Safety and Health Signalization

It is important that employers ensure that their employees are aware of and understand the meaning of safety signs and signals seen or heard during their work, including providing training where necessary. Although most safety signs are self-explanatory, employees (particularly if they are new, young or inexperienced) may be unfamiliar with the meaning of some of the less commonly used signs. It is therefore important that the meaning of any sign is clearly explained, and that employees are aware of the consequences of not following the warning or instruction given by the sign.

Safety signs must be used whenever a hazard or danger cannot be adequately avoided or reduced in another way. Before installing safety signs an employer should examine whether the hazard can be avoided or reduced by collective precautions (precautions that protect everybody) or by safer ways of doing the work.

This module covers traditional safety indications such as 'No entry' signs, but no other means of communicating health and safety information such as hand signals, acoustic signals (e.g. warning sirens on machines) and verbal communication such as pre-recorded evacuation messages.