Job site safety signs communicate essential information about workplace hazards and life-preserving safety resources. These signs are available for an array of worksites and hazard types, so they are a reliable fit for any industry.
In this guide to job site safety signage, we’ll review the various types of available safety signs, safety signage regulations, and why companies frequently partner with commercial printers to address their safety signage needs.
Types of Job Site Safety Signs
Job site signage comes in a variety of designs, each intended for a certain hazard or location. Some of the most common forms of safety signage include:
Caution signs – Caution signs are designated with a Caution signal word and are typically colored yellow. Caution signs are for hazards that, if not accounted for, may result in minor or moderate injury.- Warning signs – Warning signs are designated with a Warning signal word and are usually colored orange. Warning signage points out hazards that may cause severe injury if proper safety precautions aren’t taken.
- Danger signs – Danger signs are designated with a Danger signal word and are color-coded red. Danger signs point out hazards that will cause severe or fatal injury if safety precautions aren’t taken.
- Notice signs – Notice signs provide general safety information about conditions at the worksite, which can be used to point out the location of safety resources, point out restricted areas, alert workers to out-of-order equipment or provide other important pieces of safety information.
- Fire safety signs – Fire safety signage is used to point out fire-related hazards, the location of fire extinguishers, or the location of fire exits.
- Exit signage – Exit signs are required to clearly show the way out should workers need to rapidly evacuate the job site.
There are several more types of job site safety signs, but just about every worksite will feature the above signs.
The Importance of Safety Signage
Job site safety signs serve a critical purpose for employers and their employees, and provide the following advantages:
- Identifying an array of workplace hazards – Job site safety signs can be used with any type of hazard, including heavy traffic, falls, slips and trips, fire, electrocution, pinning/crushing, heat and respiratory hazards, among others, so they can be paired with any hazardous workplace setting.
- Promoting safety awareness – Occupational safety signage is intended to be placed close to the hazard, so workers are alerted when they come near the relevant hazard.
- Always present, always functional – Job site safety signs are always on, always operating and always present. Few safety measures are as reliable and cost effective as job site safety signs.
Regulatory Standards for Job Site Safety Signs
Workplace safety signage is regulated by OSHA, through the General Duty Clause. Employers are required to implement all reasonable measures to protect their employees from any identifiable hazard. This includes installing safety signs in areas where safety awareness is critical.
OSHA observes the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) when considering signage design. ANSI recommends color codes, signal words, and use of iconography – all of which are required with every safety sign. ANSI also sets standards for exit sign appearance and proper placement.
Designing Effective Job Site Safety Signs
Visibility and information clarity are the priorities when designing and installing job site safety signs. Safety signs must stand out in busy work environments, and they must communicate vital information within seconds. To ensure safety signs do their job, a commercial printer will ensure the following design marks are included on the sign:
- Signal color (yellow for caution, red for danger, etc.)
- Signal word (caution, warning, danger, etc.)
- Iconography
- Safety messaging
- Your company’s branding
Placement is just as important as design in ensuring visibility. The sign should be installed as close as possible to the referenced hazards, such that workers will see the signage before encountering the hazard. This means job site signs must be installed at every angle of approach toward the hazard.
Partnering with a Commercial Printer to Help with Job Site Safety Signs
Commercial printers are workplace safety signage experts, with specialized processes that can be used to produce cost effective and durable signage. Specifically, expert commercial printers have access to dibond printing methods, which involve sandwiching a pair of aluminum sheets around a polyurethane core. The signage image is printed directly onto the aluminum, leaving a vibrant, high visibility result that is impact, weather and corrosion resistant.
Commercial printers also maintain job site signage libraries that include OSHA and ANSI-compliant designs appropriate for every workplace hazard. By partnering with an experienced commercial printer, your company will also have access to those libraries – as well as access to high-volume printing equipment.
Job Site Safety Signs Provide a Valuable, Reliable Layer of Safety
Employers are required to implement various safety measures to protect their employees from accidents. Job site safety signage is one such measure, and a cost-effective option for nearly any worksite.
When developed by an experienced commercial printer, occupational safety signage offers excellent durability and effectiveness. As such, many businesses partner with a trusted commercial printer to manage their safety signage needs.
Job Site Safety Signs FAQ
Most sites start with the same core set: fall hazard signs at open edges and floor openings, overhead power line signs wherever cranes, lifts or dump bodies work, PPE required and hearing protection signs, authorized personnel only and keep out signs for restricted areas, plus exit routes and an assembly point. Our guide to directional signs covers the routes.
The entrance is the one sign every person on site reads, so put the essentials there: the project name and street address so 911 callers can give an exact location, the general contractor and a 24-hour contact, the PPE required to enter, and where visitors check in. Stock signs like Welcome to Our Facility, PPE Required and All Visitors Must Sign In cover part of it, and we can set the rest up as one custom entrance sign.
Yes. Under 29 CFR 1926.200, construction signs must be visible whenever work is being performed and must be removed or covered promptly once the hazard no longer exists. There is a practical reason too: crews that walk past outdated Danger signs every day learn to ignore all of them. On a site that changes daily, check signs at the start of each shift and move them with the work.
Usually more than one company. Under OSHA’s multi-employer citation policy, the employer that creates a hazard, the employer whose workers are exposed, the employer responsible for correcting it and the employer that controls the site, normally the general contractor, can all be cited. In practice the general contractor sets the sign plan and each trade marks the hazards its own work creates.
Match the sign to how long the hazard will last. Corrugated plastic (coroplast) signs and vinyl banners work well for phases measured in weeks, and fence banners are a good way to post site rules along a perimeter. For signs that will stay up for months, or move from project to project, we print directly onto aluminum in house at our Houston shop. See our banners and signs Houston page for the full range.
Yes, as long as it never competes with the safety message. Keep the signal word, color panel, symbol and message clear, and place the logo small along the bottom or in a footer strip, never inside the Danger, Warning or Caution header. Branded signs also make it obvious which company owns a sign on a crowded multi-employer site. Our artists can add your logo to stock designs.
Hard hat decals let a crew read important information at a glance without stopping work. Common uses include marking new hires so experienced workers keep an eye on them, like our New Bee hard hat decal, tie-off reminders for crews working at height, and safety program slogans. Check with your hard hat maker before adding decals, since some limit what can go on the shell.
Browse our safety signs, including our full line of CEMEX safety signs, then send us the item codes and quantities or describe what you need. We will come back with pricing and a schedule. We have printed in Houston since 1921 as the Gulf Coast’s oldest Union printing company, and our safety sign program covers signs, decals, banners and forms. Call 713-228-9331 or request a quote.
