks associated with those hazards, and the control
measures to be taken. Where the control measures identified in the
assessment have been taken, there may be a 'residual' risk that employees
need to be warned of and informed of any further measures which are
necessary to further reduce risks. Safety signs are needed if they will help to
reduce this residual risk. If the risk is not significant there is no need to provide
a sign.
Employers duties
The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations require
employers to:
 Provide and maintain safety signs where risk assessments indicate
risks that cannot be avoided or adequately reduced without them.
 Ensure that employees are aware of any remaining risk and the
associated precautions.
 Ensure that employees know what the safety sign means.
 Provide suitable and sufficient instruction and training for employees on
the meaning of safety signs.
 Provide safety signs to a specified standard.
 To remove the safety sign if circumstances change or if the hazard no
longer exists so that misleading information is not displayed.
Employee duties
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires
employees to:
 Use machinery, equipment, dangerous substances, transport, means
of production or safety devices in accordance with any instruction and
training given
 Inform their line manager or supervisor of any danger to health and
safety posed by a work activity and of any shortcomings in the
protection arrangements.
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Key terms used
Safety sign means a sign referring to a specific object, activity or situation
and providing information or instructions about health or safety at work by
means of a signboard, a safety colour, an illuminated sign, an acoustic signal,
a verbal communication or a hand signal.
Warning sign means a sign giving a warning of a risk to health or safety.
Signboard means a sign which provides information or instructions by a
combination of geometric shape, colour and a symbol or pictogram and which
is rendered visible by lighting of sufficient intensity.
First aid sign means a sign giving information on first-aid or rescue
facilities
Fire safety sign means a sign, including an illuminated sign or an acoustic
signal, which
 provides information on escape routes and emergency exits in case of
fire
 provides information on the identification or location of firefighting
equipment, or
 gives warning in case of fire
Emergency escape means a sign giving information on escape routes or
emergency exits
Acoustic signal means a coded sound signal which is released and
transmitted by a device designed for that purpose, without the use of a human
or artificial voice
Verbal communication means a predetermined spoken message
communicated by a human or artificial voice.
Hand signal means a movement or position of the arms or hands or a
combination of, in coded form, for guiding persons who are carrying out
manoeuvres which create a risk to the health or safety of persons at work.
Illuminated sign means a sign produced by a device made of transparent
or translucent materials which are illuminated from the inside or the rear in
such a way as to give the appearance of a luminous surface.
Mandatory sign means a sign prescribing behaviour.
Prohibition sign means a sign prohibiting behaviour likely to cause a risk
to health or safety.
Safety colour means a colour to which a meaning is assigned.
Symbol or pictogram means a figure which describes a situation or
prescribes behaviour and which is used on a signboard or illuminated surface.
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Determining the appropriate signage
Safety colours
Red
Red is a safety colour and must be used for any:
 Prohibition sign showing actions that are not allowed eg ‘No smoking’
signs. Prohibition signs must be round, with a black pictogram on a
white background with red edging and a red diagonal line, top left,
bottom right. The red section must take up at least 35% of the area of
the sign
 Danger alarm concerning stop, shutdown, emergency cut out devices,
evacuate
 Fire fighting equipment
Red and white alternating stripes may be used for marking surfaces to show
obstacles or dangerous locations.
Blue
Blue is a safety colour and must be used for:
 Any mandatory sign requiring specific behaviour or action eg ‘Safety
glasses must be worn’.
 Mandatory signs must be round, with a white pictogram on a blue
background. The blue section must be at least 50% of the area of the
sign.
Yellow or amber
Yellow or amber are safety colours and must be used for:
 Any warning sign concerning the need to be careful, take precautions
or examine eg electrical danger
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
Warning signs must be triangular, with a black pictogram on a yellow or
amber background with black edging. The yellow, or amber, section
must take up at least 50% of the area of the sign.

Yellow and black alternating stripes may be used for marking surface
areas to show obstacles or dangerous locations.

Yellow may be used in continuous lines to indicate traffic routes.
Green
Green is a safety colour and must be used for:
 Emergency escape signs eg showing emergency doors, exits and
routes, and first aid signs showing the location of first aid equipment
and facilities.
 Escape and first aid signs must be rectangular or square, with a white
pictogram on a green background. The green section of the sign must
take up at least 50% of the area of the sign.
