If you want to get AS 1319 safety signs right, it comes down to a colour-and-shape grammar that every worker can read at a glance: red for danger, yellow for warning, blue for "you must", green for safe conditions. Learn that grammar once and the meaning of any compliant sign is obvious before you've even read the words. This is the plain-English guide to workplace safety sign colours, shapes and meanings in Australia — and how to size them so they're actually legible from where people stand.
AS 1319-1994, "Safety signs for the occupational environment", is the standard that sets it out. It's an older document but it's still the current, referenced Australian standard for workplace safety signs, and it's the colour grammar that switchboard, machinery and plant labelling all borrow from.
The six AS 1319 sign classes
AS 1319 sorts safety signs into classes, each with its own colour, shape and job. Match the message to the right class and the sign reads correctly without anyone having to think about it.
| Class | Colour & shape | Meaning / when to use |
|---|---|---|
| Danger | The word DANGER in white inside a red oval, above black hazard text on white | An immediate hazard that could cause death or serious injury |
| Warning | Black symbol on yellow, equilateral triangle with a black border | A hazard that could cause injury or illness — "be careful" |
| Mandatory | White symbol on a solid blue circle | An action you must do — typically wear PPE |
| Prohibition | Red circle with a red diagonal slash, black symbol on white | An action you must not do |
| Emergency information | White symbol or text on green, square or rectangle | A safe condition — exits, first aid, emergency equipment, assembly points |
| Fire | White symbol on red, square | Location of fire-fighting equipment and alarms |
Red means stop and pay attention — danger, prohibition or fire. Yellow means be careful. Blue means you must do something. Green means you're safe or heading somewhere safe. Get the colour right and you're most of the way to a sign that works.
What each class actually means
Danger — immediate, serious
The Danger sign is reserved for an immediate hazard that could cause death or serious injury. You'll know it by the white DANGER word inside a red oval, sitting above black hazard text on a white field. Don't reach for it for everyday "watch yourself" hazards — that's what the warning class is for.
Warning — be careful
A warning sign is the black-on-yellow triangle with a black border. It flags a hazard that could cause injury or illness and tells the worker to take care. A quick honest note here: "Caution" is a wording level inside the yellow warning family — it is not a separate AS 1319 colour or shape class. So a "Caution" message still lives on a yellow warning sign.
Mandatory — you must
Mandatory signs are a white symbol on a solid blue circle, and they tell you to do something — almost always wear PPE. Think eye protection, hearing protection, hard hats.
Prohibition — you must not
Prohibition signs are the red circle with the red diagonal slash over a black symbol on white. No smoking, no entry, do not operate. The slashed circle reads as "don't" across any language.
Emergency information and fire
Green emergency-information signs mark safe conditions — exits, first-aid stations, emergency equipment and assembly points. Red fire signs point to fire-fighting gear and alarms. Two different reds doing two different jobs, separated by what each one points to.
Picture signs vs word signs
AS 1319 recognises both pictogram (symbol) signs and worded signs, and plenty of compliant signs combine the two. A classic example is a blue mandatory circle paired with the words "EYE PROTECTION MUST BE WORN" — the pictogram carries the meaning at a distance, the words remove any doubt up close. For permanent plant and equipment, an engraved worded plate alongside the pictogram sign is a tidy, durable way to spell out the specific instruction.
Sizing your signs so they're legible
A sign nobody can read from where they stand isn't doing its job. The practical rule of thumb for sizing comes down to viewing distance:
- Uppercase text: minimum 5mm letter height per 1m of viewing distance (H mm = 5 × distance in m).
- Lowercase text: minimum 4mm per 1m.
- Pictograms / symbols: minimum 15mm per 1m — some guides use a more conservative 25mm per 1m for safety-critical symbols.
Worked example: a sign read from 10m away needs uppercase text around 50mm high and a symbol around 150mm. In poor lighting, scale the dimensions up by roughly 50% so it still carries.
Our online label designer lets you set the size and preview the text before you order, so you can match letter height to the distance the sign gets read from.
How AS 1319 connects to electrical and machinery labelling
This is the bit that matters for sparkies and panel builders. AS 1319 sets the colour grammar — red for danger, prohibition and fire; yellow for warning; blue for mandatory; green for emergency and safe conditions — and switchboard and machinery labelling reuse that same grammar. But AS 1319 is not itself the switchboard labelling standard. Switchboard identification and warning labels are driven by AS/NZS 3000 (the Wiring Rules) together with your work health and safety duties; AS 1319 governs the colour and shape language those labels speak.
Keep two things separate while you're at it. A "Caution" message is a wording level inside the yellow warning family, not its own class. And Hazchem or Dangerous Goods diamond placards are governed by the ADG Code, not AS 1319 — don't try to force a dangerous-goods placard into the safety-sign scheme.
Where engraved safety labels fit
For permanent safety signs and labels on plant, machinery and switchboards, durable engraved laminate is hard to beat. The legend is laser-cut into two-colour engraving laminate — a colour cap over a contrasting core — so the mark is the material itself. There's no printed ink to fade, smudge or peel off a machine that runs for years.
The trick is to match the laminate colour to the AS 1319 class: red-cap for danger and fire, yellow-cap for warning, blue-cap for mandatory, green-cap for emergency and safe conditions. Stock colours cover the core of the scheme — red/white, yellow/black, blue/white, green/white, plus black/white and white/black — with special-order colours for the rest. Fix them with self-adhesive backing, mounting holes or wire-through tags to suit the spot.
For the switchboard side of the job, our guide to switchboard label colours in Australia goes deeper on the red/yellow/black conventions, and you can spec engraved electrical labels to match. For the material itself, see traffolyte labels.
One honest note on outdoor signs: the engraved legend can't fade because it's cut into the material, but the laminate substrate can chalk under years of direct sun. For long-term external or coastal exposure, ask about a UV-stable grade or a metal plate.
Made by a qualified electrician in Townsville and shipped Australia-wide, with 1–3 business day production and no minimum order. Spec your safety labels in the label designer, or call us on 0432 736 559 to talk it through.
References
- AS 1319-1994 — Safety signs for the occupational environment
- AS/NZS 3000 — Electrical installations (Wiring Rules), for switchboard labelling duties
- ADG Code — Australian Dangerous Goods Code, for dangerous-goods diamond placards (separate scheme)
This article summarises publicly available guidance on workplace safety signs and is not a substitute for professional advice or the direction of your safety officer, certifier or inspector. Always confirm the requirements against the current edition of the relevant standard before you fabricate or install.