It is important to have safety signs in the workplace. This will minimize the risk of accidents in the workplace and keep visitors and employees to the building safe. You should make sure that the signs you put up comply with health and safety regulations. Safety signs can create a safer working environment and people will be able to use the information in an emergency to escape the building.
There are different types of signs as well. For example, there are prohibition signs that are used to prohibit certain behaviours. These signs generally start with the phrase “do not” and they are used to stop people from entering a certain area or to reinforce instructions to prevent dangerous activities. Some examples of these signs are no smoking, do not enter, no swimming, no running, do not use lift and do not operate. The colour of this type of sign is red. There are also signs that show imagery on a white background with a diagonal cross line in red. These are used to prohibit activities. There will also be a circular red band around the sign. In addition to wall mounted or standalone signs, these can be applied on the floor as well.
Then there are warning signs that inform people about danger nearby. Some examples are high voltage and storage of flammable liquids. You can have warning signs on the floor as well to let pedestrians know when to watch their step. But when it’s mounted, the sign is in the shape of an equilateral triangle with a black band around it. You can mount the sign to the wall using crew or for easier installation, you can purchase signs that come with a magnetic back or has an adhesive at the back. The sign will also have black colour imagery or text on a yellow background letting everyone know what the hazard is. Emergency signs are very important to have when it comes to emergency exists, rescue facilities and first aid. You can let occupants know of the escape routes in a building using these signs. They are usually in white text or imagery printed on a green background. The shape of the sign can be a square or rectangle.
There are some mandatory signs that are used to prescribe certain behaviour. If you work on a construction site, you will see these signs letting workers know which areas you need to wear hard hats. This will be located at entry points before anyone steps into the high risk areas. Also, when it comes to fire doors, you will see a sign with the label “fire door, keep shut”. There are many instructional signs to inform people what to do in the event of a fire. The text will be written in white on a blue background. Mandatory signs can have texts or imagery or both. In work sites where PPE should be worn, you will see the mandatory sign for this as a graphic floor marker. The shape will either be a half circle or a circle.