Know your safety signs

We hope this safety signs guide helps you understand what sign type and which symbols to use.  This safety signs guide is designed to make it easier for our customers to ensure their signs help lead to better work environments by giving clear and consistent safety messages. All of the safety signs that are on this website are compliant with the BS EN ISO 7010 regulation

There are 5 main categories of safety signs:

Warning signs are used to highlight a specific hazard. Warning signs have a yellow triangle with either a black exclamation mark or a symbol that gives more information about the hazard.  Supplementary text is used to explain the exact nature of the hazard. For example, Danger hole below

Signs start with a “warning word” indicating the severity of the risk.

Danger

A hazard with a high level of risk where if not avoided is likely to cause death or serious injury.

Warning

A hazard with a medium level of risk. If not avoided could result in death or serious injury.

Caution

This is the lowest level of risk, if a hazard is not avoided it could result in minor or moderate injury.

Some common safety symbols and their meaning are shown below.

General Hazard symbol

Slippery surface symbol

Electricity symbol

Forklift truck symbol

Overhead loads symbol

Flammable symbol

Prohibition signs generally tell the reader they must not do something.

A common use for these signs is to let people know an action is against the rules of a given area. For example, No parking signs

Alternatively, they are in use to letting the reader know an action is not allowed as it could cause a risk to their health and safety or cause harm to those around them. For instance scaffolding incomplete, do not use signs

Prohibition signs are red circles with a diagonal line. Typically these signs have a black symbol to further clarify the message required.

Below are a few example prohibition signs.

Mandatory safety signs are used to highlight something that must be done. For example, eye protection must be worn. They give clear instructions as to the actions needed to stay safe.

Mandatory signs are used to remind people of the PPE that should be worn, hands should be washed and highlight pedestrian routes for instance. A symbol may be used to give further clarification of the instruction. For other mandatory signs, a white exclamation mark on a blue circle is used.

Below are some of the mandatory signs we have available in our shop

Safe condition signs are the ones to look for in an emergency. These green and white signs are used for escape route signs, first aid signs and muster point signs.

These signs have a variety of symbols to give clear direction as to their intended message.

There are many signs in this category that we have designed for you to add your own details to such as locations of first aid kits and defibrillators.

On our website and in our catalogue we group the safe condition and fire equipment signs in an emergency signs section. 

The fire fighting equipment signs in this section are red and white and used for fire alarm call points, fire buckets and fire blankets.

Other signs in this section would be fire extinguisher labels that are used to give you the do’s and don’t for each extinguisher type. These are generally a mix of safe conditions and prohibition symbols.  Fire action notification signs are another example of the combined sign type.

Fire equipment signs are not the only ones to make use of more than one sign style. These can be found throughout the sign range in our shop.

If you can not find the sign you are looking for we are more than happy to design a sign with your exact wording. Our customer service and design team will be able to advise you on the right symbol and colour combinations to ensure your sign is clear and compliant.

More information can be found in The Health and Safety Regulations 1996. Guidance on Regulations on the HSE website