Keeping people safe at work is not just good practice, it is a legal obligation. Australian workplaces rely on a consistent system of colours, shapes, and symbols so that anyone on site can recognise a message quickly and act before something goes wrong.
To help with that, let’s look into the six main categories used across Australian workplaces, how they differ, and where each type fits. If you need tailored signage for your site, our team are experienced custom safety sign creation service providers who can help you select, design, and install the right mix.
How Australia Classifies Safety Signs
Before choosing signs, it helps to understand the framework that drives colour and layout choices. Australian workplaces commonly follow the guidance in the Australian Standard AS1319:1994 Safety Signs for the Occupational Environment and the related materials issued by Standards Australia. These documents explain the intent behind each category and the visual rules that make signs easy to read at a distance. For a plain-English overview of the categories aligned by the standards, consult your state’s business or safety portal, then use the sections below to map those rules to real sites and tasks.
Prohibition Signs: What People Must Not Do
What they are: Prohibition signs set clear boundaries by telling people what is not allowed. They are typically recognised by a red circular ring with a diagonal slash over a black pictogram on a white background.
Where they help: Use prohibition signs to reduce unsafe behaviour, keep people out of restricted areas, and protect sensitive processes.
Common examples:
- No entry to plant rooms, chemical stores, or high-risk maintenance areas
- No smoking near flammable liquids or gas installations
- No mobile phones in areas where radio interference could be hazardous
- No photography in secure or confidential zones
Practical tips: Place these at access points and decision points, not buried inside the restricted area. Make sure the wording is short, direct, and consistent across the site so no one second-guesses what is allowed.
Mandatory Signs: What People Must Do
What they are: Mandatory signs state actions that are required. They are usually a white symbol within a solid blue circle, sitting on a white background with concise text if needed.
Where they help: They support compliance with site rules and PPE requirements by telling people exactly what to wear or how to operate.
Common examples:
- Wear safety glasses, hearing protection, or gloves in fabrication bays
- Use fall-arrest equipment when working at height
- Wash hands before re-entering production zones or clean rooms
- Use spotters when reversing heavy vehicles in loading areas
Practical tips: Position mandatory signs at the point where the behaviour should begin. If a bay requires hearing protection, the sign belongs on the door or gate to that bay, not 20 metres inside. Keep icons consistent with your induction materials to reinforce learning.
Danger Signs: Life-Threatening Hazards
What they are: Danger signs warn about hazards with a credible risk of serious injury or death. They commonly feature a black panel with a red oval containing the word “DANGER,” above a white message panel.
Where they help: Use them to mark the highest-risk areas and operations so people slow down and follow the right procedure.
Common examples:
- High voltage switch rooms and cabinets
- Confined spaces with atmospheric risks
- Moving plant and live machinery during maintenance
- Explosive atmospheres and fuel transfer points
Practical tips: Do not dilute the impact of danger signs by placing them where the hazard is minor or unlikely. Reserve them for genuine high-risk situations so workers respect the signal when it appears.
Warning Signs: Significant Hazards That Are Not Usually Fatal
What they are: Warning signs highlight hazards that can cause injury if ignored, even if the risk is not typically life-threatening. They are often a black pictogram within a yellow triangle on a contrasting background.
Where they help: They are ideal for slip, trip, and pinch hazards and for areas where conditions change throughout the day.
Common examples:
- Slippery when wet surfaces near wash-down areas
- Forklifts operating beyond this point
- Low headroom in mezzanines or underpasses
- Hot surfaces on boilers, ovens, and exhaust ducts
Practical tips: Use warning signs to shape everyday behaviour. Combine them with housekeeping and engineering controls, such as anti-slip treatments and barriers, so the sign is part of a broader risk-reduction approach.
Emergency Information Signs: How to Find Help, Exits, and Equipment
What they are: Emergency information signs guide people to exits, first-aid points, emergency phones, eye-wash stations, and similar equipment. They are commonly white text or symbols on a green field.
Where they help: During an incident, people need fast, unambiguous direction. These signs provide the visual breadcrumbs that lead to safety and support.
Common examples:
- Exit arrows and assembly point markers
- First aid room, defibrillator, and stretcher locations
- Emergency shower and eye-wash station locations
- Emergency phone or internal emergency number points
Practical tips: Treat these like a navigation system. Signs should be visible from doorways and along corridors, repeating at intervals so people can see the next one from the current marker. Keep the path clear, illuminated, and free of visual clutter.
Fire Signs: Firefighting Equipment and Alarms
What they are: Fire signs identify alarms and equipment to fight or control fires. They use a strong red background with white symbols or text so they stand out against typical interior colours.
