Safety Signs

A car repair shop is a dangerous environment, and safety signs have been developed to make technicians aware of the dangers. They are designed to give adequate warning of an unsafe situation. Technicians should identify workplace safety signs and their meanings.

Each sign has four components – a signal word, a background colour, a text and a pictorial message.

Signal word

There are three signal words – danger, warning and caution.
Danger indicates an imminently hazardous situation which, if not avoided, will result in serious injury or death. Danger is usually indicated by white text on a red background.
A warning indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in serious injury or death. The warning sign is with black text on an orange or yellow background.
Caution indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, may result in minor or moderate injury. It can also indicate unsafe practices. The sign is usually black text on a yellow background.

Background colour

The choice of background colour draws attention to the hazards. At the same time, they provide contrast to highlight the letters or images. The red background serves to identify a certain hazard. Yellow indicates caution due to potential hazards. A green background is on emergency signs (first aid, fire protection and emergency equipment). The blue background is for general informational signs.

Text

The sign may contain explanatory text for additional safety information or convey a safety message.

Pictorial message

On safety signs, the pictorial message can be alone or combined with explanatory text. A pictorial message conveys a safety message to people who are illiterate or who do not speak the local language.