Council Directive 92/58/EECShow full title

SECTION I GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1 Object

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.

Article 2 Definitions

For the purposes of this Directive:

(a)

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;

(b)

prohibition sign means a sign prohibiting behaviour likely to incur or cause danger;

(c)

warning sign means a sign giving warning of a hazard or danger;

(d)

mandatory sign means a sign prescribing specific behaviour;

(e)

emergency escape or first-aid sign means a sign giving information on emergency exits or first-aid or rescue facilities;

(f)

information sign means a sign providing information other than that referred to in (b) to (e);

(g)

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;

(h)

supplementary signboard means a signboard used together with one of the signs described under (g), which provides supplementary information;

(i)

safety colour means a colour to which a specific meaning is assigned;

(j)

Symbol or pictogram means a figure which describes a situation or prescribes specific behaviour and which is used on a signboard or illuminated surface;

(k)

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;

(l)

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;

(m)

verbal communication means a predetermined spoken message communicated by a human or artificial voice;

(n)

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.