Author:

Safety signs are the essence of your business in more ways than one. As a business owner, it is your responsibility to make sure you keep the health and safety of employees, guests and visitors a top priority. And, one way to do this is to make sure the right information is freely available at the most risk-dense spots around the workplace. As with any addition to your work premises, maintenance is key when it comes to making safety signs work for you. In today’s guide, we’ll walk you through the reasons why you should prioritise cleaning and care in your business.

Why Is Maintenance Important?

Once you’ve performed a risk assessment and installed the relevant safety signs, the information is readily available for all to see. But, without a proper maintenance schedule, you’ll likely encounter problems. Modern safety signs are designed to be incredibly hard-wearing and durable. They come in different materials (at Lasting Impressions, we have self-adhesive vinyl or 1mm rigid plastic) meaning you can install them inside or outside, depending on your needs. And, they are designed to last for an extended period of time. This doesn’t mean you can ignore them though. A poorly cared for safety sign will:

• Become illegible for individuals to read.
• Get overlooked by busy or new employees.
• Fail to capture attention or actually reduce the risk in question.
• Pose their own safety risk if they fall off of wall or surfaces.

All of these scenarios will reduce the effectiveness of your signs and mean you aren’t actively reducing hazards in the workplace. You run the risk of more accidents and the chance of legal action by disgruntled employees.

Location-Specific Maintenance Challenges

You’ll likely install safety signs in numerous locations around your premises. And, different spots require different maintenance to keep them looking their best.

Kitchen/catering Safety Signs

Kitchens are notoriously hot and greasy environments. From the steam from dishwashers through to oil spray from frying pans, the signs that you have in these spaces are likely to become grubby very quickly. Even though most are manufactured from wipe-clean materials, grease can become difficult to shift over time. Equally, the high moisture content in the air can cause more flexible designs to become damaged over time if the condensation isn’t wiped from them regularly.

It pays to consider the material you opt for in these environments – especially in locations such as over the stove or near cooking appliances. Choose something hard wearing and durable to minimise damage.

Bathrooms Safety Signs

There will be situations where you need to convey specific messages in bathrooms and toilets around your premises. The signs you use here are exposed to a high-bacteria environment with toilet spray and dirty hands. If you don’t have a structured process for maintaining and cleaning these signs, there is a risk of cross-contamination from person to person. Antibacterial spray and wipes should be used regularly to kill off unwanted germs and keep the environment hygienic at all times.

External Signs

In some instances, the safety signs that you need will be installed on the outside of your building. This could be in a farming or agricultural environment or around a construction site. These signs are exposed to harsh weather conditions, mud spray from machinery and general dirt build-up. It’s very easy for them to become entirely illegible – especially if they’re not checked or maintained regularly. Again, with a range of materials available, it’s easy to choose the style that best withstands these environments. But you’ll still need a routine in place to minimise the risk of these issues.

Installation Maintenance

You also need to ensure that, no matter the style or type of safety sign you choose, that it is installed and secure at all times. Signs that have fallen off the wall present both a tripping hazard and aren’t able to do their job properly. Signs that have started breaking away from their support are unlikely to be seen as easily. Consider also any additional lighting that you’ve put in place to make sure the sign is legible in all environments. If this breaks, how will an individual read the vital information available in the event of a power cut? And, could this put them in real danger? Installation maintenance is just as important as cleaning when it comes to your safety signs.

How to Maintain Your Safety Signs

Due to their design, it’s very easy to keep the signs around your business clean, legible and installed correctly. We recommend incorporating the following steps into your weekly or bi-weekly routine.

• Wipe down the surface of all signs with a damp cloth. Use a mild soap, if needed, to shift tougher stains.
• Dust signs regularly. A build-up of dirt and grime can make a sign appear older than it is, encouraging people to ignore its messages.
• In moisture-rich or dirty environments, opt for 1mm rigid plastic signs that can withstand harsh surroundings without warping or becoming damaged.
• Wipe away excessive moisture or rain when spotted on signs. This will help to reduce damage and keep the message clear.
• Check any screws or fittings on a monthly basis to ensure the sign is firmly affixed to the wall.
• Check self-adhesive signs to make sure they haven’t started peeling away from their surface.
• Replace signs when they start to look weathered or old.

It’s important to have a system in place when it comes to caring for your safety signs. They are there to help mitigate risk and keep your employees, guests and visitors safe. Therefore, they must work effectively and do their job to the highest standard. Here at Lasting Impressions, we have over 40 years of experience in designing and supplying safety signs to all manner of customers and businesses. And, this time has given us knowledge on how to get the most from your signs over the years. If you would like to speak to a member of our team or have a specific enquiry to make about one of our signs, please do get in contact here today.

