The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) encourages employers to have various health and safety signs in the workplace to alert employees when approaching a hazardous or dangerous work environment and instil an overall accident-preventative environment.
There are three classifications of mandatory signs in the workplace:
- Danger signs
- Caution signs
- General safety information signs
Why are health and safety signs necessary?
Employee safety is not an option. Therefore, equipping workplaces with regulatory health and safety signs is not only a best practice thing to do – it is the only thing to do.
Avoid violating safety regulations
Regardless of industry, those found to be in violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act may face regulatory and legal consequences. For example, OSHA inspectors will first serve notices on employers who are found officially in breach of mandatory signage and environmental control regulations. In addition, organisations that are repeatedly and wilfully in violation of OSHA and other regulatory agents’ mandates may have their operating licences revoked, and their businesses closed. Furthermore, a company may eventually face criminal prosecution when employers are found to have wilfully ignored safety standards, including warning signs, and that negligence resulted in a worker’s death or disability.
Sufficiently labelled workplaces
OSHA violations are based on a failure to comply with a general duty clause, which states that workplaces must have clear health and safety signs identifying hazards likely to cause severe injury or death. Failure to properly label such hazardous or high-risk areas is the leading cause of safety inspection breaches that result in official notices and fines.
Prevent accidents
Injury and on-site accidents are reduced by using health and safety signs. Studies have shown that inadequate hazard communication standards are the second most-cited workplace violation and the third most common cause of workplace injuries and deaths. With sufficient signage, employees are more aware of workplace hazards and can respond quickly and appropriately when incidents occur, resulting in fewer on-site injuries like slips, falls, being struck by an object, electrocution, etc.
Show integrity
The safety of your employees is critical. Safety signs, symbols, and their interpretations exist solely to protect employees and support the safe, secure jobs they deserve. Your business communicates the value of the people who make it tick by staying up to date and in full compliance with health and safety signs standards.
Types of health and safety signs
All health and safety signs are classified based on the messages they display. These are different types of mandatory safety signs, along with their common symbols, formats, and design elements.
Prohibition signs
Prohibitory signs convey an action, item, or behaviour that is not permitted in the vicinity of the sign. These signs are easily identified as a red slashed circle with central pictograms. The diagonal crossbar descending at a 45-degree angle from the top-left to the bottom-right of the circle crosses a pictogram of the prohibited activity or object. Prohibition signs have a white panel background with black or red pictograms and command text.
Prohibition health and safety signs commonly include:
- Do not open
- No food or drink
- No naked flames
- No photography
- No smoking
Danger signs
Common symbols for danger signs include exclamation marks and “danger” command text. These health and safety signs are placed in areas where there are immediate hazards and risks. Anyone in the area is at risk of severe injury or death if these hazards are not avoided. Danger signs are the most extreme of the general sign types and should be displayed only where such precautions are absolutely necessary. They have their own relevant surround shapes and, most notably, the command word “Danger” printed on the top half of the sign or tag within a red rectangle or oval. This red shape contrasts with a black rectangle on the sign’s larger white background panel, resulting in a high-contrast, high-visibility design.
Some examples of workplace danger signs include:
- Dangerous chemicals
- Electric shock risk
- High voltage
- Radiation risk
Warning signs
Common symbols for warning signs include exclamation marks, an inverted triangle border, and 45 degree-rotated square border. Warning health and safety signs indicate workplace hazard levels that necessitate extra caution and may result in severe injury or death but do not pose an immediate threat at the level of a danger zone. Warning signs’ surround shape is an equilateral rotated square with lines sloping at 45-degree diagonals rather than straight, 90-degree sides on a horizontal base. It also features a black exclamation mark inside a triangle pictogram, printed to the right of “Warning”. Yellow warning signs are also available, with additional black-lined pictograms indicating the behaviour, object, or activity that requires precautions.
Caution signs
These health and safety signs are distinguished by exclamation marks (safety alert symbol) and an inverted triangle border.
Caution signs are the mildest of its danger-level indicators. It is an accident prevention tag, indicating situations that could result in minor to moderate injuries if proper attention is not maintained. There are two main warning signs. First, on the top half of a sign or tag, the command word “Caution” should be in all-caps, all-black text. Second, caution signage is usually printed on a yellow panel background in an inverted triangle or inverted triangle surround shape with a black exclamation mark next to the command word “Caution.”
There are numerous examples of caution health and safety signs in the workplace, including:
- Forklift trucks operating
- Low headroom
- Trip hazard
- Wet floor
Fire signs
Common symbols for fire signs show a fire extinguisher or fire pictogram
There are two kinds of fire signage:
Fire warning signs are a specific type of prohibition health and safety signs indicating that open flames, including smoking and vaping, are not permitted.
Firefighting equipment for emergencies signs indicate the location of firefighting equipment like extinguishers, fire blankets, smoke masks, and hoses.
Unlike many other types of health and safety signs, fire signage does not require a headline like “Caution” or “Warning.” Instead, the text and imagery on the fire signs are printed in white on a red panel background. These signs are commonly found near fire alarms, but they don’t have to be.
General safety and emergency information signs
These health and safety signs have green command text or green panel background. They serve to remind employees of workplace safety rules and best practices and direct them to emergency equipment if necessary.
