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Prohibition signs explained: the red circle UK guide

What red circle prohibition signs mean, where to place them, and the full UK pictogram set under BS EN ISO 7010.

By Direct Signs Team · ISO 9001 certified UK manufacturer · Updated April 2026

The short answer

A prohibition sign is a red circular border with a diagonal red line over a black pictogram on a white background. It tells you what you must not do — no smoking, no entry, no naked flame, no mobile phones. Under BS EN ISO 7010, the red-circle-with-diagonal-line is the universal "must not" symbol. Placed at the action point so the prohibited action is never started.

The prohibition pictogram set

BS EN ISO 7010 standardises around 30 prohibition pictograms. The most common in UK premises:

  • P002 — No smoking (the Health Act 2006 standard)
  • P003 — No naked flame (smoking, lighters, matches forbidden)
  • P006 — No access to forklift trucks
  • P010 — Do not touch
  • P011 — No firefighting / no extinguishing with water
  • P018 — No mobile phones
  • P020 — No drinking water
  • P021 — No dogs / no pets
  • P024 — No walking on surface
  • P027 — Do not eat or drink
  • No entry / authorised personnel only — restricted access
  • No public access — site / area closed to public
  • No swimming — common at reservoirs and water features
  • No diving — typical at quarry water and harbour edges

When prohibition signs are required

Several UK regulations trigger prohibition signage:

  • Health Act 2006 — no smoking signs at every entrance to enclosed workplaces and public places
  • Fire Safety Order 2005 — no naked flame, no smoking, no obstruction signs as part of fire risk management
  • Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 — no entry / authorised personnel only on electrical equipment access
  • CDM 2015 — no public access, no unauthorised entry on construction sites
  • COSHH 2002 — no eating / drinking in chemical-use areas
  • Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 — general workplace prohibition signage
  • Equality Act 2010 — accessible signage where applicable (some prohibition signs need tactile / braille versions)

Where to place prohibition signs

At the action point or boundary of the prohibited area. Examples:

  • No smoking — at every entrance to the smoke-free premises (statutory under Health Act 2006)
  • No entry / authorised personnel only — at all gates and access points to restricted areas
  • No naked flame — on the fuel storage cabinet, at the boundary of the flammable-zone
  • No mobile phones — at petrol forecourts, hospital ICUs, fuel-handling areas
  • No swimming / no diving — at the water-edge boundary, not at the entrance to the wider site

Mounting height: top edge 1.7-2.2m above the floor for standard interior placement. For external prohibition signage on gates, hoardings, and perimeters, mounting depends on viewing context.

Common UK use cases

Workplaces

The standard set in any enclosed UK workplace: no smoking at every entrance (Health Act 2006), no entry / authorised personnel only at restricted areas, no naked flame at fuel storage, no mobile phones at fuel-handling areas.

Construction sites

Authorised personnel only at all access points, no public access on hoarding perimeter, no entry to specific exclusion zones (lifting operations, deep excavations). Combined with mandatory PPE signs at the same access points.

Water-industry sites

No swimming, no diving, no fishing at reservoirs and water-supply locations. No entry / authorised personnel only at treatment works, pumping stations, and operational areas. Pictogram-led for visitor and trespasser audiences.

Public premises

No smoking at every entrance, no dogs / no pets in food-handling areas, no eating / drinking in laboratory areas, no mobile phones in healthcare clinical areas where required.

Penalties for non-compliance

Specific to no-smoking signage (Health Act 2006): £200 fixed penalty for failure to display, up to £1,000 on prosecution. For other prohibition signage, the penalty depends on which regulation it's required under — Fire Safety Order non-compliance can be unlimited fines on prosecution; CDM 2015 non-compliance can lead to enforcement notices and project delays.

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Quick answers

Prohibition sign FAQs

What is a prohibition sign?
A prohibition sign is a red circular border with a diagonal red line over a black pictogram on a white background. It tells you what you must not do — no smoking, no entry, no naked flame, no mobile phones, no running. Under BS EN ISO 7010, the red-circle-with-diagonal-line is the universal "must not" symbol.

When are prohibition signs legally required?
Under the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 where prohibition is the appropriate risk control. Specific UK regulations triggering prohibition signage include the Health Act 2006 (no smoking at workplace entrances), Fire Safety Order 2005 (no naked flame in fuel storage), Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (no entry to live equipment), and CDM 2015 (no public access on construction sites).

What's the difference between prohibition and warning signs?
Prohibition tells you what you must not do (red circle with diagonal line). Warning tells you to be aware of a hazard (yellow triangle) but doesn't prohibit anything. So "no entry" is a prohibition sign; "deep water" is a warning sign — even though the practical advice may be similar.

Are no smoking signs a type of prohibition sign?
Yes. The standard UK no-smoking sign uses the prohibition format — red circle with red diagonal line over a black cigarette pictogram. Required by the Health Act 2006 at every entrance to enclosed UK workplaces and public places. See our <a href="/guides/no-smoking-sign-legal-requirements-uk">no smoking sign legal requirements guide</a>.

Where do prohibition signs go?
At the action point — the entrance to the area or the equipment where the prohibition applies. No-smoking at the entrance to a smoke-free building. No-entry at restricted access doors. No-naked-flame on the fuel storage cabinet. The principle: visible from the approach so the prohibited action is never started.

Can I get bespoke prohibition signs?
Yes. Bespoke wording (e.g. specific equipment names, location-specific restrictions) on the standard red-circle-with-line format. Multi-language versions available. Provided the standard pictogram and red-circle-with-line format are preserved, custom wording does not break BS EN ISO 7010 compliance.

What materials are prohibition signs available in?
Self-adhesive vinyl (smooth indoor surfaces), rigid PVC / Foamex (general-purpose), aluminium composite (long-life external), and aluminium (high-impact or industrial). Photoluminescent versions available where night-time visibility matters (e.g. fire-related prohibitions).

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Standard prohibition signs ship within 1 day. Bespoke wording and bulk pricing for sites with specific prohibition requirements.

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