When It Comes to Employee Safety, the Signs You Use Can Make a Difference

Employee safety should be among any employer’s top priorities. If a worker gets hurt, he or she could be out for weeks, months or for good. In addition to the lost productivity, it may cost thousands of dollars to pay medical bills and other costs the hurt employee may incur. Let’s look at how safety signs can play a role in keeping your people safe regardless of their job duties.

Text Should Be in Multiple Languages

While the majority of your workers may speak English, it is possible that some may speak Spanish or another major foreign language. Having sign text offer warnings in multiple languages ensures that everyone gets the message quickly and clearly. This may be especially helpful for those who may be unfamiliar or inexperienced on the job or with a piece of equipment.

Make Sure That Warnings Can Be Seen From a Distance

It is imperative that warnings can be seen from as far away as possible. To make your signs more prominent, words should be written in bold text and in solid colors such as white or black. Furthermore, the signs shouldn’t use a lot of bright colors or have a lot of filler words on them. This may distract from the main message and make it harder for a worker to understand what he or she is supposed to avoid.

Symbols May Accompany Text

In addition to words like warning or danger, it may be a good idea to use pictures to communicate a message to employees. Let’s say that employees needed to use knives on a regular basis to complete a task. You could have a picture of a person wearing mesh gloves indicating that cutting without them is a safety hazard. You could also have a picture of a hand not covered by a glove with a slash through it to indicate that cutting without gloves isn’t safe. Using pictures may be effective for those who can’t read or don’t read English words well.

Signs Should Give Clear and Concise Directions

If you run a warehouse, you may have multiple forklifts operating at the same time. In addition, you may have other workers on foot trying to talk to customers, fill orders or complete other tasks. The use of warehouse aisle signs makes it easier for forklift operators to know exactly where to go and how to get there.

This may allow them to focus less on where they are supposed to go and more on getting there safely and without damaging product. In addition to aisle number signs, it may be beneficial to clearly label paths that forklifts can use and paths for those walking on foot. You may also want to put up speed limit signs in addition to signs warning employees about the prospect of items falling from above.

OSHA May Have Sign Design Ideas

If you are wondering how to improve the design of your safety signs, OSHA may have tips and strategies that you can use. In addition to keeping your people safe, it may be possible to avoid fines or other penalties for noncompliance with safety regulations. OSHA may even be able to provide sign samples of templates as a cost-effective way to warn employees of potential dangers on the job.

Employees need to know about the potential dangers that they face whenever they are on the job. Safety signs may be an effective component of an overall culture of safety that includes appropriate training and supervision. While safety protocols may require upfront expenditures to implement, they generally help to save a company money in the long run.