Does size matter when it comes to safety signs?

No business buys health & safety signs as decorative items: they’re there to be noticed. Some businesses may be tempted to buy the cheapest possible signs in order to save money while still complying with legislation…but this is one area where size matters. It’s no good buying the cheapest and smallest safety signs if they’re too small to even be read.

Ultimately, you want your mandatory signs to be visible from a distance to ensure safety at all times. Some signs are perfectly adequate in small sizes: for example, a warning sign relating to a small piece of machinery really needs only to be visible as this machinery is approached. However, some need to be larger: if you’re putting a “no entry” sign up on a car park exit, for example, you’ll need it to be legible from a distance in order to avoid collisions.

British Standards for Safety Signs

The best way to work out the perfect sign sizes that you need is to refer to BS5499-4. Every single sign has a maximum distance from which it can be viewed, and this standard provides a formula that will allow you to work out the furthest distance from which a sign is easily legible.

As an example, a 300 x 100mm fire exit sign may only be visible from 10 metres away in good light, while a 1200 x 400mm sign has a viewing distance of 40 metres. While smaller signs may be suitable for certain premises, other premises may require larger signage to comply with legislation. Each individual business should use their own discretion to choose the most applicable signs: while a “hot water” sign needs only to be small and placed near a sink with a very hot tap, a “forklift operating zone” sign souls be placed a distance away from the beginning of the zone, giving visitors and workers ample advance warning.

Here at The Sign Shed, we produce health and safety signs in a variety of different sizes – including custom signs in your choice of size – in order to help you to comply with legislation.

We've produced our own signs size guide to help choose the correct size of sign for your needs.

Get in touch to find out more!