What is L64?
L64 is the HSE's Approved Code of Practice and guidance for the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996. These regulations implement European Directive 92/58/EEC and establish standardised requirements for safety signs and signals in workplaces across Great Britain.
The regulations require employers to use safety signs where risks to health and safety cannot be adequately controlled by other means. They establish a standardised system of sign shapes, colours, and symbols that must be used to communicate safety information effectively to workers and others in the workplace.
L64 provides practical guidance on when safety signs are required, what types of signs to use, how to position them correctly, and how to ensure they remain effective. The document covers not only traditional safety signs but also pipe marking, acoustic signals, verbal communications, and hand signals.
Who Needs This Document?
L64 is relevant to anyone responsible for workplace safety and signage:
- Employers in all sectors with duties to protect workers and visitors
- Health and safety managers designing and implementing signage systems
- Facilities managers responsible for building safety and compliance
- Property managers ensuring premises meet safety requirements
- Building contractors and refurbishment teams installing signage
- Fire safety managers selecting and positioning fire safety signs
- Warehouse and logistics managers marking hazards and traffic routes
- Manufacturing managers identifying machine and process hazards
- Retail managers ensuring customer and staff safety
- Small business owners meeting their legal signage obligations
Key Topics Covered
When Safety Signs Are Required
The regulations require safety signs to be used where a risk assessment identifies hazards that cannot be adequately controlled by other means, such as engineering controls or safe systems of work. Signs supplement other controls rather than replace them. L64 explains:
- The relationship between risk assessment and signage requirements
- When signs are needed as a supplementary control measure
- Situations where signage alone is not sufficient
- The duty to maintain and clean signs to ensure visibility
- Requirements to explain signs to employees where necessary
Categories of Safety Signs
The regulations establish five main categories of safety signs, each with specific colours, shapes, and purposes:
Prohibition Signs
Prohibition signs indicate behaviour or actions that are not permitted. They feature:
- A circular shape with a red border and crossbar
- A black symbol on a white background
- Examples include 'No smoking', 'No access for unauthorised persons', 'Do not extinguish with water'
Warning Signs
Warning signs alert people to hazards or dangers. They are characterised by:
- A triangular shape with a yellow background
- A black border and black symbol
- Examples include warnings for electricity, flammable materials, toxic substances, and biological hazards
Mandatory Signs
Mandatory signs indicate specific actions that must be taken. They feature:
- A circular shape with a blue background
- A white symbol
- Examples include requirements for eye protection, hearing protection, high visibility clothing, and safety footwear
Emergency and First Aid Signs
These signs provide information about emergency equipment, escape routes, and first aid facilities:
- A rectangular or square shape with a green background
- White symbols and text
- Examples include fire exit signs, first aid station locations, emergency shower locations
Fire Safety Signs
Fire safety signs indicate the location of fire-fighting equipment:
- A rectangular or square shape with a red background
- White symbols and text
- Examples include fire extinguisher, fire hose reel, fire alarm call point locations
Sign Design and Dimensions
L64 provides guidance on ensuring signs are effective:
- Minimum dimensions based on viewing distance
- Use of standardised symbols from Schedule 1 of the regulations
- Combining symbols with supplementary text where appropriate
- Avoiding clutter and ensuring signs stand out from their background
- Requirements for self-luminous or illuminated signs where necessary
Positioning and Visibility
Correct positioning is essential for signs to be effective:
- Signs must be located at an appropriate height and position
- They must be visible from wherever the risk applies
- Lighting must be adequate for sign visibility
- Signs should not be obscured by other objects or equipment
- Escape route signs must be visible along the entire route
Acoustic Signals and Verbal Communication
The regulations also cover non-visual safety signals:
- Requirements for audible alarms and warning signals
- Standards for verbal safety communications
- Use of hand signals for directing movements
- Training requirements for those giving or receiving signals
- Testing and maintenance of alarm systems
Pipe Marking
L64 includes guidance on identifying pipe contents:
- Colour coding systems for different substances
- Marking requirements for direction of flow
- Identification of hazardous pipe contents
- Compliance with relevant British Standards
Training and Information
Employers must ensure workers understand the signs used:
- Explaining the meaning of signs to employees
- Training for those using or relying on signs
- Ensuring signs are understood by non-English speakers where appropriate
- Induction procedures covering workplace signage
Legal Status
As an Approved Code of Practice, L64 has special legal status. Following the guidance in L64 provides evidence of compliance with the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996. Courts will take failure to follow the ACOP as proof of non-compliance unless an equally effective alternative approach can be demonstrated.
The regulations are enforced by the HSE and local authorities. Non-compliance can result in enforcement action, improvement notices, and prosecution. In the event of an incident, inadequate signage can be evidence of management failures.
Why It Matters
Effective safety signage is a fundamental element of workplace safety communication. Properly implemented signage systems:
- Prevent accidents by warning of hazards before people encounter them
- Enable rapid emergency response through clear escape routes and equipment locations
- Ensure consistent understanding through standardised symbols and colours
- Protect all workplace users including visitors, contractors, and those with limited English
- Demonstrate compliance with health and safety law
- Support other safety measures as part of a comprehensive control system
- Reduce confusion in emergencies when quick decisions are essential
For SMEs, getting signage right is one of the most visible demonstrations of their commitment to safety. Poor or missing signage is immediately noticeable to inspectors, insurers, and visitors, and can indicate wider failings in safety management.
L64 provides clear, practical guidance that enables businesses of all sizes to implement effective signage that meets legal requirements and genuinely protects people in the workplace.