The Ultimate Guide to Mandatory Safety Signs

Safety in the workplace or any shared building is extremely important, with mandatory safety signage playing its part in highlighting specific actions or precautions people need to take.

This month at Fire Safety Equipment, we’re going to delve into this specific type of signage to explain what “mandatory” signs are all about, including why you need them and where they belong in your building.

What is a mandatory safety sign?

A mandatory safety sign is one that identifies an action that is required to uphold safety standards. That means they define what you should be doing or wearing to help keep you safe and compliant with any of the statutory requirements for that site or building.

These could be positioned on doors within a building or at the entrances to construction sites. In relation to fire safety, as you’ll see in our examples section later, they are most commonly found on fire doors.

What is the purpose of mandatory safety signs?

The main purpose of the blue mandatory safety signs is to explain to individuals what actions are required of them. Whether that’s keeping a door closed or wearing specific personal protective equipment (PPE), they’re there to keep everyone safe.

By following the instructions given on the signs, you can help to prevent accidents and avoid injuries.

When must mandatory safety signs be used?

The need for mandatory safety signs is dictated by the specific building or location. As part of the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996, they should be used in areas where significant risks cannot be controlled or avoided by other means, hence the use of the word “mandatory”.

The regulations place a legal obligation on employers and building owners to ensure that the correct safety signage – including mandatory signage – is in place throughout such areas. 

Appearance: What do these signs look like?

You’ve probably seen mandatory safety signs plenty of times without actually knowing. 

They typically show a blue circle, featuring a white pictogram in the centre to demonstrate the specific action, behaviour or safety gear required for that area. The blue portion of the sign should take up at least half of the whole signage area, this is an intrinsic feature to make these signs distinct.

These are sometimes accompanied by a blue rectangle with white written instructions, such as “Wear hard hats”, to make it absolutely clear what is expected of people in order to keep themselves and others safe.

Why are these signs important?

Mandatory safety signs are important for a number of reasons, including:

• For legal compliance. We’ve already mentioned the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996, requiring businesses to display appropriate safety signage. If you are found to not comply, you could be faced with financial penalties and prosecution. Fire signage is also covered by a series of British Standards and even the Equality Act 2010 for placement and formatting.
  
  You can read more about fire safety signage regulations in our previous piece here. 
• For clear communication of safety actions. The mandatory safety signs help to convey safety instructions in an unambiguous way. This means whether you’re in the building every day or it’s your first day, you can easily see what is expected of you to keep safe. 
• For the prevention of accidents. By outlining mandatory behaviours, these signs help to lower the number of accidents and injuries, especially in any high-risk environments such as construction sites. 
• For standardised practices. Some people are naturally cautious and safety conscious, while others may be less so; mandatory safety signage makes the safety levels consistent across your workplace, making it easy for everyone to understand what is expected regardless of their role or location. 
• For promoting a culture of safety. Consistent use of mandatory safety signs in the right place helps to demonstrate your commitment to proactive safety and the well-being of anyone in your building. 
• For the support of your risk management. All businesses will need a risk assessment strategy, so providing visual reinforcement in the shape of mandatory signage will help to demonstrate that the correct control measures are being outlined.

Examples of mandatory safety signs

To help you identify mandatory safety signs, here are some examples of common signs you might see in buildings and on construction sites:

General mandatory sign –

This shows a white exclamation mark on a circular blue background. It can be used in combination with a number of messages to provide general safety instructions.

Eye protection must be worn –

This shows a featureless face wearing protective eyewear on a circular blue background, accompanied by the words “eye protection must be worn” in a blue rectangle.

Pedestrians must use this route –

This shows a human stick figure in white on a circular blue background, accompanied by the words “Pedestrians must use this route” in a blue rectangle.

Fire door keep shut –

These fire safety signs should feature on all fire doors that need to be closed at all times. It features a blue circle with white wording that reads “Fire door keep shut”.

Safety helmets must be worn on this site –

This shows a featureless face wearing protective eyewear on a circular blue background, accompanied by the words “eye protection must be worn” in a blue rectangle.

What fire safety signs do I need in the workplace?

Fire safety signage for your workplace will be dictated by the risks in your building, the layout of your building and the type of business you operate. The most common mandatory fire signs include:

• Fire door keep shut
• Fire door keep locked shut
• Fire escape keep clear
• Fire action notices (these detail steps to take in the event of a fire)

At Fire Safety Equipment, we’re leading suppliers of HSE mandatory safety signs, as well as a wide variety of other fire safety signage. That means you don’t need to shop around to find everything you need when looking to keep your premises compliant with the law and safe for your employees and visitors.

Order mandatory safety signs and fire safety signs online today and get fast, free delivery in the mainland UK.