From entrances and site hoardings to the areas where machinery is in use, health and safety signs are displayed all over construction sites. If you work on construction sites, you will have undoubtedly seen them in bright colours and different shapes and sizes.
Construction safety signs must follow a particular shape and colour, and if you are on a construction site, it is vital that you learn the meaning of the signs and the messages they are portraying to keep yourself safe. In this guide, we explain the purpose of safety signs, the different types of site warning signs, and when they are needed.
What are safety signs?
Everyone working on a construction site must know the potential hazards they could face on a daily basis.
A safety sign provides information or instructions by a combination of shape, colour and a symbol or pictogram about safety or health at work. Essentially, safety signs deliver important bits of information, letting you know about the hazards to watch out for or requirements that you must obey, how to react, what to do in the event of an emergency, and what rules you need to follow to avoid having an accident at work.
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What are the different types of site warning signs?
- Warning Signs
- Mandatory Signs
- Prohibition Signs
- Safe Condition, Emergency escape or first-aid signs
- Fire Equipment Signs
Warning Signs
Features: triangular shape with a black pictogram on a yellow background with black edging
A warning sign alerts construction workers to potential dangers or hazards that they should be aware of. Generally, a warning sign is the first one you might see with the text ‘Warning Construction Site’. A warning sign should be triangular with a black border, and any symbol or lettering is also black on a yellow background.
Some examples of where a warning sign should be used are:
- High voltage
- Wet floor
- Danger
- Highly flammable gases
- Under construction
Mandatory Signs
Features: round shape with a white pictogram on a blue background
Mandatory signs display actions you have to obey to keep yourself and others safe, such as when high-vis clothing must be worn. These mandatory signs are circular and tend to be blue with white wording and images.
Some examples of where a mandatory sign should be used are:
- Eye protection must be worn
- A safety helmet must be worn
- Ear protectors must be worn
- Safety gloves must be worn
- A safety harness must be worn
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Prohibition Signs
Features: round shape with a black pictogram on white background, red edging and diagonal line
Prohibition signs are put up across construction sites to display actions you must avoid, such as “No Smoking”. All prohibition signs have a red circle with a red line across it, and the image of what is prohibited will be black on a white background.
Some examples of where a prohibition sign should be used are:
- No entry
- No smoking
- Smoking and naked flames forbidden
- Speed limit
- No parking
- Water is not drinkable
Safe Condition, Emergency escape or first-aid signs
Features: rectangular or square shape with a white pictogram on a green background
Safe condition signs don’t warn you about danger; they are put in place across construction sites to alert workers to a safe place. For example, they may let you know where the first aid kit is or where a fire exit is.
Some examples of where a safe condition sign should be used are:
- Emergency exit or escape routes
- First aid kit
- Fire assembly point
- Emergency shower
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Fire Fighting Signs
Features: rectangular or square shape with a white pictogram on a red background
Fire equipment signs show where fire equipment is stored on a construction site. These signs will be red, but they are in a square or rectangular shape, so they are not similar to prohibition signs. These signs will also have details about the fire equipment that is being stored.
If you are looking for fire retardant products to use on your construction site, here at Proguard, we not only have a heavy-duty polythene sheet that can be used on a construction site, but we have flame retardant polythene sheets that you can use.
Some examples of where firefighting signs should be used are:
- Fire alarm
- Hydrant
- Extinguisher
- Fire blanket
You can find out more about safety signs and signals by reading the HSE regulations guide.
What type of health and safety signs are triangular?
Warning signs, which give warning of potential risks, are the only safety signs that are in a triangular shape.
When are safety signs needed?
Before you start putting up any safety signs, there are a few steps to need to follow.
Risk assessment
You should conduct a risk assessment before any construction work takes place as this will highlight any potential hazards in the workplace and can note the most significant areas in need of a safety sign.
Reassess areas and update signage
During a project, you should reassess areas of the site where work is being carried out to ensure each sign is still relevant and that any signs that are damaged, discoloured or unclean are replaced.
Put in control measures
Just putting up a warning sign is not enough. You need to ensure that any potential accidents are avoided by putting a control measure in place with every hazard that has been identified.
Pair safety signs
In many cases, you should look to pair signs together. So, if there is a warning sign for work overhead, then a mandatory sign for wearing a hard hat could be paired with it.
Use road signs
At entrances and on-site roads, you should use road signs to warn drivers and other workers.
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It is essential that safety signs are being used properly on construction sites to help keep workers and visitors alike safe. Likewise, it is essential to use floor protection and other temporary protection products to help keep materials safe whilst carrying out a construction job.
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