Mandatory Signs Provide Important Information to Staff and Visitors
Every construction site has a duty to provide sufficient information to protect the health and safety of anybody who comes near.
A building site is statistically one of the most dangerous working environments around. The UK has a better safety record than many other countries, including the USA, a fact of which the construction industry is justifiably proud.
This impressive record has not come about overnight, and is to a large extent the result of significant regulation in terms of policies, procedures and construction safety signs. Most of these are dictated by the Health and Safety Law Act 1974, which requires safety signs on construction sites to be positioned in highly visible areas, and to advise people of the correct behaviour in order to deal with a given hazard and to minimise health risk.
Risk Assessments
Identifying and displaying the necessary signage is an important part of the overall risk assessment process that construction companies are legally obliged to undertake.
In short, the law requires risk assessments to be undertaken on a regular basis and any identified health and safety risks to be dealt with and mitigated appropriately.
Different options for mitigating the risk should be explored. For example, trip hazards should, where possible, be removed, thus eliminating the risk entirely. In some circumstances this is not possible, for example, where a trench is constructed for underground pipework, it cannot be backfilled till the pipes have been installed.
In this case, the hazard must be indicated to workers using an appropriate construction sign. It is the employer’s responsibility to maintain the signs, to add and remove signs as the risk profile changes and to ensure that visitors and personnel understand what the signs mean in terms of the hazard and how to react to it.
What Signs Are Needed?
The exact signs that are required to remain legally compliant depend on the type of construction being undertaken and the risks and hazards that are identified during the risk assessment process.
However, the following common examples are typically minimum requirements:
Access Signs
Access signs provide critical information about site security, particularly to visitors and contractors. Typical signs include the following information and warnings:
- No entry / keep out signs
- Permitted access signs
- Visitors report to reception signs
- Keep access clear signs
- Work in progress signs
Fire Safety Signs
It is imperative to make sure everyone on site has clear concise information on how to react in the event of a fire. Safety signs including the following make sure the message gets across.
- No smoking
- Fire exits
- Fire assembly points
- Location of firefighting equipment
Safety Clothing
The personal safety of workers is dictated to a large extent by the safety clothing that they wear. Make sure everyone understands the rules.
- Hard hat and safety boots areas
- Safety goggles / eye protection to be worn
- High-vis clothing areas
- PPE areas
Vehicles
The risk profile of a construction site increases exponentially when vehicles are manoeuvring on site. Vehicle safety signs might include the following:
- Sound horn signs
- Parking signs
- Drivers report to reception signs
- Pedestrian warning signs
Specific Hazards
Other signage might be necessary depending on the nature of work being undertaken, for example if asbestos is present or if personnel are working at heights. These should be identified at the risk assessment stage.
Contact us to discuss your health and safety sign needs. We have a wide range of signs in stock and also make custom signs, so we can provide signs for all circumstances.