Safety signs have their place in all working environments. They are designed to help convey messages of caution, pass along vital information and keep everyone on the premises safe. As such, they are vital. Hanging signs around your workplace is an effective way to better manage employees, visitors and guests. But, did you know that there are many mistakes to make with signs? And, if they are overlooked, they could be causing more problems than they’re helping? In today’s guide, we’ll go through common safety sign mistakes to help you identify and avoid them in your own workplace.

Things to Consider

The safety signs that we use here in the UK all conform to ISO 7010. This means that they are printed with a series of universally recognised logos to ensure they are understandable by all, regardless of language barriers or skill set. While this system is in place to minimise the risk of confusion, it’s important to make sure the messages you’re putting across make sense in a given place. And, that they aren’t contradicting themselves or overcomplicating a process. Using these signs to your advantage and having a clear understanding of the signs available is the best way to organise the best safety setup in your business.

Let’s take a look at some of the most common mistakes seen in working environments today.

Incorrect Placement

One of the biggest mistakes that ill-prepared businesses do is install their signs in the wrong places. Remember that safety signs are there to convey a message about an upcoming hazard or reinforced rule. They need to be placed in the optimal location to ensure they are:

• Seen instantly by all employees, visitors or guests (even if it’s their first time on your premises).
• Legible so that they can be viewed in a range of different lighting situations.
• Unobstructed by both permanent or temporary structures.
• Located close to the hazard to ensure the information/advice is read immediately before the risk.

Consider the following scenario. You hang a ‘Caution Hot Surface Do Not Touch’ sign on the front of the door to the canteen. Your intention is to advise anyone who passes in that numerous surfaces can cause burns or scalds if they come into contact with skin. However, the individuals passing into this space are likely in a rush to meet the demands of your customers or employees. It’s also likely that, in the rush to make sure mealtime runs as smoothly as possible, they are already too far away from the sign when the hazard occurs to remember what the sign says.

A comprehensive risk assessment is the best way to identify where the hazards are situated in your workplace. When you find an area where a risk would be better managed with signs, ensure that they are:

• Installed at eye height and indirect eye-sight of the individual as they approach the caution.
• Kept properly lit, either with additional lights or by using photoluminescent signs.

Not Maintaining Signs

Safety signs are designed to withstand harsh working environments. But, just like all the other equipment on your premise, they need to be properly maintained. The images and colours used to convey messages are printed in bright, highly visible colours. And, to keep these legible for all visitors, you need to ensure dirt and grime is removed efficiently. This is particularly important in certain environments – such as kitchens where dirt and grease are inevitable. Here at Lasting Impressions, we offer our signs in both self-adhesive vinyl or 1mm rigid PVC. Both of these can be wiped clean with a damp cloth and won’t degrade easily over time.

You’ll also want to make sure that older signs are replaced when they start to look worn. It’s easier for new employees or visitors to overlook an unkept sign, believing that it relates to a past instruction and not one that is still relevant today. And, ensure that all fixings are secure to keep the information directly in the eye-sight of the reader. Your safety signs are an investment into the health and safety of your employees and should be treated with the highest importance.

Too Many Signs Placed Together

We’ve mentioned the need for a risk assessment in order to identify the risks in a working environment. But it pays to remember that there will always be risks. Even in the best-regulated environment, hazards will still arise – some of which you won’t be able to predict or reduce. Performing an assessment of your work environment should flag up the most pressing hazards and those that post the biggest risk to safety. It’s important, when picking signs, that you use them to convey the most important messages.

If you place too many signs close together, the messages will become overwhelming. Passers-by will likely ignore them because of an inability to understand exactly what they should or should not be doing. Equally, it will become difficult for readers to understand which signs are focused on them and which are irrelevant. Too many signs, while it may seem like a fully protective measure, is more likely to make a lot of things fall through the woodworks.

Improper Signs

When selecting the right style of signs for your hazard, it’s important that you choose one that conveys the entire message. In some scenarios, a simple logo and line of text will be enough to warn people of a hazard, like with the Main Switch Sign. However, other situations may need more explanation, such as the ‘Danger. Men Working On Electrical Circuits’ sign. During the risk assessment, decide how complex of a message it is that you need to convey. Ask guests and employees for their input to make sure you choose the right styles for that specific environment.

Here at Lasting Impressions, we specialise in the design and supply of custom safety signs to suit your businesses needs. If you have any quhttp://estions or would like to speak to a member of our team, please do get in contact here today.

