Health and Safety Signage in the Workplace

All employers have a fundamental responsibility for keeping their staff safe at work. 

The regulations require employers to ensure that “safety signs are provided (or are in place) and maintained in circumstances where there is a significant risk to health and safety that has not been removed or controlled by other methods.”

We look at the responsibilities of employers for displaying Health and Safety signage in the workplace.

The latest (2021/22) Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics for work-related deaths and injuries in the UK have just been released:

    •    123 workers killed in work-related accidents, as well as 80 members of the public  
    •    565,000 workers sustained non-fatal workplace injuries
    •    36.8 million working-days lost due to work-related ill health and non
         fatal workplace injuries

Having adequate and effective health and safety signage in a workplace plays a key role in keeping people safe. Good signage highlights important information, prevents injury and helps people to become more aware of their surroundings. When this signage is lacking, employees may not be aware of potential hazards, or know what rules or restrictions exist in certain areas.

As the HSE statistics highlight, it is more important than ever for businesses to follow all applicable safety regulations in the workplace, and to have a clear understanding of their safety signage responsibilities.

What are the Regulations?

The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 set out, at some length, employer responsibilities in this area. There are of course many different types of workplace, and the regulations also extend to the operation of any equipment requiring verbal and/or non-verbal communications.

Full guidance on the regulations from the HSE is available here

What is a Safety Sign?

A safety and/or health sign is one which provides information or instruction about safety or health at work by means of a signboard, a colour, an illuminated sign or acoustic signal, a verbal communication or hand signal.

A signboard is defined in the regulations as a sign which provides information or instructions by a combination of shape, colour and a symbol or pictogram which is rendered visible by lighting of sufficient intensity. In practice, many signboards may be accompanied by supplementary text, e.g. ‘Fire Exit’, alongside the symbol of a moving person.

Signboards can be one of the following:

    •    Prohibition signs – e.g. No Access for Unauthorised Persons

    •    Warning signs – e.g. Danger: Electricity

    •    Mandatory signs – e.g. Eye Protection Must Be Worn

    •    Emergency escape or first aid signs – e.g. Emergency Exit/Escape Route

The regulations provide guidance on safety colours, symbols and pictograms, illuminated signs, acoustic signals, hand signals, verbal communication and more. 

It is important for every company to have designated personnel responsible for keeping on top of the regulations and implementing them. As 2023 is fast approaching, why not make it a New Year’s resolution to carry out a review of your company’s safety signage, to make sure it still complies with the HSE’s regulations.

Using Safety Signs Effectively

Safety signs are to be used when it is necessary to convey the relevant message or information specified in the regulations, but if the hearing or sight of any employee is impaired, for example by wearing personal protective equipment, additional measures should be taken to ensure that employees can see or hear the warning sign or signal. In some cases, more than one type of safety sign may be necessary. 

Safety signs in the workplace also need to be properly maintained – i.e. routinely cleaned, checked or tested, depending on their type. They also have to be such that they maintain their intrinsic features during power failures.