Safety Signage Melbourne

Displaying clear and correct compliance signage and safety signage in commercial premises is mandatory under Australian law. Failing to do so will result in heavy penalties so you need to ensure that proper, high quality signage is displayed.

The Different Categories of OHS Signs for Melbourne Businesses

The correct layout of signs for Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is set by Australian Standard AS1319. This sets out six types of OHS signs:

1. Prohibition signs are classed as safety signs and set out what people should do, such as not smoking in a prohibited area or not entering a restricted zone. They show a red circle with a red diagonal line on a white background and with black lettering and a black symbol.
2. Mandatory signs also fall into the safety category but state what must happen, such as the need to wear protective equipment. These signs have a blue circular background with white letters and symbols.
3. Danger signs warn of potentially life-threatening hazards such as high voltage electricity. The word ‘DANGER’ is shown in capitals together with a description of the specific hazard. They are on a red oval within a black rectangle.
4. Warning signs are for hazards or hazardous conditions (such as wet floors) that may cause injury but not death. The hazard symbol is black within a triangle on a yellow background and any lettering is also in black.
5. Emergency information signs are provided for when anything goes wrong, generally indicating the location of the emergency exit, a first aid kit or an emergency telephone. White symbols and letters are on a green background.
6. Fire signs have white text and images on a red background. They show the location of fire alarms and fire safety equipment.

Ensuring Your OHS Compliant Signage Can Be Seen & Understood

All OHS signs in Melbourne need to comply with AS1319 to ensure their purpose is known. In order to do this, and to ensure you have adequate compliance signage for Melbourne, besides having the prescribed colours and layout you also have to take into account where the signs are to be placed.

The available lighting and the overall layout have to be considered to be sure the signs can be read, as has the distance from which they are likely to be viewed. For every metre from which the signs will be seen, allow 15 mm per image, 5 mm for upper case letters and 4 mm for each lower case letter. Thus, for example, if viewed from six metres away, images need to be at least 90 mm high with upper case letters at 30 mm and 24 mm for lower case.

The Importance of Displaying Clear Safety Signage in Melbourne

Compliance with Melbourne signage regulations for safety signs is important, not only because a failure to comply can result in heavy fines. Even more important is the fact that missing or inadequate office signage can cause injuries and even death for employees and visitors, resulting in even heavier penalties, a loss of production and a failing in company management. With our help and advice, you can ensure you’re adequately covered, and your workforce will be much safer.
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