Having a well-structured and understood fire safety strategy in place is vital to protecting your employees, visitors and guests. Fire Extinguishers offer a means to put out small fires or keep danger at bay until the professionals arrive. In your business, these tools offer a feeling of confidence, security and reassurance. And, having the right signage to accompany each one ensures they are used correctly and are preventative, rather than an accelerant in the event of an emergency. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about Fire Extinguisher Signs.

The purpose of fire extinguishers in business?

Providing ample fire safety equipment is just one way that businesses can work to protect the health and safety of their employees. As part of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, they provide a safeguard, alongside items such as fire detectors and alarms. It is important to remember that fire extinguishers are only designed to tackle small fires. And, that their use is not compulsory by those who have not deemed the ‘responsible person’ in a business (this title is normally assigned to the landlord, property owner or appointed fire operative). Fire extinguishers are an effective way to contain small fires in many environments. However, their use needs to be backed by the right education and support, allowing the individual to use them safely and appropriately in any environment.

Legal obligations with fire extinguishers

We mentioned the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 above which provides guidance to commercial properties for the availability and use of fire-fighting equipment. It states that businesses are required to assign a dedicated Responsible Person to oversee the management of fire safety risk. This includes carrying out risk assessments, identifying the need for safety signs and/or equipment and implementing a fire management plan.

Fire extinguisher categories

In the UK, we have a clear categorical way of identifying different types of flammable materials and the fire extinguishers that should be used to fight related fires. The 6 fire-involved substances currently are:

1. Class A – Combustible carbon-based solids. These include materials such as fabrics, textiles and paper.
2. Class B – Flammable liquids. These include diesel, oils (non-cooking), petroleum.
3. Class C – Flammable gases. These include methane, propane or butane.
4. Class D – Burning metals. These include magnesium and aluminium.
5. Class F – Fats and cooking oils.
6. Electric Spark – These include fires caused by electrical equipment.

To pair with these, the fire extinguishers manufactured here in the UK are separated into corresponding categories:

1. Class A Fire Extinguishers – water, foam, dry powder, wet chemical, water.
2. Class B Fire Extinguishers – water mist, C02, certain wet chemicals, dry powder and foam.
3. Class C Fire Extinguishers – water mist and dry powder.
4. Class D Fire Extinguishers – specialist dry powder.
5. Class F Fire Extinguishers – wet chemical and water mist.
6. Electrical Fire Extinguishers – foam, C02 and water mist.

Your exact needs will depend on the results of your risk assessment. You are legally obligated to have a minimum of 2 x Class A Fire Extinguishers installed on every floor of a commercial property. The only exception here is if the property is very small.

Fire Extinguisher Safety Signs

As with all safety equipment, visibility should be prioritised during installation. Your fire extinguishers need to be positioned in an accessible and well-lit location with safety signs accompanying them. These signs need to indicate their availability and highlight the type of extinguisher they are. A risk assessment will identify the right class for your business. For example, catering or hospitality businesses are more likely to deal with fires caused by fats and cooking oils than they are with those caused by flammable gases.

The dangers of using the wrong fire extinguisher

Using the right fire extinguisher is more important than you may think. Not all fires are fuelled by the same materials and the wrong chemical reaction can accelerate the emergency in question. For example, C02 fire extinguishers (such as those in Class B and or electrical fires) release a 10-15 seconds burst of C02 which is used to suffocate fires. It does this by drawing in all of the oxygen, which can increase the risk of asphyxiation. C02 extinguishers should also never be used on a chemical fire, as this could cause a violent explosion and increase the risk of injury or death.

Minimise injury risk with the right sign

The right safety sign will provide all the information needed to give the users confidence in their actions. They work with the rest of your health & safety efforts and will better reduce the risk of injury in the event of a fire. At Lasting Impressions, we have a range of signs that provide clear, concise and easy-to-understand information. All of these are designed in accordance with ISO 7010 – a standardised process of using logos and signs for ease of understanding.

We currently have options for:

• Water-Fire Extinguishers
• C02 Fire Extinguishers
• AFF Foam Fire Extinguishers
• Foam Spray Fire Extinguishers
• Powder Fire Extinguishers
• Wet Chemical Fire Extinguishers
• Hydro-Spray Fire Extinguishers
• Water + Additive Fire Extinguishers
• L2 Powder Extinguishers

There are a variety of different styles available too. From detailed and educational signs that provide guidance on the type of fire, each extinguisher is safe as well as simple symbol options. Depending on the depth of information that is needed, how fast your staff turnover is and the details discovered during your risk assessment, we’ll find the right fire extinguisher sign to accompany your equipment.

