Requirements for safety and health signs: A way to reduce risks

Ukraine has started implementing minimum requirements for the installation of safety and health signs in workplaces, which became effective in March 2023. These requirements are based on Council Directive 92/58/EEC of June 24, 1992, and are aimed at improving the safety and health of workers in enterprises, institutions and organizations.

The order of the Ministry of Economy, which was adopted in March 2023, came into force three months after its official publication. This step is aimed at ensuring compliance with health and safety standards in the workplace.

Safety and health signs have the following purposes:

Warn against dangerous actions or actions that may lead to a threat;
Provide instructions on how to take safety measures;
Inform about the presence of a risk to the safety of employees.
The minimum requirements include the obligation of employers to ensure the installation of such signs as:

Safety and health signs;
Directional signs;
Signs on containers and pipelines;
Signs indicating places for fire fighting;
Signs to indicate obstacles, hazards and traffic routes;
Light and sound signals;
Signs of verbal communication and signals transmitted with the help of hands.
In addition, employers must provide adequate training to employees and give instructions related to safety signs. Employees should be familiarized with the descriptions and meanings of the various safety signs, especially those that include general and specific rules of action.

The State Employment Service of Ukraine has reported that at enterprises where safety signs are used correctly, violations of the rules are reduced by 10-15%. This was confirmed by a study by the UK's Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).

The International Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (ILOSH) added that the effective use of safety signs helps employees respond to potential hazards 30% faster.