One of the most important, construction signs serve a specific reason – ensure the safety of people at or near a construction site. In every state, there are health and safety laws that have to be complied with. Before the start of the construction work, builders need to ensure that building and construction warning signs are installed all across the job site.
Safety signs at a construction site do not only warn people of the hazardous activities going on, but they also protect builders from falling prey to non-compliance and getting fined.
History of Construction Signs
Though business signs have a long history, construction or warning signs came into existence much later. When safety signs were first used, they were largely symbolic. At the beginning of the 20th century, warning signage system became more complex and more vivid.
As the 20th century moved on, flat-painted warning signs were replaced with signs that had embossed lettering. Later on, these signs evolved into button copy signs for greater visibility during nighttime. Most of these signs comprised of symbols – diamond or rectangular. In the years that followed, the symbols also began to use texts like ‘Construction’, ‘Workers’ and ‘Work in Progress’ etc. Today, construction signs use various combination of symbols and text to present information and make people aware of hazards.
Types of Construction Signs
Construction signs need to be placed throughout a job site, right from the entry point to various locations inside where work is going on. If you are a builder or run a construction company, being familiar with the different types of safety signs can be of immense help.
Here’s a quick look at some frequently used construction signs:
Prohibition Signs:
These signs come with lettering such as ‘Stop’ or ‘No Entry’. A prohibition sign clearly means you are not allowed to enter the area beyond. Usually, such signs feature a red circle crossed by a bar on white background. Lettering is black in color.
Mandatory Signs:
At every construction site, there are some key instructions that have to be followed before entering specific zones. That’s exactly the purpose mandatory signs serve. These signs tell you to follow an instruction like ‘Hard hats must be worn on this site at all times’. A blue circle with a white symbol or lettering is what these signs look like.
Danger Signs:
This type of construction signs are there to warn people of a hazard or hazardous condition that is likely to cause death. A danger sign either has the word ‘Danger’ written inside a red oval shape or a solid yellow triangle with a black border and the word ‘Danger’ (along with additional text) written in black on yellow background just below.
Emergency Signs:
These signs tell people at a construction site where to head in case of an emergency. All emergency signs have a green square (or oblong) with white text or symbol or both.
Supplies Signs:
The purpose of installing these signs is to ensure all the supplies are stored in the right place. Using these signs ensures the construction site is tidy and free from clutter lying here and there.
Want to learn more about signs? Check out our post on wooden signs.
