- Latest available (Revised)
- Original (As adopted by EU)
Council Directive 92/58/EEC of 24 June 1992 on the minimum requirements for the provision of safety and /or health signs at work (ninth individual Directive within the meaning of Article 16 (1) of Directive 89/391/EEC)
When the UK left the EU, legislation.gov.uk published EU legislation that had been published by the EU up to IP completion day (31 December 2020 11.00 p.m.). On legislation.gov.uk, these items of legislation are kept up-to-date with any amendments made by the UK since then.
Legislation.gov.uk publishes the UK version. EUR-Lex publishes the EU version. The EU Exit Web Archive holds a snapshot of EUR-Lex’s version from IP completion day (31 December 2020 11.00 p.m.).
This is the original version (as it was originally adopted).
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular Article 118 a thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission(1), submitted following consultation of the Advisory Committee on Safety, Hygiene and Health Protection at Work,
In cooperation with the European Parliament(2),
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee(3),
Whereas Article 118 a of the Treaty provides that the Council must adopt, by means of directives, minimum requirements to encourage improvements, especially in the working environment, as regards the health and safety of workers;
Whereas, under that Article, such directives must avoid imposing administrative, financial and legal constraints in a way which would hold back the creation and development of small and medium-sized undertakings;
Whereas the Commission communication on its programme concerning safety, hygiene and health at work(4) provides for a revision and extension of the scope of Council Directive. 77/576/EEC of 25 July 1977 on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to the provision of safety signs at places at work(5);
Whereas, in its Resolution of 21 December 1987 on safety, hygiene, and health at work(6), the Council took note of the Commission's intention of submitting to it within a short period of time a proposal for revising and extending the abovementioned Directive;
Whereas Directive 77/576/EEC should be replaced by this Directive for the sake of consistency and clarity;
Whereas this Directive is an individual Directive within the meaning of Article 16 (l)of Council Directive 89/391/EEC of 12 June 1989 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work(7); wheres the provisions of Directive 89/391/EEC therefore apply in full to the provision of safety and health signs at work, without prejudice to more stringent and/or specific provisions contained in this Directive;
Whereas existing Community rules relate mainly to safety signs and the marking of dangerous obstacles and locations, and are therefore restricted to a limited number of types of signs;
Whereas the effect of this restriction is that some hazards are not appropriately marked; whereas new types of signs should therefore be introduced in order to enable employers and workers to identify and avoid risks to safety and/or health at work;
Whereas safety and/or health signs must be provided where hazards cannot be adequately reduced by techniques for collective protection or by measures, methods or procedures used in the organization of work;
Whereas the many differences between the safety and/or health signs currently in use in the Member States lead to uncertainty, and this may become more widespread with the free movement of workers within the internal market;
Whereas the use of standardized signs at work is, in general, likely to reduce the hazards which may arise from linguistic and cultural differences between workers;
Whereas this Directive constitutes a tangible step towards developing the social dimension of the internal market;
Whereas, pursuant to Decision 74/325/EEC(8), as last amended by the Act of Accession of Spain and Portugal, the Advisory Committee on Safety, Hygiene and Health Protection at Work is to be consulted by the Commission on the drafting of proposals in this field,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:
1.This Directive, which is the ninth individual Directive within the meaning of Article 16 (1) of Directive 89/391/EEC, lays down minimum requirements for the provision of safety and /or health signs at work.
2.This Directive shall not apply to signs for the placing on the market of dangerous substances and preparations, products and /or equipment, unless other Community provisions make specific reference thereto.
3.This Directive shall not apply to signs used for regulating road, rail, inland waterway, sea or air transport.
4.The provisions of Directive 89/391/EEC shall apply in full to the whole area referred to in paragraph 1, without prejudice to more stringent and /or specific provisions in this Directive.
For the purposes of this Directive:
safety and/or health signs means signs referring to a specific object, activity or situation and providing information or instructions about safety and/or health at work by means of a signboard, a colour, an illuminated sign or acoustic signal, a verbal communication or a hand signal, as the case may be;
prohibition sign means a sign prohibiting behaviour likely to incur or cause danger;
warning sign means a sign giving warning of a hazard or danger;
mandatory sign means a sign prescribing specific behaviour;
emergency escape or first-aid sign means a sign giving information on emergency exits or first-aid or rescue facilities;
information sign means a sign providing information other than that referred to in (b) to (e);
signboard means a sign which provides specific information by a combination of a geometric shape, colours and a symbol or pictogram and which is rendered visible by lighting of sufficient intensity;
supplementary signboard means a signboard used together with one of the signs described under (g), which provides supplementary information;
safety colour means a colour to which a specific meaning is assigned;
Symbol or pictogram means a figure which describes a situation or prescribes specific behaviour and which is used on a signboard or illuminated surface;
illuminated sign means a sign produced by a device made of transparent or translucent materials which are illuminated from the inside or the rear in such a way as to give the appearance of a luminous surface;
acoustic signal means a coded sound signal which is released and transmitted by a device designed for that purpose, without the use of a human or artificial voice;
verbal communication means a predetermined spoken message communicated by a human or artificial voice;
hand signal a movement and/or position of the arms and /or hands, in coded form, for guiding persons who are carrying out manoeuvres which constitute a hazard or danger for workers.
