Colour Coding - What you need to know

What Is It?

Used as an effective and quick means of identification, colour coding is used in everyday life from traffic lights to brand awareness to professions including electricians who rely on colours for wire and resistance recognition. Although many uses can be identified, the use of colour coding poses a strong weight in favour of its use to support and reinforce key health and safety messages in and around workplaces.

The Basics

Colour: Red

Universally, the use of red in colour code means stop, prohibiting the viewer from undertaking an action or demonstrating danger. For use on signage to convey these messages, the colour red must make up at least 35% of the area of the sign. Examples of use: Traffic lights, Do not use, Out of order

Colour: Yellow/Amber

The use of the colour yellow is to act as a warning to take precautions, advising that there is potentially a hazard. All signs that need to convey these messages should be made up 50% of yellow to meet requirements. Examples of use: Slow down for children crossing, Wet floor, Narrow bridge

Colour: Blue

The colour blue indicates that an action or certain behaviour is mandatory. Blue can also be used to convey information on signs or bulletin boards in and around the workplace. This information is important and can affect day to day duties. Examples of use: Eye protection must be worn in this area, Blue badge holders only, Information point

Colour: Green

Green is used to advise on health and safety, specifically instructions that will assist individuals in times of emergency. The amount of green colouring on any signage portraying this information must be at least 50%. Examples of use: First aid, Fire exit, Drinking water

5S and Workplace Organisation

5S is the name of a well used workplace methodology and is based on 5 Japanese words: Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu and Shitsuke. The whole process which translates roughly to sort, streamline, shine and sustain was developed by a manufacturing company called ‘Just in Time’. Combined with the use of colour for identification and organisation, a workplace can be transformed from a logistical nightmare to a smooth running operation.

Colour Coding in Construction

Nowhere is safety more prevalent than on a construction site where awareness of others and procedure is a necessity to ensuring you remain safe. Hard hats have been a requirement in the construction industry for over 100 years and over that time have saved many lives. The hat must be made from hard plastic or toughened fibreglass. It has recently come to light that Highways England are taking this requirement one step further and are adopting an industry hard hat colour scheme. The system requires that different workers wear different colour hard hats and has prompted Build UK to produce an industry standard. The following colours are used: Black: To be worn by site supervisors Orange: Helmets for slingers/signallers White: For general use- including where colour coding may be impractical. Managers and clients may also wear these Blue: Required to be worn by site visitors or inexperienced workers With new developments announced regularly, we do not expect to see the use of colour coding to disappear anytime soon. At CMT we stock a huge range of mandatory signage as well as specialised ones for specific jobs. Find everything you need for site, delivered the very next day. If you need further assistance, contact us for more information.

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