Think of it this way, you are walking into an engineering workshop and as you enter, you step on a slippery floor of oil leaks from machines that are worked on and you lose your balance, slip, and fall. You certainly will feel bad and what will come to mind will be “Why didn’t anyone say the floor was slippery or at least put up a sign” that’s how difficult and frustrating things get without proper information and the lack of safety signs.
Let’s start with a question. What ARE SAFETY SIGNS?
Safety signs are a medium of communication that conveys information or instructions regarding the physical safety of people. They usually have a symbol and text, although there are safety signs that have only one of the two.
So now that we know what safety signs are, we need to know why these signs are an essential part of the workplace.
SAFETY SIGNS PROVIDE INSTANT VISUAL COMMUNICATION OF SAFETY MESSAGES
Why most safety signs are made to have just a symbol or text, however, the purpose of this vivid images is to be able to catch the attention of the worker and communicate its message almost immediately and clearly to the viewer. These safety signs feature clear pictographic illustrations of the hazard they’re highlighting, accompanied by clear, simple text instructions and eye-catching visual design. They are also color-specific and shaped in a certain form to make it obvious at a glance when an employee is entering a high-risk area, or when there are actions they need to take to ensure the safety of themselves and others. Take for instance color red. We all know that this is a color mostly identified with danger or a stop sign so seeing a sign in red about will make one look closely.
However safety signs are not an intentional action to replace safety training, but addition and a reminder to the most crucial messages in places where workers are most likely to be at risk and vulnerable to hazards and poor working habits that might pose a risk to them.
PINPOINT SAFE METHODS OF WORK AS WELL AS POSSIBLE HAZARDS:
We should have it in the back of mind that safety signs do more than just give warnings on potential hazards but are also effective in highlight the most effective and productive way to work. For example, why manually carry large amounts of heavy loads when you can use the forklift which is easy effective and time conserving.
Secondly, there might be cases where the provision for training new entry workers on a particular job might not be readily available, these safety signs stand as reference points they can consult whenever they need to work.
PROTECTS EMPLOYEES AND THE PUBLIC
Occupational safety hazards sometimes pose as a risk to the public just as much as they do to the workers At public locations such as construction sites are easy for passersby to be exposed to very significant dangers and unlike staff members, they will have had no training on any of these risks, and will likely be unaware of what to do if something goes wrong.
Safety signs can help curb this problem significantly, providing a method of flagging up potential hazards such as loud noises, dangerous machinery, falling objects or slippery surfaces to members of the public. They can also be used to warn civilians to avoid certain areas, or to provide them with contact details or essential information if they notice any signs of danger.
SAFETY SIGNS BENEFITS EVERYONE
Safety signs are one of the most visible and essential contributors to strong workplace health and safety cultures, which have been shown time and again to deliver practical, measurable benefits to every company, from top to bottom. Studies found that safety signs which inform you of danger can reduce accident rates in the workplace by up to 80%
All businesses understand that safety signs represent an integral part of their health and safety policies, but it is arguable that not every organization proactively considers the reasons why they have come to be regarded as so vital. We all understand that safety signs stand as a non-present but present figure symbolizing awareness to apparent danger or a correctional sign or a guide for better efficiency and it will always remain important in our everyday life.