Text and pictograms printed in green on a plain white background or white on a green background are the two options for general health and safety signs. General safety or emergency information signs should never include the safety alert symbol.
This type of safety sign has a wide range of applications and is multifunctional and should be installed where these items are:
- Emergency phones
- First-aid supplies
- Handwashing, eye-washing, and other sanitation stations
- Safety clothing required
- Safety shutdown procedure manuals
Wayfinding signage
Common symbols for wayfinding signage include arrows, room numbers, and braille. This signage is a crucial functional inclusion in all buildings, offices, and commercial spaces. At its most basic, these health and safety signs are required to designate regular and emergency exit routes. They are critical in assisting employees, customers, and visitors to the workplace in identifying the safest routes from one point to another in the event of an emergency. Wayfinding signage is also used in manufacturing, warehousing, and other industrial settings to indicate proper equipment traffic routes, like forklift lanes.
Notice signs
These health and safety signs feature blue panel backgrounds or command text. They are intended to draw attention to important information about the behaviours, expectations, and activities in a specific area. Notice signs have a similar purpose to general safety and emergency information signs but have a header word. For example, the headline “Notice” will be printed in white against a blue rectangle backdrop in the top half of all notice signs. This header is both the command word and the primary visual symbol that distinguishes notice signs from the rest.
Use notice signs near:
- Bins for waste and recycling
- Food storage areas
- Handwashing stations
- Room or facility housekeeping rules
Construction signs
Common symbols for construction signs are centred worker pictographs on an orange background. Construction signage is classified as a separate category of safety and accident-prevention signs. A construction site accounts for 20% of workplace injuries. In addition, construction is the most accident-prone sector. Only four accident types account for more than half of all construction incidents resulting in injuries and fatalities:
- Caught in between
- Electrocution
- Falls
- Struck-by-object
Construction safety signage directly addresses the construction industry’s “fatal four.” Health and safety signs should be visibly placed within and around construction work zones to reduce on-site accidents, notifying workers of relevant hazards and reminding them of proper safety procedures. Construction safety signage examples include:
- Danger: High voltage
- Danger: Open hole
- Falling rocks/debris
- Hard hat area
Safety colour codes
We’ve explained how health and safety signs are governed by design, placement, and pictogram. They’re also colour-coordinated, with sign categories assigning mandatory background and text colours to be considered compliant. Colour-coded safety signs make it simple for viewers to recognise and register the message on display.
Red signs: danger, fire safety
Red signage is designated to convey immediate danger and signs depicting fire or fire-related information. Red signs should be used wherever there is an imminent danger, including life-threatening work environments with the potential for severe injury or death.
Magenta on yellow: radiation
A high-visibility accident prevention tag with magenta text on a yellow background is used in the vicinity of radiation or radioactive substances. X-ray machinery, proton or neuron-related equipment or areas, or gamma and beta rays are examples of radiation sign deployments.
Yellow signs: warning or caution
Non-life-threatening warning and caution signs are printed on yellow backgrounds, with text against the yellow using solid, all-caps black lettering. Yellow health and safety signs indicate that an appropriate level of caution must be used in an area with moderate risks of accidents and injury.
Green signs: emergency information
Green text on white backgrounds and white text on green backgrounds convey information pertinent to emergency responses. Green safety signs specifically denote health and medical areas, including eyewash stations, first aid equipment, and sanitary supplies.
Orange signs: construction
Orange signs are commonly used in construction site warning areas. Construction and hard-hat area signage conveys the potential dangers of these work sites with medium-grade hazard levels and serves as a reminder to those passing by to be cautious.
White signs: general information
White health and safety signs are designated for general health, safety, and directional information, like restrooms, room labels, phone booths, parking, and wayfinding signage, among other things.
Why choose Sure Signs
Health and safety signs are essential safety communication tools to identify various hazards that may exist in a workplace. However, they don’t only alert workers to the presence of dangers but also help to raise worker safety awareness. To get the most out of health and safety signs and symbols, select the appropriate ones for each work location on your property.
Sure Signs specialises in the manufacture, design and supply of photoluminescent signage. We can custom-make signs to suit your specific requirements. All signs are available in 150 mm, 190 mm, 290 mm, or 440 mm.
Our signage solution is available in natural anodised aluminium frames. They can also be powder coated or anodised in any colour you choose. These signs can be face printed on photoluminescent vinyl, or they can be reversed screen printed an acrylic Perspex.
Contact Sure Signs for details
Sure Signs offers a comprehensive range of health and safety sign solutions and products to a diverse client base throughout South Africa. We have signs for all applications, whether it’s to relay information, issue safety warnings, or make your brand more visible to your customers. Our range of signage products is the ideal solution for all types of South African businesses. Thanks to years of experience and an unwavering focus on customer satisfaction, we are a preferred health and safety sign provider. Contact us for more information about health and safety signs. In addition, we occasionally offer specials on our products, including aluminium, photoluminescent, information, mandatory warning, and COVID-19 signage. These specials are subject to our terms and may change at any time, so be sure to check our site often. Alternatively, please continue to browse our site to find the signage solution you need.