Returning to Work Safely: Evaluating your Safety Signage

Now more than ever, employers have to be aware of our responsibilities regarding the safety of our employees. We have to go beyond the old fashioned “X days since our last accident” signage and create simple but effective everyday reminders of how to avoid injury and maintain overall health. Now is a perfect time to do a signage inventory to see where you might fall short in protecting your workforce. Because the day is coming, sooner rather than later we hope, when our facilities will be fully staffed and running full force again, and we can’t wait until then to make the changes we need.

Determine the Right Location For Your Safety Signage

Each area of your facility, whether factory, warehouse, restaurant, retail shop, or office, needs safety signage in place exactly in the location where it should be utilized: blade safety in cutting areas, back strain warnings in areas where heavy lifting is done, and hand washing reminders by sinks and in bathrooms. Choose signage that fits the location in size and material…it won’t do you any good to have a knife safety reminder sign on the opposite side of the kitchen just because it won’t fit over the food prep table. And a paper sign from your office printer in a high-humidity area seems cost-effective, but how many times will you need to replace it?

Avoid Cluttered Information Signs

Don’t allow an overabundance of signs to cover up or distract from your most important messaging. Go through all the pieces of printer paper and sticky notes, and come up with one or two clear, visible signs that can convey all the information needed. Custom signage is easy when your sign company can design, fabricate, and install the entire job exactly to your needs.

Are Your Signs At The Correct Height?

The height placement of signage is so important that the government regulates it very strictly for signage that must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. It’s important for non-ADA signage as well, so take stock of where your signs are hanging and make sure they are at or near eye level. If not, ask your sign company what the law requires or, if no law applies, what will work best for your specific need.

Replace Out of Date Safety Signs

As we look ahead to a post-COVID-19 world, it will be very important to reevaluate the accuracy and efficacy of the safety information on your signage. Think about the new ways you’ll want your employees to wash their hands, cover their coughs, wear their protective gear, and handle an absence due to illness. Make sure the signage you install keeps up with all the most current scientific information and human resources initiatives. There are many inexpensive material choices for less permanent signage that can help ease the transition until experts have a better grasp on what measures should be mandatory, and which are merely recommended.

Assess Missing and Damaged Signs

Hm, I wonder why that area on the wall is a different color than the wall around it? Is it possible that an important piece of signage fell, or broke, or was supposed to be temporarily moved and somehow never got replaced? Make a note of any signage that is either missing or no longer effective due to fading or other damage, and replace it. Looking at your signage plan as a whole gives you an opportunity to create a fresh and consistent design aesthetic that will be as attractive as it is informative.

Are Temporary Signs Appropriate?

Again, remove and discard signs with outdated information, and any that are damaged or unreadable. They’re just making physical and mental clutter for everyone. Then evaluate whether they should be replaced with a more robust permanent sign that fits with your overall design plan, or if it makes more sense to continue using less expensive temporary options for signage that changes frequently. Your sign company can recommend a myriad of options to fit your budget and need.

Once your inventory is complete, call your sign company. Here in New York, we are allowed to continue operating as usual when servicing an “essential” business. However we know your business is always essential to you, so there are many things we can do right now to move your project forward while still following all state and federal mandates. 

Call Signwave at 631-761-9292, and we can start today to help you get ready for that wonderful day when we are all operating full steam once again, with health and safety as our number one priority.