Health and Safety Signage: Top Tips for the Workplace

While printed Signage and materials are a great way to be creative, they can also serve an important purpose. Health and safety signs may not be glamorous, but they play a vital role in keeping us all safe. 

From standard Signage in offices to large, outdoor safety messaging, getting health and safety Signs right is about more than putting them up on every wall. Real consideration needs to be given to the placement and design of safety Signage to make it as effective as possible. 

Here, we’ll be discussing all things safety signage and our top tips for ensuring they keep everyone safe. 

Table of contents

Why health and safety Signs are important

Top tips for effective health and safety Signage

How print can help with health and safety

Image credit: Unsplash

Why health and safety signs are important

In the UK, safety signage is governed by The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996. It requires employers to provide and maintain safety signs whenever significant risk to health and safety can’t be avoided or controlled by other means. 

This type of signage isn’t just reserved for construction sites, every workplace has safety signage of some form: Emergency Exit, No Smoking, No Unauthorised Access, even Wet Floor signs – they’re all designed to keep us safe. 

The main types of safety signs

Different situations call for different signs, and each has its own look so they can be easily recognised:

• Prohibition signs (red circles) tell people what not to do, like “No Entry” or “No Smoking”.
• Warning signs (yellow triangles) flag hazards such as slippery floors, hot surfaces or electrical risks.
• Mandatory signs (blue circles) show what people must do, for example “Wear Hard Hats” or “Wash Your Hands”.
• Safe condition signs (green) point to safe routes, first aid stations and emergency exits.
• Fire safety signs (red) mark fire extinguishers, alarms and assembly points.

Image credit: Pinterest

Top tips for effective health and safety signage

Let’s face it, workplace health and safety signage isn’t the most compelling thing in the world, and can easily fade into the background. It’s important to ensure that they don’t go unnoticed. 

The following tips keep your signage as effective as possible: 

1. Think carefully about placement

Hazard-specific safety signs need to be placed as close to the relevant risk as possible to ensure employees will see them. More general safety signage is best placed in high-traffic areas where people naturally pause, such as break areas, toilets, kitchens and hallways. 

2. Minimise clutter

Avoid clustering multiple signs together where possible. Too much information in one place can cause important details to be missed. Spreading signage evenly throughout the workplace makes it more likely to sink in and be noticed by employees. 

3. Rotate and refresh regularly

If signs are in the same spot for too long they risk becoming “invisible” to the brain. Instead of paying attention, important information will fade into the background as employees get used to seeing it. It’s a good idea to swap and change your safety signage every so often, relocating to new locations or refreshing the design to ensure they capture attention. 

4. Make them eye catching

You want your signage to stand out, so use bold colours, clear fonts and strong imagery. You can use a bit of humour (where appropriate, maybe no puns on anything too important), or get the team involved in the design process to get them more engaged – after all, it’s them that’ll be seeing it everyday! 

5. Your safety signage shouldn’t replace proper training

Remember, your health and safety signage shouldn’t replace proper training and safety briefings. It’s there to reinforce and remind colleagues of proper protocols, not to give brand new information. It can be useful to have signage examples on hand during training, or having photos of them in any manuals or handbooks, to ensure everyone knows exactly what the signs are referring to.

Image credit: Pinterest

6. One sign, one message

Don’t overload a single sign with multiple instructions. Keep it simple. Stick to one idea per sign and focus on communicating the message as clearly and memorably as possible. 

7. Less is more

Don’t overcomplicate your health and safety signage. Use plain language, short, clear sentences that are unambiguous and to-the-point. Use imagery wherever possible and consider any non-English speakers. If you have any visually impaired colleagues, ensure proper steps are taken to ensure their safety too. This might include high-contrast signage, Braille, and tactile flooring. 

8. Use colour coding

Use sensible, recognisable colour conventions for your health and safety signage. For example, green = first aid, red = fire safety, yellow = hazards. It’s a good idea to implement colour coding for any other signage, to help employees mentally link related information, making them more likely to remember it if anything were to happen. 

9. Keep signs vibrant and up to date

Over time, safety signage can fade, becoming dull and hard to read. It’s important to ensure they remain vibrant and legible so they can be easily understood and followed if an emergency happens. All information on the signs should be kept up to date, with any changes in protocol or instructions promptly added to keep everyone safe. 

Image credit: Unsplash

How print can help with health and safety

Heras Fencing Covers

Heras Fencing Covers are highly effective, often overlooked safety solutions for outdoor sites. They attach to temporary fencing, and can be printed with custom branding or messaging. Heras Fencing Covers are frequently used on construction sites thanks to their safety features:

• Choice of two durable materials: 330gsm PVC Mesh for tough water resistance, or 115gsm Aero Mesh for lightweight, wind-permeable signage. 
• B1 fire-rated.
• Built to withstand winds of up to 24mph.
• Hemmed and stitched with secure eyelets every 500mm for quick, secure installation to standard Heras panels. 
• 6 month colour warranty to ensure displays remain vibrant. 

Our large format facilities are able to print any design onto Heras Fencing Covers, meaning they can be used for many different purposes: branding, safety messaging, directional signage, perimeter communication and much more. 

Signage

Your health and safety signs can be created in a number of ways. Display Boards come in a range of substrates, including eco-friendly Recyclable Board that’s kinder to the planet. You can also add drill holes for easy hanging around the workplace. Choose Outdoor Signs for durability on construction sites or at outdoor events, there’s even Magnetic Signs to make good use of the work fridge!   

Vinyl Floor Stickers

The floor is a surprisingly effective place for health and safety messaging. Vinyl Floor Stickers are tough, eye-catching, and ideal for:

• Mark walkways to keep colleagues and visitors a safe distance from vehicles or machinery.
• Highlight hazards like uneven floor or trip risks.
• Point the way to equipment and emergency exits. 
• Give directions around large buildings.

Vinyl Floor Stickers can be handy in any workplace, though you may frequently see them in warehouses, factories, hospitals and retail environments. 

Top tip: Give the floor a good clean and dry before applying them to ensure a long-lasting stick. 

Window Vinyl

There are plenty of ways to get health and safety messaging out there, so why not use your windows too? Our Window Vinyl can be stuck to any glass surface, including doors, partitions and large windows. They are a great way to reinforce safety messaging and reminders, like “Fire Door, Keep Clear” or marking escape routes and restricted access areas. 

Ready to make your workplace safer?

Strong health and safety signage goes beyond ticking boxes – it ensures everyone feels safe and confident in the workplace. At Printed.com, we have plenty of options to create safety signs that are vibrant, durable and cost-effective. Take a look at our full range today, or get in touch with theteam@printed.com, we’re happy to help with any further questions!