Health and Safety Signs
The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 bring into force the EC Safety Signs Directive (92/58/EEC) on the use and provision of safety signs in the work place. The purpose of the Directive is to encourage the standardisation of safety signs throughout all of the member states of the European Union. This will help all countries easily identify and understand safety signs wherever they are seen.
The Regulations apply to most places and areas where people are employed, but actually exclude signs and labels used in connection with the supplying of substances, equipment and products or the transport of dangerous goods.
It is required that employers maintain the safety signs which are provided by them, and to also explain unfamiliar signs to their employees and to also inform them about what they need to do when they see a safety sign.
In the case of fire safety signs, where employers decide that a previously acceptable sign is not of a type referred to in the regulations they had until 24 December 1998 to replace it. All other safety signs now need to meet the requirements of the new regulations.
One of the latest requirements within the regulations is to label pipework that contains dangerous substances, this is required by identifying and labelling pipework at discharge or sampling points. The signs are usually Corrosive, Flammable, Explosive and Toxic all colour coded with visual representation.
For most firms already using work safety signs to warn and instruct employees of risks to their health and safety these regulations are unlikely to impose any significant changes due to regulations that are already covered by the existing British Standard BS 5378:Parts 1 and 3:1980 Safety signs and colours. Most of these are already widely used.
Where evacuation from buildings is needed, the regulations require the fire alarm signal to be continuous. Fire alarms conforming to BS 5839: Part 1:1988 Fire detection and alarm systems for buildings do not need changing, nor do other acceptable means such as manually operated sounders.
Fire safety signs can be obtained from your local fire authority or specialised business safety suppliers.
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