Your Guide to Compliant Warehouse Signs

People, machinery, vehicles... warehouses are busy environments that involve lots of moving parts.

Warehouse signs will help you keep everyone safe and informed, as well as ensure your workplace stays compliant.

We’ll cover all you need to know – from what the law says, to what signs and labels are must-haves for your warehouse. 

The Role of Signage in Warehouses

Warehouse signs aren’t just helpful. They’re essential for safe and efficient operations.

Here are the key roles they play:

COMPLIANCE

Employers must display appropriate safety signs wherever they help to reduce risks and manage hazards. This is a legal requirement under the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996.

COMMUNICATION

Warehouse signs remind staff of important messages, dos and don’ts, and workplace processes.

 

SAFETY

Safety signs are designed to keep everyone in your workplace safe, whether it’s informing them of what PPE they must wear or pointing them towards the nearest fire exit.

PRODUCTIVITY

Warehouse signage helps workers to navigate your site quickly, find locations efficiently, and to optimise space on racking systems.

What Are the Legal Signage Requirements in a Warehouse?

In the UK, Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations state that employers have to display appropriate safety signs when a hazard cannot be eliminated or managed via other methods.

That means, as an employer, you must display safety signs in your workplace where it improves safety. However, you don't need to use signs where the risk is minimal or where a sign will not reduce danger.

A risk assessment is the best way to determine which signs your warehouse needs.

What Signs Does Your Warehouse Need?

There are five important types of safety signage that every warehouse is likely to need.

These are:

1. Fire equipment signs - these point you towards fire equipment (e.g. ‘fire alarm call point’)
2. Warning signs - these make you aware of a danger or hazard (e.g. ‘warning, forklift trucks’)
3. Prohibition signs - these tell you not to do something (e.g. ‘no access unless trained and authorised’)
4. Mandatory signs - these tell you that you must do something (e.g. ‘stop machine before removing guards’)
5. Safe condition or emergency signs - these give you information on how to reach safety (e.g. ‘fire assembly point’)

That said, a risk assessment will tell you exactly which signs you need.

Depending on your warehouse, this will often include additional signs, such as:

• Road traffic signs - these signs help to direct vehicle and pedestrian traffic within your warehouse, such as ‘stop,’ ‘give way,’ and speed limit signs
• Aisle or bay markers - these signs help workers to navigate the warehouse more easily, reducing search time and confusion and therefore boosting productivity
• Weight load signs - these signs provide important information about maximum load capacities of storage racks and shelves, to prevent potential overloading and collapses
• Hazardous materials signs - these signs highlight areas where dangerous chemicals are stored or used, to make sure workers are aware and that substances are handled properly
• Floor markers and tape - these can be used in conjunction with traditional warehouse safety signage to highlight safe routes, hazardous areas, safety equipment, and storage locations

Safety Signage Requirements and Regulations

When you’re picking out safety signs for your warehouse, you’ll need to make sure they comply with British standards.

BS EN ISO 7010

BS EN ISO 7010 is the main British standard for safety signage. It outlines how safety signs should look and which hazard symbols should be used.

Using universal safety signs, signals, and standards means that everyone should be able to understand their meaning.

Different kinds of signs use different colours:

• Warning signs: yellow
• Mandatory signs: blue
• Safe condition signs: green
• Prohibition and fire equipment signs: red 

BS 5499

Guides how safety signs should be used in practice, supporting the Safety Signs and Signals Regulations.

Safety signs and labels should be:

• Well-lit
• Clearly visible
• At eye level for most people
• Not obscured by other objects
• Positioned close to the hazard or area they’re warning people about

Need Help Choosing Compliant Warehouse Signs for Your Workplace?

At SMI, we stock a wide range of warehouse signs and signage, as well as other common health and safety signs and labels.

Plus, we offer:

• 97% stock availability
• Max 3-hour response time
• 5PM order cut-off for next-day delivery

Not sure what you need? Ask our friendly team.