ChurchSafety Home >> Information Contents Safety signs Safety signs and posters are a useful tool to give people the information that they need about safety precautions, hazards and equipment in and around the premises.  Signs can be used to compliment other preventative and protective measures, with other signs being a requirement of legislation, such as exit signs. There are a number of styles of safety sign that are used, each characterised by a specific shape and colour. The use of a certain type depends on the message that the sign carries. See the below table:

Green signs are called "safe condition" signs. These signs can either tell people the location of safety equipment, such as first aid equipment and fire exits, or tell people that it is safe to do something in case of an emergency. The example shown is a First Aid sign, which is a white cross on a green background. Red signs are called "fire safety" signs. They are used only for showing the location of fire extinguishers and other fire safety equipment. The example shown is for a fire extinguisher which shows a white fire extinguisher logo next to white flames and both are on a red background. Blue circles are called "mandatory" signs. These signs give orders: you need to do whatever is written on the sign. The example shown is a Fire Door sign with white words "fire door keep shut" printed on a blue circle. Red circles with a line through them are called "prohibition" signs. You must not do whatever is shown on the sign. The example is a No Smoking sign which shows a red circle with a diagonal line crossing out a black cigarette on a white background. No smoking laws in the UK usually require certain text to be displayed on this sign, such as "It is against the law to smoke in these premises". Yellow triangles are called "caution"  signs. These should be used if something dangerous needs to be brought to people's attention. The sign shown is a general warning symbol that is used with text to show a hazard. This sign shows a yellow triangle with a black border on which an exclamation mark is drawn. Use warning signs with caution - it usually means that you have not put enough precautions into place if you need to use a sign.

Other signs may be used to indicate toilets and so on. These can be any format you wish, but you must not be able to confuse them with safety signs. You do not need to use symbols on these signs but it is useful to include them. All safety signs need to carry the right symbol to be compliant with the law. Note that many signs do not need text because symbols are used to give a multi-lingual sign. It is recommended that you include text to help make sure that you get over your message. In some cases, tactile signs are useful to help those who are visually impaired and many signs are available in multiple languages, such as Welsh and English. Signs for Fire Safety Apart from exit signs (see the Exit Signs page for more information), you need signs that show where your fire extinguishers are. These signs can also include information about the contents of the fire extinguisher and what fires it is safe to be used on. You fire extinguisher service company should be able to advise you and these signs are usually supplied with the extinguishers. Some doors in your Place of Worship might need to be kept shut for fire safety reasons because they are designed to hold back fire and smoke. Use a blue mandatory sign to tell people either "fire door keep shut" when the door has a device that closes the door automatically or "fire door keep locked" if the door must be locked to secure the door shut. Old red triangle or diamond shaped signs are no longer compliant with the requirements of the regulations. Health and Safety Signs Signs can be a useful addition to the safety precautions within a building, but are not usually sufficient alone to control risk.  Used with care, after all other options have been considered, signs can reduce any remaining small risk by informing people of safety hazards and precautions. A sign is not required for every conceivable hazard so always exercise discretion over where signs are used and the size of the sign. Remember this fact about signs: Of those that walk past a sign, 80% will see it is there, 60% will read it, but only 40% will take any action (and probably fewer will take the desired action!). Any sign provided for safety reasons needs to conform to the general styles of sign as shown above, remembering that it is the symbol on the sign and not the text that is more important. Where coloured tape is used, it would be normal to use black/yellow stripes, but sometimes red/white is used. Single colour tapes should be avoided. It would be normal to consider the following signs: No smoking signs (as required by UK no-smoking laws) Hot surface signs for heaters that get excessively hot Hot water signs near taps when the hot water temperature is not regulated Prohibition signs to limit access to unauthorised personnel from boiler rooms and confined spaces unless this is adequately controlled by other means A first aid sign where the location of the first aid equipment is not clear A "wet floor" or "cleaning in progress" free-standing warning sign for use when cleaning is in progress - such signs are typically used in hospitals, offices and shops Signs used in car parks and drive ways should conform to the styles of sign used on the highway. For more details, consult the Highway Code. Material and fixing methods By far the best option for Places of Worship is to use rigid plastic signs fixed with self-adhesive pads or screws.  It is becoming common practice to use an adhesive like a silicon sealant, however this is not recommended in historic buildings as it is difficult to remove and can cause irreparable damage. Self-adhesive backed vinyl signs are also available and can reduce the time taken to fix the signs in place but these signs can peel off over time. Metal and poly-carbonate signs are ideal for outside areas where vandalism might be a problem and can be fixed with security screws for additional protection. Some signs are available in aluminium and brass finished to compliment door furniture where aesthetics are important. In some historic buildings, there might be objection to installing signs on walls. Alternative locations can include doors, hanging off pipes or suspended off electrical conduits. Signs could be fitted onto stands or frames which can be easily constructed out of weed, as sometimes seen in historic buildings. Some signs are available in glow-in-the-dark finishes, known as "photo-luminescent". The material glows for several hours after the light goes off. These are not a substitute for normal emergency lights, but are recommended where there is no emergency lighting installed and in places where the sign must be seen. These signs are more costly than normal signs, but the additional cost is worthwhile. Posters To comply with the current Health and Safety regulations, you need to display the current "Health and Safety Law" poster that is published by the HSE. It is available in all good bookshops. A new poster has recently been produced by the HSE which is more user-friendly compared to the previous poster. Existing posters (of the old design) are still useable up to 2014 as long as the information boxes are completed correctly. An alternative to the poster is to give the leaflet version to all employees and volunteers. You might also need to display some posters that tell people information about safety policies and procedures. These might drawer somebody's attention to certain precautions or tell someone how to do something. This includes a fire action poster, which tells people what they need to do in a fire. We have produced an example fire action poster on this Website. If you plan to produce your own posters, you might find the best results would be from black laser print as ink-jet print can fade over time. Some colour can help attract people's attention to the sign but use the standard safety symbols shown above for best impact. Laminating the poster will also protect it from becoming damaged. Additional Information Safety Sign Supplies ChurchSafety recommends Viking Signs as a supplier of quality safety signs.  An extensive rage of  quality signs is available to purchase online - visit their Safety Signs Website. [Home Page] [About Us] [Site Map & Search] [FAQ]