Safety Signage Adelaide

Need compliant safety signage for an Adelaide workplace? The short answer: Gigantic Signs supplies a full range of standard compliant safety signs -- danger, warning, mandatory, prohibition, emergency and fire -- plus custom site signs, all made at our Kent Town workshop and priced instantly online. Here is what safety signage covers, who needs it, and how to order.

We have been making signs for Adelaide businesses for over 30 years, and safety signage is one of the most common things a warehouse, building site or venue asks us for. Everything is designed and produced at our Kent Town facility, so we can turn around a standard compliant range or a fully custom site sign from the one workshop. This page is the hub -- start here, then follow the links into the detail on each topic.

What does safety signage cover?

Safety signs communicate a hazard, a rule or an instruction at a glance, using a colour and shape system so the meaning reads the same to everyone on site. In Australia that system is set out in AS 1319, Safety signs for the occupational environment, published by Standards Australia. Learn the colours and shapes in our guide to safety signs and their meanings, or read what the Australian standard for safety signage actually requires. The main sign classes are:

• Prohibition signs -- a red circle with a diagonal slash over a black symbol on white. "Do not" messages: no entry, no smoking, no mobile phones.
• Mandatory signs -- a solid blue circle with a white symbol. Actions you must take, most often personal protective equipment: eye protection, hi-vis, hard hats.
• Warning signs -- a yellow triangle with a black border and symbol. Alert people to a hazard that could hurt them: forklifts, slippery floors, overhead loads.
• Danger signs -- the word DANGER in white on a red oval inside a black rectangle. Reserved for a hazard that can kill or seriously injure, such as live electrical work.
• Emergency information signs -- white symbol and text on green. Where to go and what to reach for: exits, first aid, assembly points, safety showers.
• Fire signs -- white on red. Locate fire equipment: extinguishers, hose reels, hydrants, fire doors. See our detail on fire door signage requirements.

Who needs safety signage?

If you run a workplace, safety signage is part of managing risk, not an optional extra. SafeWork SA lists signs among the administrative controls a business uses to warn people of a hazard as part of its work health and safety risk management duties. On top of that general duty, particular hazards carry their own signage rules -- for example, Safe Work Australia requires signs and placards where hazardous chemicals are stored. Exactly what you must display depends on your site, so treat the official guidance as the source of truth and ask us for a walk-through if you are unsure. The businesses we sign most often are:

• Warehouses and distribution centres -- forklift and pedestrian separation, hi-vis rules, exits, first aid and traffic control. See our warehouse safety signs checklist.
• Construction and industrial sites -- site entry rules, PPE, hazard warnings, and custom signs such as driver safety zone signage for vehicle movement areas.
• Shops, offices and venues -- fire equipment, exits, assembly points and mandatory-action signs anywhere the public and staff mix.

A full range of compliant signs, plus custom

Gigantic Signs stocks a full range of standard compliant safety signs -- the everyday danger, warning, mandatory, prohibition, emergency and fire signs a workplace needs -- so you can order the common ones off the shelf and move on. Because we fabricate in Kent Town, we can also make the sign that does not exist as a standard product: a site-specific driver safety zone sign, a board that combines several messages, or a sign built to survive years of Adelaide sun outdoors. Standard signs are made on durable substrates and reflective grades where they need to be seen at distance or at night, in the usual workplace sizes such as 300 x 450mm and 450 x 600mm. You can price a standard compliant sign in seconds below.

A whole-site fit-out example

A national logistics operator came to Gigantic Signs to sign a new Port Adelaide warehouse from scratch. We walked the site with their safety consultant to work through the whole set for Australian-standard compliance: entry and exit signs, no-smoking and no e-cigarette signs, fire door signage, and a custom driver safety zone sign for the yard where trucks and pedestrians crossed, alongside the illuminated building letters out front. It is a good example of how a real fit-out mixes standard compliant signs with a couple of custom pieces -- and why walking the site first beats guessing from a floor plan. If you have a whole warehouse or site to cover, we can do the same walk-through for you.

How to order safety signs in Adelaide

There are three easy ways to get your signs, depending on how many and how custom they are:

• Price a standard sign instantly -- use the statutory signs calculator above to size, spec and price a compliant sign on the spot, no waiting on a quote.
• Browse the range -- see the full line-up and other sign products in the Gigantic Signs Online Store and order online.
• Book a site audit for a full fit-out -- for a whole warehouse, site or venue, get in touch and we will walk the site, list what you need and quote the lot, standard and custom together.

Frequently asked questions

Are safety signs a legal requirement in Australia?

In practice, yes, in most workplaces. Under work health and safety law a business must manage risks to health and safety, and SafeWork SA lists signs among the controls used to warn people of a hazard. Specific hazards -- such as stored hazardous chemicals -- carry their own signage duties. What you must display depends on your site, so check the official guidance or ask us to walk it with you.

What standard do Australian safety signs follow?

The colours, shapes and symbols come from AS 1319, Safety signs for the occupational environment. It is the reason a red circle and slash always means prohibition and a yellow triangle always means warning. Our standard compliant signs are made to this system.

Do you make custom safety signs?

Yes. As well as the standard range, we fabricate custom safety signs in Kent Town -- site-specific messages, combined-message boards, oversized outdoor signs and one-offs like a driver safety zone sign. If it is not a standard product, we can still build it.

Can you supply signs for a whole site fit-out?

Absolutely. We regularly sign complete warehouses and sites, walking the site first to work out the full set -- standard compliant signs plus any custom pieces -- and supplying it all together.

Get your workplace signed

Whether you need one compliant sign or a whole warehouse done, we can help. Price a standard sign instantly with our statutory signs calculator, browse the range in the Gigantic Signs Online Store, or book a site audit for a full fit-out. Thirty years on, our Kent Town team still make every sign to last -- and to keep your site safe. Built GIGANTIC.