You have a potential health or safety risk and you’ve been told you need to put signage up to reduce the risk but what do you need?
As we step through this article we will try an address this issue and make it easier for you to select the correct signs for the recognised standards in UK workplaces.
There are 4 types of safety signs, Prohibition Signs, Warning Signs, Mandatory Signs and Emergency escape / First-aid.
Prohibition signs are identified by the colour RED, this is a colour that we associate with danger and make us think about stopping an action or not starting it like “No Smoking” or “No Entry”.
Warning signs are identified by the colour YELLOW, this colour we associate with caution which makes us slow down and be more careful. These signs would be like “Warning Falling Rocks” or “Caution – Risk of Electric Shock”.
Mandatory signs are identified by the colour BLUE and are absolute, meaning this action described but be carried out with out exception. Examples of this would be “Eye Protection Must Be Worn”.
And finally Emergency escape or First Aid signs are identified by the colour GREEN. These signs are for information only like to give direction to the nearest fire escape in the event of a fire or to identify an eye wash station.
So do you need a safety sign? The rules say the you need safety signs to convey a message or information as specified in the HSE regulations in Schedule 1. If the sign does not reduce the risk then it is either the wrong sign or not needed. For instance if you put up a “Protective Clothing Must Be Worn” in the tea making area in a small office this would not reduce the risk and is not required, but if that area was handing acids or other chemicals then it would reduce the risk and would be needed.
So you have found your sign put it by the area of risk are you finished? In a word no, you need to make sure the signs are maintained. This is easy to do and requires minimal effort. These signs need to perform there function so the environment must be suitable for instance, if it gets dirty you will need to clean it so it can be read, if it fades in the sun it needs replacing. If you get a power cut do you need to have it illuminated? If it is for a fire escape then yes but if its pointing out the risk of electrical shock then probably no as the risk has been eliminated by the power cut.
Please contact us for your requirements so you can make sure you get the correct sign for the intended use.