We also have a specialist team on hand to answer any questions or queries you may have. Installing safety signs in your workplace plays a key role in your legal obligation and the management of employee satisfaction. If you would like to speak to a member of our team to gain a clearer understanding of how to best do this, please get in contact with us here today.

Prioritising safety in the workplace falls under the remit of the business manager/owner. It is your legal obligation to ensure that the right safety signs, safety equipment and measures are in place to either eliminate or reduce risk. A comprehensive risk assessment will help you to do this but there are other factors to consider when creating a strategy designed to support your health & safety measures. A safety sign audit is one way to identify whether your current system is working or whether adaptations are needed. In this guide, we’ll discuss whether it’s time to put one into action.

What is a safety sign audit?

An audit is an unbiased and overlooking assessment of the safety measures put into place in a business. It helps you to better understand what aspects are working, which ones need to be removed and how to better improve the risk-reducing measures you’ve put into place. Audits go hand-in-hand with other annual assessments of your business – ones designed to create safe, productive and thriving environments for both customers and employees.

Why is it important for your business?

As companies expand and grow, their demands change. Environments that could have been well-managed with one sign become too complex, with multiple activities occurring at any given point. Employee numbers grow, staff turnover increases and the general knowledge within the business changes. Updates to safety legislation also have an impact on existing safety set-ups – where you may once have abided by all recommendations, the business may now fall short.

It is important to analyse, audit and review your safety activities on a yearly basis to ensure you remain compliant with legal guidelines. And, an audit is an all-encompassing and effective way to do this.

Carrying out a safety audit – our tips

As with a risk assessment, there is no legal structure as to how this should take place. What you must do is create a logical way to record your findings so they can be reviewed at a later date. You will also make note of any challenges you’ve encountered and the suggested measures to minimise these. Here are some of our top tips when it comes to auditing your business and focusing on your safety signs.

Start from outside

Safety signs aren’t just relevant inside of the building. Many hazards are specific to outdoor environments on your business land, including those in parking spaces and presented on outdoor walkways. You will need to establish how significant of a risk these are and how to manage them. For example, if you receive a lot of deliveries throughout the day, you may need to consider signs such as the ‘No Vehicles Beyond This Point Sign’ to manage the flow of traffic. Or the ‘Caution Heavy Vehicles Turning Ahead’ sign to reduce the risk to pedestrians.

Consider too how visible your existing signs are. Have they become worn or aged over time? Can the information printed on them still be read easily? Do you need to look into solutions for low-light corners of your car park or walkways? We recommend that external signs be manufactured from our 1mm rigid plastic to provide added durability against varying weather conditions. And it is important to install them at eye height and close to the hazard in question to minimise the chance of misunderstanding.

Check all walkways

The most common types of hazards involve slips, trips and falls. And, the most hazardous places within businesses where these happen are in walkways. It pays to review all corridors, hallways and paths throughout your business, as well as non-structured paths that are frequented often. Organising the flow of traffic is a brilliant way to bring structure and can easily be done with Directional Signs. They provide clear information to employees, visitors and guests, advising them of one-way systems or traffic moderation methods that exist across your business.

Again, take note of low-light conditions. Walkways can be an essential tool when leaving the building in an emergency. Therefore, you may wish to consider Photoluminescent designs. These specialist surfaces absorb the energy from both natural and artificial light throughout the day. In the event of a power cut or blackout, they emit a green glow that allows the information to be read and directions to be understood. These are an effective alternative to installing additional lighting.

Consider fire safety

Fire safety signs are some of the most important in your business. They are essential in all businesses, playing a key role in your legal responsibility and helping to keep people safe in the event of an emergency. We have written a blog post all about UK Fire Exit Regulations here and a blog post about ‘How To Create a Fire Escape Plan For Your Business’ here. During your safety sign audit, review whether the measures you have in place work. When carrying out a routine fire safety drill, were employees able to leave the building in an organised and safe manner to find their meeting point? Did the fire safety signs in place do their job effectively or were some individuals left confused about the best means to exit?

Consider education/training

It is important to look at the state, positioning and usability of the safety signs in your workplace. But, it is equally as important to consider the training and education put in place for employees. UK safety signs are designed to be universally understood – specifically those manufactured in accordance with ISO 7010. However, you still need to ensure that people understand how they’re supposed to be used to get the best results. It helps to explain the individual hazards, the reasons why certain measures are put into place and to gain an understanding from them as to whether any issues haven’t been addressed.

A safety sign audit should give you a better understanding of how well your business is handling the challenges posed to it with the right signage. If you would like support or advice on carrying one out or identifying signs for different hazards, please get in touch with the team here today.