1.Employers shall provide safety and/or health signs as laid down in this Directive where hazards cannot be avoided or adequately reduced by techniques for collective protection or measures, methods or procedures used in the organization of work, or ensure that such signs are in place.
Employers shall take into account any risk evaluation made in accordance with Article 6 (3) (a) of Directive 89/391/EEC.
2.Without prejudice to the provisions of Annex V, the signs used for road, rail, inland waterway, sea and air transport shall be installed, wherever appropriate for such forms of transport, inside undertakings and/or firms.
Without prejudice to Article 6, a safety and /or health sign used at work for the first time on or after the date referred to in Article 11 (1) first subparagraph must fulfil the minimum requirements set out in Annexes I to IX.
Without prejudice to Article 6, a safety and/or health sign which was already in use at work before the date referred to in Article 11 (1) first subparagraph must fulfil the minimum requirements set out in Annexes I to IX by no later than eighteen months after that date.
1.Taking account of the types of activity and/or size of the undertakings concerned, Member States may specify categories of undertakings allowed to replace totally, partially or temporarily the illuminated signs, and /or acoustic signals provided for in this Directive by alternative measures which afford the same level of protection.
2.Member States may derogate, after consulting both sides of industry, from the application of Annex VIII, section 2 and/or Annex IX, section 3, whilst laying down alternative measures guaranteeing the same level of protection.
3.Member States shall consult, in accordance with national laws and/or practice, employers' and workers' organizations when implementing paragraph 1.
1.Without prejudice to Article 10 of Directive 89/391/EEC, workers and/or their representatives shall be informed of all the measures to be taken concerning the safety and /or health signs used at work.
2.Without prejudice to Article 12 of Directive 89/391 /EEC, workers must be given suitable instruction, in particular in the form of specific directions concerning the safety and /or health signs used at work.
In particular, the instruction referred to in the first subparagraph shall cover the meaning of the signs, especially signs incorporating words, and the general and specific behaviour to be adopted.
Consultation and participation of workers and/or their representatives shall take place in accordance with Article 11 of Directive 89/391/EEC on the matters covered by this Directive, including Annexes I to IX.
Adaptations of a technical nature to Annexes I to IX shall be adopted, in accordance with the procedure provided for in Article 17 of Directive 89/391/EEC, in the light of:
the adoption of directives on technical harmonization and standadization concerning the design and manufacture of safety and/or health signs or devices at work,
technical progress, changes in international rules or specifications and advances in knowledge in the field of safety and/or health signs at work.
1.Directive 77/576/EEC shall be repealed on the date referred to in Article 11 (1), first subparagraph.
However, in the cases referred to in Article 5, that Directive shall continue to apply for a maximum period of eighteen months following that date.
2.Any reference to the repealed Directive shall be taken to refer to the corresponding provisions of this Directive.
1.Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions required to comply with this Directive no later than 24 June 1994.
They shall immediately inform the Commission thereof.
2.When Member States adopt these measures they shall contain a reference to this Directive or shall be accompanied by such reference on the occasion of their official publication. The methods of making such a reference shall be laid down by the Member States.
3.Member States shall communicate to the Commission the text of the provisions of domestic law which they have already adopted or adopt in the field covered by this Directive.
4.Member States shall report to the Commission every five years on the practical implementation of the provisions of this Directive, indicating the views of employers and workers.
The Commission shall inform the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Advisory Committee on Safety, Hygiene and Health at Work thereof.
5.The Commission shall forward periodically to the European Parliament, the Council and the Economic and Social Committee a report on the implementation of this Directive, taking into account paragraphs 1 to 4.
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Luxembourg, 24 June 1992.
For the Council
The President
Jose da Silva Peneda
Signboards and/or a safety colour must be used to mark permanently the location and identification of fire-fighting equipment.
a safety colour or a signboard to mark places where there is an obstacle or a drop,
illuminated signs, acoustic signals or verbal communication,
hand signals or verbal communication.
illuminated signs and acoustic signals,
illuminated signs and verbal communication,
hand signals and verbal communication.
