Accident Prevention Signs — Colors, Wording, and Placement

The five accident-prevention sign types under §1926.200 and what each looks like:

• Danger (§1926.200(b)) — red, black, and white. Used ONLY where an immediate hazard exists. Don't dilute it by hanging Danger signs on everything.
• Caution (§1926.200(c)) — yellow background with a black panel and yellow letters. Warns against potential hazards or unsafe practices.
• Safety instruction (§1926.200(e)) — white background, green panel, white letters. General safety reminders and instructions.
• Directional (§1926.200(f)) — white background, black panel, white directional symbol. Points the way.
• Exit (§1926.200(d)) — legible red letters not less than 6 inches high on a white field, with the principal stroke of the letters at least 3/4 inch wide.

Where vehicles and equipment move through or past the site, §1926.200(g) requires construction areas to be posted with legible traffic signs at points of hazard. All traffic-control devices have to conform to Part 6 of the MUTCD — the same manual that governs your barricades and flaggers.

That means the STOP, speed, and warning signs a driver sees approaching your gate or work zone are held to a national standard, not something hand-lettered on a scrap of plywood. If the public reads it, it follows the MUTCD.

A correct sign in the wrong spot protects no one. Post signs where people will see them before they reach the hazard, not after. Keep them legible — clean, unfaded, unblocked by stored material, and lit or reflectorized where they need to be read at night.

And keep the count honest. A wall of Danger signs on a low-risk area trains people to ignore red. Match the sign type to the real severity, put it where the decision gets made, and take it down when the hazard is gone.