Technical reference for AS 1319—1994 (Safety signs for the occupational environment), Reconfirmed 2018. Use this skill when the user asks about workplace safety signage, sign design requirements, symbolic signs, safety colours, sign classification, placement and maintenance of safety signs, or when an action skill needs to verify or cite specific clauses of AS 1319.
This skill provides the complete technical reference for AS 1319—1994, Safety signs for the occupational environment (Reconfirmed 2018). It enables accurate clause lookup and compliance checking against the standard's requirements for the design, classification, construction, installation and maintenance of safety signs used in occupational environments to regulate and control safety-related behaviour, warn of hazards, and provide emergency information.
AS 1319 is the primary Australian standard governing the design and use of workplace safety signage. The standard specifies requirements for the design, colour coding, shape coding, layout and symbolic design of safety signs across five main functional categories: regulatory signs (prohibition, mandatory, limitation/restriction), hazard signs (danger and warning), emergency information signs, fire signs, and accident prevention tags. It also prescribes specifications for safety sign colours, retroreflective materials, sign construction and installation practices.
The standard is structured in five main sections addressing scope and definitions, classification and layout of signs, design of signs, construction/installation/maintenance, and accident prevention tags. Six normative appendices specify safety colour designations, index symbolic safety signs, design of danger sign symbols, guide layout design, retroreflective material usage, and illuminated sign lighting levels.
Read the relevant section file(s) based on the subject matter of the query:
| File | Section | Key Clauses | When to Read |
|---|---|---|---|
sections/section-01-scope-and-general.md | Section 1 — Scope and General | Clauses 1.1–1.4 | Scope of the standard (safety signs for the occupational environment), objective, definitions (Clause 1.3) — including definitions of safety colour, symbolic shape, danger, warning, sign, symbol, legend, etc.; general requirements (Clause 1.4) — suitability for purpose, language considerations, accident prevention and education. |
sections/section-02-classification-and-layout.md | Section 2 — Classification and Layout of Signs | Clauses 2.1–2.3 | Sign classification and use (Clause 2.1) — regulatory signs (prohibition, mandatory, limitation/restriction), hazard signs (danger and warning), emergency information signs, fire signs; colour/shape/enclosure coding (Clause 2.2); sign layouts (Clause 2.3) — symbolic signs alone, symbolic signs on target boards, multiple symbols, combination word/symbol signs, word-message signs, danger signs, emergency information signs, fire signs. |
sections/section-03-design-of-signs.md | Section 3 — Design of Signs | Clauses 3.1–3.5 | General design requirements (Clause 3.1), use of symbols and symbolic signs (Clause 3.2) — selection from standard set in Appendix B, testing to AS 2342, use of untested symbols; sign layout design guidance (Clause 3.3); sign size, legend and legibility (Clause 3.4) — symbolic sign and letter sizes (15 mm per metre viewing distance), letter sizing, legend colour, sign size modification, use of directional arrows; sign face materials and colours (Clause 3.5) — non-retroreflective signs, retroreflective materials, self-luminous materials. |
sections/section-04-construction-installation-maintenance.md | Section 4 — Construction, Installation and Maintenance | Clauses 4.1–4.3 | Sign construction, erection and removal (Clause 4.1); sign location (Clause 4.2) — visibility, siting in relation to observer line of sight, proximity to hazards, placement on moveable objects, illumination of signs, number of signs; sign maintenance (Clause 4.3). |
sections/section-05-accident-prevention-tags.md | Section 5 — Accident Prevention Tags | Clauses 5.1–5.2 | General description (Clause 5.1) — miniature signs for attachment to plant/equipment; design of tags (Clause 5.2) — layout as miniaturized versions of standard signs, minimum dimensions (80 mm × 50 mm), background colour selection. |
sections/appendix-a-safety-colours.md | Appendix A — Specification of Safety Colours | (Normative) | CIE chromaticity co-ordinates and luminance factor specifications for red, yellow, green and blue safety colours; colour designations per AS 2700; retroreflective colour conformance to AS/NZS 1906.1. |
sections/appendix-b-symbolic-safety-signs.md | Appendix B — Index of Symbolic Safety Signs | (Normative) | Complete index of all symbolic signs approved for use: prohibition signs (401–405), mandatory signs (421–430), hazard signs (441–453), emergency information signs (471–473). |
sections/appendix-c-danger-sign-symbols.md | Appendix C — Design of Danger Sign Symbols | (Normative) | Design specification for the DANGER symbol (red oval with white letters on black background). |
sections/appendix-d-sign-layout-design-guide.md | Appendix D — Guide for the Layout Design of Safety Signs | (Informative) | Guidance on layout, critical dimensions and spacings for symbolic signs, combination word/symbol signs, worded signs, danger signs, and corner rounding. |
sections/appendix-e-retroreflective-material-guide.md | Appendix E — Guide for the Use of Retroreflective Material on Signs | (Informative) | Recommendations on fully reflectorized and partially reflectorized signs, luminance contrast ratios, colour combinations. |
sections/appendix-f-illuminated-sign-lighting.md | Appendix F — Recommended Lighting Levels for Illuminated Signs | (Informative) | Mean luminance recommendations (Category 1 and 2), luminance ratios for coloured portions, uniformity of illumination across signs. |
AS 1319—1994 is a Category 4 — Advisory/Best Practice Standard. It is not directly mandated by specific legislation but represents the recognised Australian benchmark for workplace safety sign design, colour coding and use. The standard is widely referenced in:
Whilst the standard itself is not legislatively mandated, WHS legislation across all Australian jurisdictions requires adequate safety signage as part of the duty to ensure the health and safety of workers. AS 1319 is the recognised benchmark used to determine what constitutes "adequate" signage and is commonly cited as evidence of compliance with these general WHS obligations.
