Sign o' the times
In my line of work I am frequently called to review the various health & safety signs present within the workplace. This post aims to summarise the main types of health & safety sign and notice, and what they represent. I have presented this successfully to a couple of networking groups, to much acclaim.
In a similar way to road traffic signs, which are given very specific shapes and colours to identify their context, health & safety signs are given specific colour codes so that everyone can readily identify what they relate to.
Let's go through the basics;
- green and white 'safe condition' signs;
- blue and white 'mandatory' signs;
- red and white circular 'prohibition' signs;
- red square 'fire safety equipment' signs;
- yellow hazard triangles; and
- orange and black square hazardous substance (transport safety).
Green and white, usually square or rectangular
This type of sign is called a 'safe condition' sign and will identify things that are directly related to SAFETY such as emergency exit routes and first aid.
Blue and white mandatory signs
These identify things that MUST BE DONE such as wearing personal protective equipment or closing fire doors i.e. mandatory action
MANDATORY = MUST BE DONE
Red and white circles with a red diagonal line
Familar to the majority of people, and very similar to those used in road traffic signs, the red circle with a diagonal stripe through refer to PROHIBITED ACTIONS such as no smoking and no fork lift trucks.
PROHIBITED = CANNOT BE DONE
Red squares; fire safety
Solid red squares with white pictograms (and also often luminescent) relate solely to identification of fire equipment such as hose reels, extinguishers, dry risers, axes, escape ladders, fire blankets and emergency call point buttons.
Yellow hazard triangles
These familar triangles identify potential hazards or sources of harm, such as sudden drops, wet floors, electrocution risks and so forth. The triangle form (but not the distinct yellow and black colour) mirrors road traffic signs idenfiying potential hazards and risks.
Orange and black squares
Strictly speaking governing the transport of hazardous materials, these distinct orange and black squares are often seen on the back of liquid container wagons and barrels. They are used to identify that the contents are hazardous (to health or environment) for example flammable, corrosive, eco-toxic, explosive or carcinogenic.
I hope that this post is useful and acts as a reminder to everyone what the signs amd notices you see around the workplace every day mean.