Health and Safety Laws - Signs for the Workplace

In the UK in 1996 regulations were put in place with regards to the placement of health and safety signs in order protect people from any kinds of risks.  However, at no time should such signs be used as a replacement for having in place the right sorts of engineering controls and safety systems.

As you will soon discover there are many different kinds of health and safety signs that businesses need to be using. In this article we take a look at just a few of them and which should comply at all times with the Health and Safety (Signs and Signals) Regulations that came into force in April 1996.

1. First Aid Sign - On this type of sign it should show where first aid or rescue facilities are located when needed, including the position of a first aid kit for minor emergencies.  Plus these signs should also clearly explain what is to be done in the event of an emergency as well as provide numbers for contacting the emergency services.

2.  Fire Safety Signs - There are various different types of signs that you will see throughout premises relating to these.  Some are solely displayed to provide details of where the exits are and which must be used in the event of a fire when evacuating a building.  Whilst others will display what fire fighting equipment is available and where it is positioned.  These signs will also explain how the equipment should be used.

3.  Prohibition Signs - These are pretty self explanatory and will prohibit a person from carrying out a particular behaviour which could not only put themselves but others at risk as well.

4.  Mandatory Signs - Again these signs like the prohibition ones are very self explanatory.  They however require the person to follow certain procedures to reduce the risk to themselves and others.  One sign that is considered to be a mandatory sign will be found on construction sites where it states "hard hats must be worn at all times".

5.  Warning Signs - These types of health and safety signs are used to show that there is a clear risk to your health and safety and should be noted.  Such signs are often found in many kinds of facilities but generally in high risk situations such as construction sites, factories and science facilities.

Above we have looked at the kinds of health and safety signs that need to be displayed in premises throughout the UK today.  If signs are displayed incorrectly or no signs displayed at all then a business could be faced with some rather large fines for not doing so.  It is also important that businesses learn the importance of maintaining these signs.