No matter what business you run, safety and security should be at the top of your list of essential requirements. Ensuring people are safe while performing daily tasks in your facility is of the utmost importance, which rings especially true in high-traffic environments. With clients and products coming in and out and workers quickly moving through various sections, there are plenty of ways signs can help direct traffic and keep your facility running smoothly for years to come. Here are some of the most important safety signs your facility should have.
The Importance of Industrial Safety Signs
A lot can go wrong during the day-to-day operations of an industrial facility. Not only is it a high-traffic environment, but there are plenty of machines, instruments, and appliances in use at all times. If your employees aren’t following proper practices, it can lead to dangerous situations, lawsuits, and a bad reputation for your facility. Therefore, all industrial companies should want to promote healthy habits, and safety signs are a great way to communicate exactly what you expect from workers.
Additionally, your facility should follow Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements, which safety signs and hazard warnings can help you comply with. Organizations that fail to follow those regulations violate workplace safety laws, and that’s the last thing you want your organization to do. OSHA signs should be easily visible from about five feet and removed only when work is complete or when the hazardous situation is remedied. No matter what jobs your company performs, make sure that safety instruction signs are up and visible, providing sufficient information for anyone roaming around your facility.
Safety Sign Color Coding
Color coding has been used in various facilities for years and is adopted in most of the world. As a result, most safety signs come in colors that are standard amongst all facilities that are assigned specific meanings to increase clarity. Here’s what the most common ANSI safety colors mean for you.
- Red – If there’s danger around, red is used most often. Red is often used with the color white and can indicate anything from emergency equipment, fire safety rules and regulations, flammable liquids, and emergency stop switches.
- Yellow – Yellow signifies that you need to take caution of your surroundings. This could include PPE instructions, common physical hazards, or exposed edges.
- Orange – Orange signs are typically warning signs, denoting any electical hazards, work zones, or exposed or moving machine parts.
- Green – Green signs are usually safety instructions after accidents like spills have occurred. It can show the location of first aid equipment or indicate procedures that need to be followed after a situation, or it can provide general safety reminders.
- Blue – Blue signs are usually used to communicate information specific to individuals in the facility, such as maintenance and best practices.
The Most Common Industrial Safety Signs
All industries should be aware of a few main types of signs. They can be broken down into notices, admittance, and non-hazard signs. Notices give instructions that should be followed about buildings, machinery, or area requirements. They help reduce the risk of accidents occurring. Admittance indicates who can go where and what consequences you might receive for venturing into places you shouldn’t. Non-hazard signs communicate things like the location of restrooms or wayfinding directions for easier travel through the facility and should never communicate potential hazards or dangers.
Where Do I Place My Signs?
In addition to ensuring you have the right signs, they must also be placed in suitable locations. Signs must be placed as close to the danger or hazard as possible to ensure safety measures are followed. Place danger signs near immediate risks to keep individuals away from the potential problem. Make sure caution signs are placed around the areas in which individuals should have their guard up. Keep employees safe with safety instructions and guidelines in locations or for machinery that can help employees perform their tasks safely.
Fire Hazard Signs
You don’t want to waste time in the event of a fire, and some of the most critical safety signs your company should have are fire hazard signs. In the event of a fire, these signs should provide essential procedures for employees and customers to follow that ensure everyone can evacuate the area as fast as possible. Some fire hazard signs include fire action notices, fire exit signs, fire extinguisher locations, and warning signs of activities to avoid that might start a fire.
Food Safety Signs
Are you a restaurant owner? If so, you want to ensure that food safety signs line your facility. Many people have varying conditions that can be triggered by consuming certain foods. Important food safety signs can help alert people to the presence of peanuts, fatty oils, and dairy products or indicate gluten-free alternatives. In addition to preventing allergies, these signs can point out foods that are great vegan or vegetarian options while also protecting your company from being liable if anyone becomes sick from eating one of your foods.
Sign Maintenance
Signs are no good to anyone if they can’t be read, so make sure yours are easily understood. The wording of any sign must be precise, and you can turn to ANSI guidelines for help. These guidelines ensure signs are easily read and concise by giving you clearance on colors, signal words, lettering size, and where to place signs. Schedule an inspection for your facility to check whether your signs follow these guidelines and replace any damaged or missing ones.
Secure the Right Signage for Your Facility
Regardless of how big or small your building is, having the right signs is vital to ensuring safety, keeping true to regulations, and ensuring that your business flows smoothly for years to come. LEM Products, Inc. can provide industrial locations with proper safety warning signs that help achieve these goals in the best way possible. Contact us and order the safety signs you need for your business today, or explore industrial warning labels, tags, or other ways to keep your company running smoothly.