Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

1.  These Regulations impose requirements in relation to the provision and use of safety signs and signals and implement as respects Northern Ireland Council Directive 92/58/EEC (O.J. No. L245, 26.8.92, p. 23) on the minimum requirements for the provision of safety and/or health signs at work.

2.  The terms used in the Regulations are defined in regulation 2 and the circumstances in which the Regulations do not apply are set out in regulation 3. The exclusions include signs used in relation to the supply of equipment or substances, for the transport of dangerous goods and for the regulation of transport.

3.  By regulation 4, safety signs are required to comply with the descriptions in Schedule 1. They must be provided where the risk assessment made under regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992 (S.R. 1992 No. 459) indicates that the risks cannot be avoided or adequately controlled in other ways. Fire safety signs must also be provided where they are required to comply with the provisions of any statutory provision. The regulation also requires that safety signs (other than a hand signal or verbal communication) are maintained. With certain exceptions (set out in Schedule 2) the hand signals to be used are described in Schedule 1.

4.  Regulation 5 requires that employees receive adequate instruction and training in the meaning of safety signs and the measures to be taken in connection with safety signs and regulation 6 provides for transitional periods in relation to fire safety signs already in use. Regulation 7 provides for enforcement. The Safety Signs Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1981 are revoked and consequential amendments are made to other Regulations (regulation 8 and Schedule 3).

5.  Copies of the documents referred to in Schedule 2 are obtainable as follows—

(a) the British Standards referred to in Schedule 2, from BSI Standards, 389 Chiswick High Road, London, W4 4AL;

(b) Appendix C of the Fire Service Training Manual (ISBN 0 11 341091 3), from Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 16 Arthur Street, Belfast BT1 4GD.

6.  A person who contravenes the Regulations is guilty of an offence under Article 31 of the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 and is liable, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum (currently £5,000) or, on conviction on indictment, to a fine.