Construction Site Safety Signs

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What are the different types of safety signs and what do they mean?

Employers, site managers and forepersons hold a duty of care to their employees and public visiting a building site, and are responsible for the compliance of health and safety. These signs are also a legal requirement, as outlined in the Health and Safety (Safety signs and signals) Regulations 1996. Safety signage is essential to clearly indicate potential hazards and avoid danger - reducing the risk of an accident. So, here we explain the four different types of safety signs that you could come across whilst on site, and show you some examples of what they look like and what they mean.

Do safety signs need to be a certain size?

In short, the answer is no - there are no rules which formally dictate the sizing of warning signs. The only requirement stated in the Guidance of Regulations is “Where signboards are used in a workplace, ensure that they are sufficiently large and clear to be easily seen and understood.”, and “...size should be appropriate for intended viewing distance…”. Although this advice is quite vague, the size needed should become more apparent with a construction site risk assessment.

If you would like to know more about safety on construction sites, why not read our article about Forklift Safety, or read our tips on Vehicle Load Safety when you collect goods from a Travis Perkins branch.

We also stock a range of safety signs and PPE equipment to help you stay safe and protected on site.

Disclaimer: The information contained on this page is intended as an overall introduction and is not intended as specific advice from a qualified professional. Travis Perkins aims to avoid, but accepts no liability, in the case that any information stated is out of date.