Sign of our times
June 1st 2008

Safety signs are now about much more than just providing a warning or indicating a risk. Spectrum Industrial's John Billington takes a look at the increasing importance of signs in preventing accidents and protecting staff, customers and the general public

The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 emphasise the importance of safety signs in the workplace. This EU-wide directive was designed to standardise safety signs, so they are easily understood by anyone from within the member states of Europe. The 1996 regulations require that employers take greater responsibility for providing safety signs whenever there is a risk that has not been avoided or controlled by other means.

The main four types of signs are mandatory, prohibitory, hazard warning and safe conditions signs:

Mandatory signs

Recognisable by their blue circular pictogram and background with a white image and text, mandatory signs are widely used on construction sites and by manufacturing businesses as they give orders that must be carried out, for example, safety helmets must be worn.

Prohibition signs

These have a black pictogram encircled by a red band crossed by a diagonal red bar. Examples of prohibition signs are: No Smoking, No Parking, No Exit, No Entry, No Mobile Phones and the like. As the name indicates, these signs give an instruction not to do something. Prohibition signs are very important in commercial and public buildings, especially since the introduction of the smoking ban in England and Wales in 2007, which meant failure to display No Smoking signs at every entrance to a building could result in £1,000 fine for a business. Employers, managers and those in control of premises need to take reasonable steps to ensure that staff, customers and visitors are aware of the new law and do not smoke in buildings. They should also be displayed in company vehicles which are used by more than one person, with a sign displayed in each compartment.

Hazard warning signs

Hazard warning signs are the yellow and black signs that warn of imminent danger, such as wet floor, a trip hazard, hot water or asbestos. These signs are available to attach to a wall or to A-boards and are suitable for use in any building.

'Safe condition' signs

'Safe condition' signs, by contrast, show a white pictogram and text on a green or red background. This legislation required that escape route signs must be paired with an appropriate pictogram. Safe routes must be indicated not just for the able bodied, but also for those who are less mobile, in line with DDA regulations.

With the relaxation of work boundaries between EU countries, it is becoming more important that all workers are aware of and can therefore respond to any potential risks. With a multiplicity of different ethnic groups and language speakers now commonly found in a business, it is vital that they can understand the risks and heed the warnings.

This has led to increasing demand for signs in foreign languages, to cater for the linguistic diversity of a modern workforce. Most signs are now available in the 11 major European languages as well as Russian and foreign language signs can also be produced to suit bespoke requirements.

Other groups which may require special attention are those with visual impairments. Taktyle Braille signs are now becoming widely used, particularly in public buildings.

As part of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995, signs which are easily accessible to the blind or visually impaired should be used in all relevant locations.

Safety signs are now much more than just providing a warning or indicating a risk. Recent developments in sign technology include special coatings using silver ion technology on signs to minimise the transfer of bacterial infection – within our range these are known as BioSign. With the recent cases of MRSA or E.Coli in high risk environments, such as food processing plants, hospitals and care homes, these signs actually minimise the transfer of bacterial infection. All signs are 100% coated and this protection lasts for the lifetime of the sign. It also helps prevent the spread of nearly 150 strains of bacteria, providing an anti-microbial surface that cannot be washed off and does not lead to bacterial strains developing a resistance.

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