Table of Contents:
Provision of health and safety signs at work
Outline of the Community (European Union) legislation about Provision of health and safety signs at work
Topics
These categories group together and put in context the legislative and non-legislative initiatives which deal with the same topic.
Employment and social policy > Health hygiene and safety at work
Provision of health and safety signs at work
Document or Iniciative
Council Directive 92/58/EEC of 24 June 1992 on the minimum requirements for the provision of health and/or safety signs at work (ninth individual Directive within the meaning of Directive 89/391/EEC) [Official Journal L 245 of 26.8.92].
Summary
Directive 92/58/EEC lays down minimum requirements concerning health and safety signs at work *. For example, they relate to: location and identification of containers and pipes, fire-fighting equipment, certain traffic routes, illuminated and acoustic signs, as well as the introduction of appropriate verbal communications * and hand signals *.
This Directive complements the Framework Directive 89/391/EEC on health and safety at work.
The Directive does not apply to signs for the placing on the market of dangerous substances and preparations, products and/or equipment, nor to signs used for regulating road, rail, inland waterway, and sea or air traffic.
Employers’ obligations
Employers must provide safety signs where hazards cannot be avoided or adequately reduced by preventive measures or procedures used in the organisation of work.
Wherever appropriate, signs used for road, rail, inland waterway, sea and air transport can be installed inside companies or undertakings.
Supplementary information
Member States may specify certain exemptions within certain precise limits.
Workers must be informed of the measures to be taken and must be given appropriate training (precise instructions).
Workers must be consulted and allowed to participate on the matters covered by the Directive.
Technical adaptations to the Annexes will be adopted by the Commission, assisted by a committee (Article 17 of Directive 89/391/EEC).
Member States are required to report to the Commission every five years on the practical implementation of the Directive. The Commission is required to report periodically to the European Parliament, the Council and the Economic and Social Committee on the implementation of the Directive.
Context
The Directive repeals Directive 77/576/EC on safety signs in the work place.
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References
| Act | Entry into force – Date of expiry | Deadline for transposition in the Member States | Official Journal |
|---|---|---|---|
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Directive 92/58/EEC |
22.7.1992 |
24.6.1994 |
OJ L 245 of 26.8.1992 |
| Act | Entry into force – Date of expiry | Deadline for transposition in the Member States | Official Journal |
|---|---|---|---|
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Directive 2007/30/EC |
28.6.2007 |
31.12.2012 |
OJ L 165 of 27.6.2007 |
Related Acts
Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the practical implementation of Health and Safety at Work Directives 92/57/EEC (temporary and mobile sites) and 92/58/EEC (safety signs at work) [COM(2008) 698 final – Not published in the Official Journal].
The Commission presents a positive report on the implementation of Directive 92/58/EEC. In fact, the majority of the 15 European Union Member States have completed their legislation through the new rules and requirements provided for in this Directive.
Implementation of the Directive has enabled the national systems of workplace safety signs to be streamlined. However, the Commission states that workers are still badly informed about the rules on signs and the Commission encourages companies to strengthen their training activities.