Safety signs in churches

If you manage church premises, you have a duty to ensure they are safe, and this includes providing any necessary safety signs. You may need to meet specific legal requirements and certain standards relating to their size, colour, shape and format of any text.

If you are an employer, you must provide:

• safety signs where risk assessments indicate that they are needed
• relevant information and training for employees on the meaning of any safety signs provided and the precautions to be taken where they are displayed.

There is no need to provide signs if they don't help reduce the risk or if the risk is minimal. 

If your premises are relatively small with a simple layout, you may not need much in the way of signage. However, for larger or multi-room premises or those that host more hazardous activities, a range of signs might be necessary.

Signs might be necessary for:

• low ceilings where people are at risk of bumping their heads 
• areas where objects may fall onto people
• steps that may be hard to see or sudden changes in floor height or level
• temporary conditions that introduce hazards, for example, wet floors after cleaning
• larger than normal visitor numbers to your church, who may not be familiar with the site
• preventing certain activities, for example, smoking
• identifying emergency escape routes (such as fire exit signs) or firefighting equipment
• giving the location of first-aid facilities
• warning that materials containing asbestos are present

Remember that you should only use safety signs if there is a significant risk that can't be avoided or controlled in any other way.

For more information about safety signs, why not download our guide.