Colour | Meaning or purpose | Instructions and information |
---|---|---|
Red | Prohibition sign | Dangerous behaviour |
Danger alarm | Stop, shutdown, emergency cutout devices Evacuate | |
Fire-fighting equipment | Identification and location | |
Yellow or Amber | Warning sign | Be careful, take precautions Examine |
Blue | Mandatory sign | Specific behaviour or action Wear personal protective equipment |
Green | Emergency escape, first aid sign | Doors, exits, routes, equipment, facilities |
No danger | Return to normal |
the placing of too many signs too close together should be avoided;
two illuminated signs which are likely to be confused are not to be used at the same time;
an illuminated sign is not to be used in the proximity of another similar illuminated source;
two acoustic signals are not to be used at the same time;
an acoustic signal is not be used if there is too much ambient noise;
Illuminated signs and acoustic signals must be reactivated immediately after use.
Without prejudice to the provisions of Directive 89/654/EEC, phosphorescent colours, reflective materials or artificial lighting should be used where the level of natural light is poor.
Intrinsic features:
round shape
black pictogram on white background, red edging and diagonal line (the red part to take up at least 35 % of the area of the sign).
Intrinsic features:
triangular shape
black pictogram on a yellow background with black edging (the yellow part to take up at least 50 % of the area of the sign).
(9)
(10)
Intrinsic features:
round shape
white pictogram on a blue background (the blue part to take up at least 50 % of the area of the sign).
Intrinsic features:
rectangular or square shape
white pictogram on a green background (the green part to take up at least 50 % of the area of the sign).
Intrinsic features:
rectangular or square shape
white pictogram on a red background (the red part to take up at least 50 % of the area of the sign).
Paragraph 1 does not apply to containers used at work for brief periods nor to containers whose contents change frequently, provided that alternative adequate measures are taken, in particular for information and/or training, which guarantee the same level of protection.
The labels referred to in paragraph 1 may be:
replaced by warning signs as provided for in Annex II, using the same pictograms or symbols,
supplemented by additional information, such as the name and/or formula of the dangerous substance or preparation and details of the hazard,
for the transporting of containers at the place of work, supplemented or replaced by signs applicable throughout the Community for the transport of dangerous substances or preparations.
on the visible side(s),
in unpliable, self-adhesive or painted form.
Stores of a number of dangerous substances or preparations may be indicated by the warning sign for general danger.
The signs or labels referred to above must be positioned, as appropriate, near the storage area or on the door leading into the storage room.
This Annex applies to equipment used exclusively for fire-fighting purposes.
The red area must be sufficiently large to allow the equipment to be identified easily.
The duration of each flash and the frequency of the flashers of an intermittent illuminated sign must be such as to
ensure the proper perception of the message, and
avoid any confusion either between different illuminated signs or with a continuous illuminated sign.
have a sound level which is considerably higher than the level of ambient noise, so that it is audible without being excessive or painful;
be easily recognizable, particularly in terms of pulse length and the interval between pulses or groups of pulses, and be clearly distinct from any other acoustic signal and ambient noises.
The signal for evacuation must be continuous.
Hand signals must be precise, simple, expansive, easy to make and to understand, and clearly distinct from other such signals.
Where both arms are used at the same time, they must be moved symmetrically and for giving one sign only.
Provided that they fulfil the conditions given above, the signals used may vary slightly from or be more detailed than those shown in section 3; they must, however, be equally meaningful and comprehensible.
The operator must be able to recognize the signalman without difficulty.
The signalman is to wear one or more appropriate distinctive items, e.g. a jacket, helmet, sleeves or armbandds, or carry bats.
The distinctive items are to be brightly coloured, preferably all of the same colour and for the exclusive use of signalmen.
The following set of coded signals are without prejudice to other co4es applicable at Community level, used for the same manoeuvres in certain sectors:
OJ No L 229, 7. 9. 1977, p. 12. Last amended by Commission Directive 79/640/EEC. (OJ No L 183, 19. 7. 1979, p. 11.)
Pictogram laid down in Council Directive 90/679/EEC of 26 November 1990 on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to biological agents at work (Seventh individual Directive within the meaning of Article 16 (1) of Directive 89/391/EEC) /OJ No L 374, 31. 12. 1990, p. 1.
The background to this sign may exceptionally be amber if justified in order to differentiate it from a similar road safety sign.
Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.
Original (As adopted by EU): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was first adopted in the EU. No changes have been applied to the text.
Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including:
The data on this page is available in the alternative data formats listed: