Vintage Industrial “Out of Order” Safety Sign – Workshop Factory Display

I’d describe this as a vintage industrial machinery safety sign rather than railwayana as I have no provenance linking it to the railways. The wording “Out of Order – Do Not Start or Touch” is still used on machinery/equipment warning signs for factories, workshops and maintenance areas. The little “1243 H” appears to be a catalogue/reference number, but I haven’t found a reliable match that identifies the original maker.

I have purposely left uncleaned to give it that lovely aged industrial look!!! ( Could easily be cleaned if required)

44 cm wide (board)

24 cm tall

2 cm depth

Vintage Industrial “Out of Order” Safety Sign – Workshop Factory Display

A wonderfully characterful piece of genuine-looking industrial signage, boldly lettered:

OUT OF ORDER

DO NOT START

OR TOUCH

The strong black lettering against the mustard-yellow background gives this old safety notice terrific visual impact. Originally intended to warn workers not to operate or interfere with faulty machinery or equipment, it has now acquired exactly the sort of wear and patina that makes old factory and workshop signage so appealing.

The yellow sign panel has rounded corners and is fixed with old slotted screws onto a white-painted timber backing board. The board has been fitted with a simple hanging cord, making the whole piece ready to display.

The sign carries the small printed reference “1243 H” to the lower right-hand corner.

There is plenty of authentic age and working-life character throughout, including surface scratches, scuffs, ingrained marks, rubbing, paint splashes and general discolouration. There are particularly noticeable white paint marks around the word “START”. The timber backing is similarly distressed with rubbing, marks and paint loss. The fixing screws show age and oxidation. These imperfections are very much part of its industrial charm and can be clearly seen in the photographs.

A great decorative piece for a workshop, garage, man cave, home bar, industrial-style interior, retail display or collection of vintage occupational signage. And, frankly, “Out of Order – Do Not Start or Touch” has enough comic potential to earn its place almost anywhere!

Condition: Vintage used condition with considerable surface wear, scratches, marks, paint residue and general signs of previous working use. Please study all photographs as they form an important part of the description.

Modern versions of this warning are inexpensive, so the value here is very much in the aged appearance, older fittings and decorative industrial character, rather than the wording itself.