Safety signage is used to identify and label certain hazards that can pose a risk to employees or the public. Some signs can also point out dangers that can cause damage to property. Communicating safety messages is very important to ensure the safety of all occupants.
There are different types of safety signs. Some warn people about minor risks while others provide warning for serious dangers. For example, hazardous materials signs are used to indicate a serious danger. Minor risks can be slipping and falling which can be indicated by a floor obstacle sign or a wet floor sign. In addition to providing information on certain dangers, safety signage can give instructions to visitors to the building along with the right procedures to follow. The signs used in the workplace will depend on the risks that are there. If you are working at a construction site, there will be signs warning the public not to trespass, mandatory signs telling those who enter the site to wear safety helmets, fire exit signs, fire equipment signs etc. In a workplace that has a lot of electrical equipment, safety signage will warn you about these hazards and how to protect yourself from it. The effectiveness of safety signage depends on where the sign is located and the appropriateness of the situation.
The needs of one workplace will differ from another so you have to be very aware of the specifics of your own environment. There are on-site risks for any workplace. Some of the common safety signage you will come across are electrical hazards, sharp objects, toxic chemicals, slippery surfaces, areas with a risk of falling objects such as a construction site. You need to select a very visible location to put up the sign and make sure there are no obstacles in the area that can obscure the sign. And visibility depends on readability and having a large eye-catching sign that is difficult to miss. The sign shouldn’t be fading into the background. It is also important to maintain signage properly so that they remain visible and readable.
You need to maintain the sign as a permanent fixture unless the hazard itself is temporary. Sometimes a previous hazard can be eliminated so in this occasion you need to remove the safety sign as well so that incorrect information is not provided to the occupants. And if you want to draw extra attention to the sign, you can have it illuminated. Many fire exit signs are required to be illuminated so that you can see it in low light or dark conditions. There has to be some space between two signs as having too many close together can dilute the visual impact. Make sure that signs are in the languages that your employees speak. If there are employees who speak languages other than English, it is best to have that language included as well. Staff members should be trained to recognize and heed safety signage from the beginning. Stressing the importance of paying attention to signage will increase everyone’s safety and make sure the efficiency of the workplace is boosted.
