(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.

— the adoption of directives on technical harmonization and standardization 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.

2.1.1. Permanent signboards must be used for signs relating to prohibitions, warnings and mandatory requirements and the location and identification of emergency escape routes and first-aid facilities.

Signboards and/or a safety colour must be used to mark permanently the location and identification of fire-fighting equipment.

2.1.2. Signboards on containers and pipes must be placed as laid down in Annex III.

2.1.3. Places where there is a risk of colliding with obstacles or of falling must be permanently marked with a safety colour and/or with signboards.

2.1.4. Traffic routes must be permanently marked with a safety colour.

2.2.1. Illuminated signs, acoustic signals and/or verbal communication must be used where the occasion requires, taking into account the possibilities for interchanging and combining signs set out in Section 3, to signal danger, to call persons to take a specific course of action and for the emergency evacuation of persons.

2.2.2. Hand signals and/or verbal communication must be used where the occasion requires, to guide persons carrying out hazardous or dangerous manoeuvres.

1.1. The shape and colours of signboards are set out in section 3, in accordance with their specific object (signboards indicating a prohibition, a warning, a mandatory action, an escape route, an emergency or fire-fighting equipment).

1.2. Pictograms must be as simple as possible and should contain only essential details.

1.3. The pictograms used may be slightly different from or more detailed than those shown in section 3, provided that they convey the same meaning and that no difference or adaptation obscures the meaning.

1.4. Signboards are to be made of shock and weather-resistant material suitable for the surrounding environment.

1.5. The dimensions and colorimetric and photometric features of signoboards must be such that they can be easily seen and understood.

2.1. Signboards are in principle to be installed at a suitable height and in a position appropriate to the line of sight, taking account of any obstacles, either at the access point to an area in the case of a general hazard, or in the immediate vicinity of a specific hazard or object and in a well-lit and easily accessible and visible location.

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.

2.2. The signboard must be removed when the situation to which it refers ceases to exist.

— 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).

— 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).

— round shape

— white pictogram on a blue background (the blue part to take up at least 50 % of the area of the sign).

— 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)

— 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).

1. Containers used at work for chemical substances or mixtures classified as hazardous according to the criteria for any physical or health hazard class in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, and containers used for the storage of such hazardous substances or mixtures, together with the visible pipes containing or transporting such hazardous substances and mixtures, must be labelled with the relevant hazard pictograms in accordance with that Regulation.

The first paragraph 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 the first paragraph may be:

2. Signs must be mounted as follows:

3. Where appropriate, the signs referred to in section 1 of this Annex must have the intrinsic features defined in section 1.4. of Annex II and must fulfill the conditions of use for signboards laid down in section 2 of Annex II.

4. Without prejudice to sections 1,2 and 3, the labels used on pipes must be positioned visibly in the vicinity of the most dangerous points, such as valves and joint, and at reasonable intervals.

5. Areas, rooms or enclosures used for the storage of significant quantities of ►M2  hazardous ◄ substances or ►M2  mixtures ◄ must be indicated by a suitable warning sign taken from section 3.2 of Annex II, or marked as provided in section 1 of Annex III, unless the labelling of the individual packages or containers is adequate for this purpose, taking into account Annex II, point 1.5 with regard to dimensions.

Stores of a number of ►M2  hazardous ◄ substances or ►M2  mixtures ◄ 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.

1.1. Places where there is a risk of colliding with obstacles, of falling or of objects falling should be marked with alternating yellow and black, or red and white stripes in built-up zones in the undertaking to which workers have access during their work.

1.2. The dimensions of the markings must be commensurate with the scale of the obstacle or dangerous location in question.

1.3. The yellow and black or red and white stripes must be at an angle of approximately 45 ° and of more or less equal size.

1.4. Example:

2.1. Where the use and equipment of rooms so requires for the protection of workers, traffic routes for vehicles must be clearly identified by continous stripes in a clearly visible colour, preferably white or yellow, taking into account the colour of the ground.

2.2. The stripes must be located so as to indicate the necessary safe distance between the vehicles and any object which may be near by, and between pedestrians and vehicles.

2.3. Permanent traffic routes in built-up areas outdoors should, as far as is practicable, be similarly marked, unless they are provided with suitable barriers or pavements.

1.1. The light emitted by a sign must produce a luminous contrast which is appropriate to its environment, in accordance with the intended conditions of use of the sign, but without producing glare for an excessive amount of light or poor visibility as a result of insufficient light.

1.2. The luminous area emitting a sign may be of a single colour or contain a pictogram on a specified background.

1.3. The single colour must correspond to the table of colours and their meanings set out in section 4 of Annex I.

1.4. Likewise, when the sign contains a pictogram, the latter must comply with all the relevant rules set out in Annex II.

2.1. If a device can emit both continuous and intermittent signs, the intermittent sign should be used to indicate a higher level of danger or a more urgent need for the requested/imposed intervention or action than is indicated by the continuous sign.

The duration of each flash and the frequency of the flashers of an intermittent illuminated sign must be such as to

2.2. If a flashing sign is used instead of — or together with — an acoustic signal, identical codes must be used.

2.3. Devices for emitting flashing signs in the event of grave danger must be under special surveillance or be fitted with an auxiliary lamp.

1.1. Acoustic signals must:

1.2. If a device can emit an acoustic signal at variable and constant frequencies, the variable frequency should be used to indicate a higher level of danger or a more urgent need for the requested/imposed intervention or action in relation to the stable frequency.

1.1. Verbal communication between a speaker or emitter and one or more hearers is to take the form of (sometimes coded) short texts, phrases, groups of words and/or individual words.

1.2. Spoken messages are to be as short, simple and clear as possible; the verbal skills of the speaker and the hearing abilities of the hearer(s) must be such as to ensure reliable verbal communication.

1.3. Verbal communication is direct (by means of the human voice) or indirect (by means of a human or artificial voice which is broadcast by whatever means is appropriate).

2.1. The persons involved must have a good knowledge of the language used so that they are able to pronounce and understand the spoken message correctly and consequently behave in a way which is appropriate to health and/or safety.

2.2. If verbal communication is used instead of — or together with — gestures, code words should be used such as:

—  start	to indicate the start of a command
—  stop	to interrupt or end a movement
—  end	to stop the operation
—  raise	to have a load raised
—  lower	to have a load lowered
—  forwards	to be coordinated with the corresponding hand signals
—  backwards
—  right
—  left
—  danger	for an emergency stop
—  quickly	to speed up a movement for safety reasons.