The Health and Safety Regulations 1996

The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 (the Safety Signs Regulations) implement European Council Directive 92/58/EEC on minimum requirements for the provision of safety signs at work. This guidance is aimed at helping employers meet their responsibilities under these Regulations.

Summary

All of our safety signs comply with the safety colour regulations. This ensures that certain colours adhere to their specific meanings.

The Regulations require employers to use a safety sign where there is a significant risk to health and safety that has not been avoided or controlled by the methods required under other relevant law, provided use of a sign can help reduce the risk. Safety signs are not a substitute for those other methods of controlling risks such as engineering controls and safe systems of work.

They apply to all workplaces and to all activities where people are employed, but exclude signs used in connection with transport or the supply and marketing of dangerous substances, products and equipment.

The Regulations require, where necessary, the use of road traffic signs in workplaces to regulate road traffic.

Fire Safety

These Regulations implement those parts of the Directive dealing with fire safety. Advice on the use of fire safety signs can be obtained from your enforcing authority for fire safety. In general, these Regulations will not require any changes where existing fire safety signs containing symbols comply with BS 5499. New signs are also acceptable if they are similarly chosen to comply with BS 5499.