Multi-Site Safety Signage Guide for Facilities Managers | Signs365
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Managing safety signage across one building is relatively straightforward.
Managing it across 10, 50 or 100 locations is very different.
Facilities managers and estates teams often inherit sites with signage installed at different times, purchased from different suppliers and based on different specifications.
Over time this can create an inconsistent estate.
A structured approach can make safety signage easier to purchase, maintain and replace.
1. Start with a signage review
Before replacing signs, understand what is already installed.
Review areas including:
- Entrances
- Fire exits
- Escape routes
- First aid points
- Plant rooms
- Electrical equipment
- Loading bays
- Warehouses
- Car parks
- Restricted areas
- Contractor areas
- External routes
Record signs that are:
- Missing
- Damaged
- Faded
- Obstructed
- Incorrect
- Inconsistent between sites
For a larger estate, recording this information by site and sign type makes future purchasing considerably easier.
2. Create a standard sign schedule
Once the estate has been reviewed, establish the signs that should be used consistently.
For example:
Mandatory
- Safety Helmets Must Be Worn
- Eye Protection Must Be Worn
- High-Visibility Clothing Must Be Worn
Prohibition
- No Smoking
- No Entry
- Authorised Personnel Only
Emergency
- Fire Exit
- First Aid
- Fire Assembly Point
This becomes the organisation's preferred safety-sign range.
Facilities teams can then reorder against an agreed specification rather than selecting a different product every time.
3. Standardise sizes and materials
Two signs carrying the same message can still look inconsistent if one site uses rigid plastic, another uses self-adhesive vinyl and another uses a completely different size.
Create agreed specifications for common environments.
For example:
Internal office areas
Standard rigid or self-adhesive signage.
Plant rooms and service areas
More durable materials suitable for the environment.
External locations
Weather-resistant materials and suitable fixing methods.
Temporary construction areas
Signage appropriate for temporary barriers, fencing or site compounds.
The correct specification will depend on location, viewing distance and environmental conditions.
4. Use recognised safety symbols where applicable
Where recognised safety symbols apply, using consistent graphical designs helps create a common visual language across the estate.
ISO 7010 specifies registered signs for purposes including accident prevention, fire protection, health hazards and emergency evacuation.
Using appropriate recognised symbols across multiple buildings can therefore improve consistency between locations.
5. Agree a naming system
This sounds minor but can save significant administration.
Instead of different sites ordering:
Blue helmet sign
PPE helmet notice
Hard hats sign
use one standard product name or SKU.
Safety Helmets Must Be Worn Sign
The same principle applies across the entire range.
A consistent catalogue makes repeat ordering much easier for procurement, FM and health and safety teams.
6. Decide how multi-site deliveries will work
Not every organisation needs the same delivery model.
Possible approaches include:
Central delivery
All signage is delivered to one location for internal distribution.
Direct-to-site delivery
Orders are separated and delivered to individual properties.
Phased rollout
Signs are supplied according to an agreed programme.
Repeat ordering
Sites order replacements against an approved sign range.
For larger estates, agreeing this before rollout can remove significant administration.
7. Don't forget bespoke signage
Standard safety products will cover many requirements, but larger estates often also require:
- Wayfinding
- Building identification
- Car park signs
- Totems
- Tenant directories
- Site information boards
- Bespoke notices
- External signage
This is where a simple online safety-sign order can become part of a much wider signage programme.
8. Put replacement and maintenance into the process
Safety signage should not be treated as a one-off exercise.
The HSE states that safety signs need to be clear and legible.
Facilities teams should therefore include signage within routine site inspections and identify signs that have become:
- Damaged
- Faded
- Removed
- Obstructed
- Outdated
Having an agreed supplier and specification makes replacement significantly quicker.
From standard safety signs to a national signage programme
Signs365 can support businesses requiring standard safety signage, bulk quantities and repeat multi-site supply.
Where the requirement becomes larger or more complex, In-Signs can support surveys, bespoke manufacture, installation, wayfinding, refurbishment, maintenance and national rollout programmes.
Managing multiple buildings or sites?
Tell us how many locations you manage and what signage support you need.