The effectiveness of safety signs in outdoor recreation settings: A research synthesis and annotated bibliography

Abstract

Recognising the lack of agreed best practice in outdoor safety signage in New Zealand, and the inconsistency in messaging styles, the Land Safety Forum commissioned Lincoln University to prepare a literature review to document and synthesise available research on the effectiveness of outdoor safety signage. A key purpose of the review was to identify factors that impact signage effectiveness. The resulting research synthesis and annotated bibliography includes available books, book chapters, reports, journal articles, theses and other research outputs pertaining to the use of hazard and safety signs in outdoor recreation settings. Approximately 90 individual English-language works authored between 1990 and 2023 were identified, summarised and evaluated.