Where they help: The value is in speed. If someone can find an extinguisher or a fire alarm immediately, small emergencies are less likely to become large ones.
Common examples:
- Fire extinguisher types and their locations
- Fire hose reels and hydrants
- Fire alarm call points
- Fire blanket stations in kitchens or labs
Practical tips: Mount fire signs above or adjacent to the equipment at a height and angle that remains visible even when people congregate. Keep the space in front of equipment clear with floor markings and enforcement during housekeeping checks.
Choosing the Right Mix for Your Site
A compliant set of workplace safety signs does more than tick a box. It supports training, shapes daily behaviour, and gives people confidence that they understand the space. Start by listing the main activities and hazards in each area, then map them to the six categories.
If an area includes a life-threatening hazard, that calls for a danger sign. If an action is required for compliance, that calls for a mandatory sign. If a behaviour must be stopped outright, that calls for a prohibition sign.
A simple planning workflow:
- Walk the site and sketch a basic plan of each area
- Identify the top three hazards or behaviours to change
- Choose the sign category that matches each hazard or rule
- Decide ideal placement at decision points and approach paths
- Check visibility distances and mounting heights
- Remove redundant or conflicting signs so messages stay clear
This method produces a deliberate mix rather than a patchwork of one-off additions added over time.
Placement, Visibility, and Durability
Even the best message fails if people cannot see it or if it degrades quickly. When planning installation, consider viewing distance, line of sight, and lighting. Size the sign so the text height and symbol scale match the real viewing distance, not the theoretical one.
If a driver will read a sign while approaching a gate, choose a size that is legible from the cab. In dusty or wet environments, choose materials and finishes that resist corrosion, UV, and abrasion, and set a schedule to inspect and replace damaged items.
Checklist for better outcomes:
- Place signs at eye level where possible, and repeat at entrances
- Keep sightlines clear of racking, banners, and vegetation
- Use reflective or illuminated options where lighting is poor
- Standardise wording and pictograms across the site
- Review signs after incidents or process changes
Training and Consistency
Safety signs work best when they line up with induction and toolbox talks. Show people the six categories during onboarding and explain the colour and shape rules. During refreshers, take photos of your own site and ask teams to spot issues, such as a mandatory sign placed inside a bay rather than at the entrance. The goal is for workers and visitors to recognise key messages in a split second, then act without delay.
Ways to reinforce learning:
- Include the six categories in induction slides and posters
- Use the same icons and wording across procedures and signs
- Run short walk-throughs with new starters on day one
- Add sign checks to housekeeping and safety walks
Custom Signs That Still Comply
Many workplaces need custom wording or unique pictograms to match local processes. Custom does not mean non-compliant. It means the message, colours, and shapes follow the same rules while the wording suits the task at hand. ASAP Signs designs and manufactures custom signs that fit your operations while respecting the standard. If you need help, talk to our custom safety sign creation service providers about materials, mounting, and artwork that will last on your site.
When to Refresh Your Safety Signs
Signs age, sites evolve, and processes change. Build a simple lifecycle into your safety system so signs stay relevant.
Refresh triggers:
- New plant, chemicals, or layouts change the risk profile
- Incident investigations uncover confusion or poor visibility
- Signs fade, crack, or peel due to UV or cleaning
- Rebranding or new language guidelines are introduced
- Regulatory updates call for new wording or symbols
A small, regular budget for sign maintenance is cheaper than the cost of confusion in a critical moment.
Need Help Selecting or Installing Signs?
ASAP Signs can audit your site, recommend a clear plan across the six categories, and supply durable products that match the environment. We also provide mounting hardware and installation so your system works from day one. If you are ready to get started, contact us and we will help you build a practical, compliant safety sign program that people understand at a glance.
Quick Reference to the Standards and Guidance
For internal training packs or procurement notes, you can point teams to the source materials that explain the logic behind colours, shapes, and categories. The Australian Standard AS1319:1994 Safety Signs for the Occupational Environment sets out core design rules. Standards Australia maintains and publishes the relevant documents. Many state and territory business portals summarise the categories aligned by the standards so you can brief teams without sharing full standards.
Why a Structured System Works
A strong safety sign system is not decoration. It shortens reaction time, reduces cognitive load, and supports legal duties. By using prohibition, mandatory, danger, warning, emergency, and fire signs in a deliberate way, you give people a shared language to navigate risk. Back that up with training, maintenance, and sensible placement, and the signs do what they are meant to do: help people go home safe.
