Workplace safety signage is those elements that, referring to an object, activity or specific situation, provide an indication or an obligation related to safety or health at work. Every day we see Workplace safety signage such as fire safety signage, safety signage for warehouses, and electrical safety signage that warns or prohibits us. Health and safety signage such as the wet floor, do not enter or emergency exit is examples of the information that is around us.
This type of signage plays a fundamental role when there is an obligation to correctly communicate and publicize safety information to employees and it is that correct communication can minimize the risk of accidents that occur in a work environment.
It is worth mentioning that employers must provide relevant information to employees about the meaning and requirements of all signs used in the work environment since messages and indications must be understandable to everyone.
It is important to recognize that workers may not know the meaning of Workplace safety signage (some are obvious but some are not) and therefore Workplace safety signage must be included in the induction or health and safety training
In our environment, some dangers and situations can put our health and safety or that of others at risk, either due to the nature of the danger or the type of activity we carry out or the situations we act on.
To reduce the risk in the face of certain threats, prohibitions or obligations, it is necessary to call our attention, for example, in the event of certain unwanted events, people must be alerted when a certain emergency occurs that requires urgent protection or evacuation measures.
Workplace safety signage types
Workplace safety signage combines shape, colour, and pictograms to convey specific health and safety information or instructions. There are 5 different main types of Workplace safety signage. OSHA Signs fall into four categories – Danger, Warning, Caution, and Notice
Pictograms must be used on signs, not just in text. This is to overcome any language barriers you may be created if only text was used (as a result of illiteracy, learning difficulties, language or certain vision impairment).
Let’s see what they indicate, what shape they have and the colours they use, but first let’s see a summary that will be very useful for us to learn the signs.
Colours:
- Blue for mandatory actions.
- Red is a prohibited colour.
- Yellow is a colour of warning.
- Green for positive actions.
Shapes:
- Circles are used for prohibitions or instructions.
- Triangles are used for warnings.
- Squares and Rectangles are used for emergency and information signage.
Now yes, let’s see each type separately with concrete examples of Construction safety signage:
Prohibition
They prohibit behaviour likely to cause danger by preventing certain activities that endanger their health or that of other workers.
Aimed at stopping dangerous behaviour, e.g. ‘No Smoking’. The signs are circular with a black pictogram on white background with a red border and a red diagonal crossbar at 45º concerning the horizontal. It should be noted that the red colour must cover at least 35% of the surface of the sign.
Warning
Tell people to beware of a particular hazard, e.g. ‘Forklifts operating in the area’. The signages are triangular on a yellow background with a black pictogram along with a black border. The yellow colour must cover at least 50% of the surface of the sign.
Mandatory Action
They indicate the obligation to use adequate protection to avoid accidents. They have a circular shape, a blue background and white drawings. They can also have a white edge. The blue colour must cover at least 50% of the surface of the sign.
Instruct people to take a specific action, often related to the use of personal protective equipment. Such as ‘Eye protection must be worn.
Safe Condition
Identify safe behaviour or safe places, e.g. ‘First aid stations’ are a green background with a white pictogram on a Square or rectangular shape. They can also be called rescue or relief.
Firefighting equipment
These signals are those related to fire-fighting equipment, identifying particular items of equipment, e.g. The signs are rectangular or square with a white pictogram on a red background. It should be noted that the red colour must cover at least 50% of the surface of the sign.
Construction safety signage
Through the use of construction safety signage, we can facilitate the identification of certain means of protection, evacuation, emergency or first aid, orienting and guiding them about workplace hazards and precautions. So that they can follow instructions based on the plans and procedures predetermined by a risk analysis as in the case of handling hazardous substances or energized areas.
Workplace safety signage should be used whenever the analysis of existing risks, foreseeable emergencies and the preventive measures adopted, reveals the need to alert workers when a specific emergency occurs that requires urgent protection or evacuation measures.
When the workers to whom the signage is directed have limited visual or hearing capacity, the necessary supplementary or substitution measures must be taken.
Therefore, we must conclude that the employer must adopt the necessary measures so that there is Workplace safety signage that complies with the provisions of the aforementioned regulations. Likewise, the employer will provide the workers with adequate training in terms of Workplace safety signage at work.
Regarding the location, placement and scope of the application of Workplace safety signage, it is necessary to understand and take into account the following indications:
- If signs are posted at the entrance to a workplace, they must be followed.
- If we find them on machinery, we must comply with what the signage tells us for the use of that specific machine.
Custom safety signage
How to make safety signage in PowerPoint?
For example, confined space entry signage step by step, let’s start:
Open PowerPoint and choose a template as you like but I recommend choosing “blank presentation” or going to the format section and choosing anyone.
Go to the insert tab and click on the shapes icon and click on rectangular shapes then draw a shape shown below.
Click on shape drawing tools to appear. Under Drawing Tools, choose Format. Displays the Drawing Tools tab on the PowerPoint ribbon. Follow one of these procedures:
To change the colour of the text, choose Text Fill and choose a colour.
To change the colour of the text outline, choose Text Outline and choose a colour.
To apply shadows, reflections glows, bevels, 3D rotations, or transformations, choose Text Effects and choose the effect you want to apply.
Go to the insert tab and click on the shapes icon and click on oval shapes then draw a shape as below. Then change colour to red.
Write the text “DANGER” Change the fonts.
Change the colour of the text to white.
Again go to the insert tab and click on the shapes icon and click on rectangular shapes then draw a shape below the black shape, shown below. Write “CONFINED SPACE”.
You can choose an image also. On the Insert tab, do the following:
To insert an image that is saved on your local drive or an internal server, choose Images, browse for the image, and then choose Insert.
To insert an image from the web, choose Images Online and use the search box to locate an image.
Insert Pictures Dialog in PowerPoint
Choose an image, and then click Insert.
for the border, Add rectangular shapes. On the Insert tab, select Shapes, and then select a shape from the menu that appears.
Select the Format or Format Shape tab on the ribbon. Open the drawing tools and add the colour ” no fill”.
Under the drawing, tolls go to the “shape outline” click on “weight” and make the border as visible and colourful as you like.
Now your workplace safety signage is ready
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Conclusion
Accidents can happen in an office, on construction sites, or on the streets. Therefore, it is important to keep people on the lookout for these potential mishaps. To achieve this, one of the ways you can is to place Workplace safety signage in the places where accidents are most likely to occur. This Workplace safety signage can prevent any type of danger, depending on what they represent. Its signage can be a warning for health, traffic, danger, etc. to keep people guided about the problems that await them if they don’t pay attention or don’t realize it.
Finally, it is essential to allow people to work in a safe environment. Let’s make sure no one is physically hurt while on call. And to help you save time making your sign. What are you waiting for? Keep everyone safe and put up signs where they are needed.
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