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Mandatory signs are signs normally placed in areas where people work, as also in places where any potential hazards may occur. When employees see these signs, they know they need to take all necessary precautions so that no loss, injury or illness is sustained. Types of Signs Basically there are three types of signs displayed at the workplace. All mandatory signs require a colour combination of red/black painted on white/black. A sign displaying the ‘A’ triangle means caution or impending danger. Caution could be any potential hazard. Danger indicates definite hazard and the colours used would be black painted on yellow, and white painted on red. When you see the A square sign it will indicate information. The Emergency sign shows where first aid is available; it also indicates fire fighting, fire protection and where other emergency equipment is stored. A general sign will guide you with regard to public information; such signs are green/white painted on a blue sign symbol. Signs for Machinery and Equipment When it comes to equipment, the colour Red stands for danger. It is a warning to stop inflammable liquid containers, use emergency stop bars, and use of stop buttons. For hazardous machinery parts the colour Orange is used – these parts would include cutting devices, gears, pulleys, power jaws, rollers etc. The colour Yellow would indicate caution to be used with regard to hazards such as stumbling, striking against, tripping, falling or being squeezed. Yellow is also used for flammable materials and containers used for unstable or corrosive materials. The colour Green indicates where you will find safety equipment, first aid, stretchers, emergency showers and emergency exits. Blue indicates signs where information can be got for protective equipment (personal use). When putting up mandatory signs you need to decide what message is to be conveyed to the staff and visitors to the work place. How to Make Signs? When making a mandatory sign, the first word’s first letter should be a capital alphabet. For the rest of the words used, you can use small letters. The warning words in the sign should be appropriately chosen and can all be put in capital letters. This will heighten the meaning as in ‘DANGER’. For mandatory signs the more popular font styles used are Sanserif i.e. Arial, Futura, Folio Medium, Helvetica, and Univers. The procedure is to put only one message on a sign. For all signs, safety colours should be used and kept to a minimum. For employees who are colour blind symbol signs with text can be used. Other methods of making signs stand out are audible alarms, flashing lights and coloured controls. Pointer signs need to have blunted or round corners to avoid burrs, sharp edges, splinters and other sharp projections. Make Signs Easily Readable If the signs are well lit, they will be easy to recognize. The sign should be placed within a reasonable distance from whichever hazard it concerns so that the person sees it in time and can take whatever action is necessary for safety. Generally mandatory signs are displayed alone. If there is more than one sign they should be placed in the appropriate order.
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