Note: This is a 1994 standard reconfirmed in 2018. The reconfirmation confirmed that the standard remains valid and appropriate.
Always check jurisdiction-specific requirements and relevant codes of practice, as these may reference or incorporate elements of this standard.
| Query Topic | Primary Section(s) | Key Clauses |
|---|---|---|
| Scope — what signs does AS 1319 cover? | Section 1 | Clause 1.1 |
| Sign classification and types | Section 2 | Clause 2.1 |
| Prohibition sign design | Sections 2, 3 | Clauses 2.1(a)(i), 2.3.3, 3.1–3.5 |
| Mandatory sign design | Sections 2, 3 | Clauses 2.1(a)(ii), 2.3.3, 3.1–3.5 |
| Hazard sign design — general | Sections 2, 3 | Clauses 2.1(b), 2.3.3–2.3.4 |
| DANGER signs — design | Sections 2, 3 | Clauses 2.1(b)(i), 2.3.4, Appendix C |
| Warning signs — design | Sections 2, 3 | Clauses 2.1(b)(ii), 2.3.3 |
| Emergency information signs | Sections 2, 3 | Clauses 2.1(c), 2.3.5 |
| Fire signs — design | Sections 2, 3 | Clauses 2.1(d), 2.3.6 |
| Sign colour coding | Sections 2, 3 | Clauses 2.2, 3.5, Appendix A |
| Safety colour specifications | Appendix A | (Normative specifications) |
| Symbolic sign selection | Section 3, Appendix B | Clauses 3.2, Appendix B |
| Symbolic signs — prohibition | Appendix B | Table B1 (Signs 401–405) |
| Symbolic signs — mandatory | Appendix B | Table B2 (Signs 421–430) |
| Symbolic signs — hazard | Appendix B | Table B3 (Signs 441–453) |
| Symbolic signs — emergency | Appendix B | Table B4 (Signs 471–473) |
| Sign size and legibility | Section 3 | Clause 3.4 |
| Sign sizing formula (mm per metre) | Section 3 | Clause 3.4.2 |
| Sign placement and location | Section 4 | Clause 4.2 |
| Sign visibility and siting | Section 4 | Clauses 4.2.1–4.2.6 |
| Sign installation hazards | Section 4 | Clause 4.1 |
| Sign removal — timing | Section 4 | Clause 4.1 |
| Sign maintenance | Section 4 | Clause 4.3 |
| Accident prevention tags | Section 5 | Clauses 5.1–5.2 |
| Retroreflective signs | Section 3, Appendix E | Clauses 3.5.2, Appendix E |
| Illuminated signs — lighting levels | Appendix F | (Informative guidance) |
| Sign layout design — guidance | Appendix D | (Informative guidance) |
| Multiple symbols at one location | Sections 2, 3 | Clauses 2.3.3(c), Appendix D |
| Combination signs (word/symbol) | Sections 2, 3 | Clauses 2.3.3(d), 3.2–3.5 |
| Languages other than English | Section 1 | Clause 1.4.1(a) |
| Directional arrows on signs | Section 3 | Clause 3.4.5 |
This skill covers AS 1319—1994 (Reconfirmed 2018) only. The standard specifies requirements for safety signs used in occupational environments. For non-occupational safety signs (road, water safety, etc.), refer to relevant standards (AS 1742, water safety standards). For emergency evacuation signs in buildings, refer to AS 2293. For development and testing of new symbols, refer to AS 2342. For colour standards, refer to AS 2700. For retroreflective materials, refer to AS/NZS 1906.1.
The standard excludes EXIT signs of the type specified in AS 2293.1 for use inside buildings.