The Complete Guide to Industrial Safety Signs

Industrial safety signs are commonplace across many industries. They take a variety of forms, but all industrial safety signs are designed to promote safety by informing workers, operators, and passersby of potential dangers in certain areas, near equipment, or in proximity to hazardous materials. Being related to safety measures in industrial settings, industrial safety signage is subject to various regulations, which can be complex to navigate. We’ve put together this comprehensive guide to industrial safety signs to provide a central resource encompassing the various types of signs, regulations, guidelines, and best practices, and buying tips for selecting the right signs for your applications.Get more news about Protocol Control Signages,you can vist our website!

Equipment maintenance requirements – Industrial equipment and machinery requires ongoing, regular maintenance to function at its best. Signs are often used to outline maintenance requirements and provide basic instructions for maintenance procedures, such as the proper way to shut down equipment before performing routine maintenance. Operating instructions – Much like signs for maintenance requirements, industrial safety signs are commonly used to outline basic operating procedures to ensure operator safety. While experienced equipment operators may not need to review the standard safety procedures before every use, these types of signs are often mandated by regulatory agencies and provide a safety net for company liability. For instance, if an operator injures himself by using improper operating procedures, the company could be penalized if the equipment did not display the appropriate signage.
Safety instructions – These types of signs are used to convey important safety warnings regarding health and injury risks. These signs may display information about avoiding exposure to harmful chemicals or hazardous substances or materials or serve as a notification of the location of safety equipment, such as an eye wash station.
The most obvious benefit of industrial safety signs is that they promote safety and help to prevent injuries in the workplace and other settings. Some applications are subject to regulations that mandate the use of industrial safety signs, often specifying the types of signs that must be present in certain locations on or near equipment, as well as the colors, symbols, and messaging required for compliance.

Of course, injury prevention is always the desired result, but unfortunately, operational errors and other accidents can lead to injuries despite the best prevention efforts. Industrial safety signs can help to reduce liability by providing proper notification for operators and other workers in the vicinity on the risks presented by machines, chemical hazards, requirements for protective safety gear such as eye protection or ear protection, and the like. Companies may not be liable for certain damages provided that all proper safety procedures were in place and warnings and safety instructions were posted appropriately and clearly visible. Workers are, of course, entitled to worker’s compensation benefits, but proper safety signage can provide some protection to companies should an injured party pursue further damages. (In other words, industrial safety signs help to ensure that you have all your ducks in a row.)
Industrial safety signs can also aid in wayfinding, providing information on alternate, safer routes from point A to point B, notifying people of congested areas that can pose safety risks, and provide clear, highly visible signs to direct people to emergency exits or label the location of essential emergency equipment, such as automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and fire extinguishers. In fact, OSHA regulations include specifications for emergency egress routes, mandating that all exits are labeled with highly visible “Exit” signs, and other hallways and areas that could be mistaken for an exit route must be clearly labeled with signs indicating “Not an Exit,” along with appropriate labeling to convey the actual purpose of the space (e.g., closet, conference room, etc.).

OSHA also requires that there be a clear line-of-sight to an Exit sign at all times, and that exits be free of clutter and obstacles that may prevent occupants from escaping the building safely. When the path to an exit isn’t obvious, other signs must be used to direct occupants to the nearest exit route. In short, industrial safety signs provide myriad specific benefits related to safety, but they also aid in regulatory compliance and reduce company risk.