 No danger eg “return to normal”
White
White is not a safety colour but is used for:
 For pictograms or other symbols on blue and green signs
 In alternating red and white stripes to show obstacles or dangerous
locations
Black
Black is not a safety colour but is used for:
 For pictograms or other symbols on yellow, or amber, signs and,
except for fire signs, red signs
 In alternating yellow and black stripes to show obstacles or dangerous
locations
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Safety shapes
Round:
Prohibition sign (red)
Mandatory sign (blue)
Triangular:
Warning sign (yellow or amber)
Square or rectangular:
Emergency escape sign (green)
First aid sign (green)
Pictograms
The meaning of a sign, other than verbal communication, must not rely on
words to communicate its meaning, however a sign may be supplemented
with words to reinforce the message provided the words do not distract from
message or create a danger.
To overcome language barriers, a sign, other than verbal communication,
acoustic signals or hand signals, should use a pictogram and/or other symbol,
such as directional arrows or exclamation mark, to effectively communicate its
message.
The text of any words used to supplement a sign must convey the same
meaning eg a round blue sign with a pictogram showing the white outline of a
face with a solid white helmet on the head means “Safety helmet must be
worn” and any text must maintain the obligatory nature of the message.
Using signs as a safety precaution for the public
The regulations cover the protection of employees, but not the public, from
risks. Where signage is displayed in a public place to inform employees as
well as members of the public, the manager or supervisor should consider
using improved signage or further precautionary measures to ensure there are
no misunderstandings.
Front lit and back lit safety signs
Both front lit and back lit signs must be durable, securely fastened and
maintained to ensure they are in place and can be easily seen for as long as
they are required.
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Front lit signs
Signboards are lit from the front and must be sufficiently large enough and
clear so that they can be easily seen when clean. They should be installed at
a suitable height and in a position appropriate to the line of sight, taking into
account any obstacles, either at the access point to an area in the case of a
general hazard or in the immediate vicinity of a specific hazard or object.
These signs include advisory, warning, mandatory, emergency escape, first
aid or fire safety sign. In conditions of poor lighting it will be necessary to
improve visibility of the sign eg by spotlighting the sign.
Where labels are used on the sign, they must be as prominent as possible
and in outdoor or other locations exposed to adverse environmental
conditions labels need to be replaced regularly to ensure they are legible.
Backlit signs
Illuminated signs are those with a light source inside or behind the device.
They must be sufficiently large enough to be seen when clean. They include
all the types which might otherwise be displayed as front lit signs but also can
include rotating lights used as warning devices on vehicles or plant, control
lights where traffic routes cross and supplements to acoustic fire alarms. The
light emitted by an illuminated sign must produce a luminous contrast which:
 Clearly show the colour and, where appropriate, the pictogram
 Does not dazzle the viewer making it hard to see the surroundings
Flashing lights for use when grave danger arises must be under special
surveillance or fitted with an auxiliary lamp to ensure they are lit at all times
the dangerous conditions are present.
Sound signals
Coded sound signals or acoustic signals are safety signs and when used
must:
 Have a sound level considerably higher than that of the ambient noise
without being excessive
 Be easily recognisable and clearly distinct from any other acoustic
signal and ambient noise.
If the device can emit variable and constant frequencies, the variable
frequency should be used to indicate a higher level of danger or more urgent
action than is indicated by the constant frequency. If the deice can vary the
intervals between sound emissions, the shorter intervals should indicate
greater urgency than the longer intervals.
Where an acoustic signal is used to order an evacuation, the signal should
continue throughout the evacuation.
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Verbal communication
A safety sign in the form of a verbal message must be in a language
understood by the people involved so that it is pronounced and understood
correctly and be reacted to accordingly. A live or recorded voice may be used
and messages must be short, simple and as clear as possible.
Sometimes the verbal message should be repeated in several languages,
such as safety messages on ferries or aircraft.
Hand signals
These signals are movements or position of the arms or hands giving a
recognised signal and guiding persons who are carrying out manoeuvres
which are a hazard or danger to people. Safety signs in the form of hand
signals must be precise, simple, expansive, easy to make and understood and
clearly distinct from other gestures.
The operator must be able to recognise the signalman without difficulty.
Fire safety signs
A sign, including an illuminated sign or an acoustic signal which:
 Provides information on escape routes and emergency exits in case of
fire
 Provides information on the identification or location of fire fighting
equipment
 Gives warning in case of fire
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places duties on employers
to provide fire safety signs and these must be fixed securely and be
sufficiently large enough to be seen. Any signage in place must comply with
BS 5499.
Using signs on containers and pipes
Containers, tanks and vessels used in the workplace to contain dangerous
substances, and the visible pipes in the workplace containing or transporting
dangerous substances, will need to have signs or labels fixed to them unless
the risk is adequately controlled or is not significant.
Training
Managers will ensure that basic training and information is provided with
regard to safety signage used on site and that the employee may encounter
whilst undertaking their normal work tasks.
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