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  • A Comprehensive Guide for Signs in the Workplace

    A Comprehensive Guide for Signs in the Workplace

    In order to keep up with health and safety requirements, signs are an essential addition to your workplace. They act to provide instruction, orders, information and guidance on codes of conduct around a building. In unmanned environments, they offer this information in a clear way to ensure it can be understood by both permanent and temporary visitors. Signs are one of the most useful additions your workplace can have. Therefore, it is vital that you understand which signs are needed for your business. Alongside this, understanding what each sign means and appropriate sign usage will help improve the overall flow. In this guide, we will cover everything you need to know about signs in the workplace.

    Which businesses need signs?

    This very broad question can be answered with an equally broad response – nearly all of them. If you manage or run a business, it is likely that signs will help in one way or the other. Properties or work environments with high people foot flow are likely to use signs to minimise the risk of injury. Equally, sites or locations with high waste content may used signs to regulate recycling and refuse disposal. Anywhere where there is an instruction to give, the correct signage can be essential.

    What are the different types of signs?

    In accordance with The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996, there are 4 main types of sign:

    • Prohibition sign. These signs prohibit specific behaviours that could increase or decrease the chance of a hazard. For example, No Smoking signs.
    • Warning sign. These signs provide a warning of a hazard or danger in the surrounding area. For example, Construction Site signs.
    • Mandatory sign. These signs inform readers of a specific behaviour that must be undertaken. For example, Mandatory Footwear signs.
    • Emergency escape/First-Aid signs. These signs give information about emergency exits, first aid or rescue facilities. For example, Fire Exit signs.

    Your business may not need every type of sign. It is vital that you undertake a detailed risk assessment before choosing signs for your building. This will help to highlight the specific hazards presented and give you direction on where to install the appropriate signs.

    Sign requirements by industry

    When it comes to choosing the right sign for your workplace, it can be helpful to consider the industry you fall into. Different environments present different hazards. Therefore, understanding the ones that are most pertinent to your industry can be a good first step to establishing your needs. Let’s take a look at 4 of the biggest industries here in the UK and the signs you may need in each.

    Construction

    With large equipment, high staff turnover and expansive site locations, the construction industry presents a large quantity of hazards. Therefore, it is likely to be the first thing you think of when we talk about signs in the workplace. Here, signs help to prevent injury and in some instances, death. They are very important and help a construction site stay compliant legally. Some of the main construction site signs you may need to consider include:

    The exact requirement for your site depends on size and location. For example, those using kango drill or explosives will need to consider the right Noise Hazard signs to minimise injury risk. Equally, if you’re working on an old building, Asbestos Signs ensure people take the correct precautions. We have written a detailed Construction Signs Guide which provides everything you need to know about minimum requirements. It also covers legislation and how to identify where signs are required.

    Healthcare

    Businesses based within the NHS have their own specific guidelines when it comes to signs. Alongside this, they must conform with the current legislation including EN ISO 7010:2012. Signs used within healthcare buildings need to be:

    • Durable
    • Easy to understand
    • Highly visible
    • In accordance with British Standards

    All of these factors work together to ensure a sign can be read by the vast majority. You have to remember that these buildings generally have high foot traffic. And that the majority of people in them are only temporary (they don’t work at the building but are visiting for an injury, for example). The information presented needs to be easy to read in an emergency. Equally, it needs to discourage any hazardous behaviour instantly.

    Examples of this include NHS Fire Exit signs, both general and photoluminescent.

    Retail

    As a major employer in the UK, retail businesses also need to consider the safety signs they have on show. The main hazardous areas within these working environments include:

    • Slipping and trip hazards
    • Manual handling (unloading deliveries and stocking shelves)
    • Workplace transports (delivery vans and forklifts)
    • Violence (both employee-employee and customer-employee)

    Again, risk assessments will help to highlight which hazards are most prominent in your building. And signs should be used in accordance with this to prevent injuries. The HSE has a range of downloadable resources to help retail business owners in this field. These include ‘Preventing slips and trips at work’ and ‘Getting to grips with manual handling: a short guide’.

    Some of the most vital signs needed in this industry include:

    Office-based

    Not industry specific, but it is always worth talking about office-based businesses. Again, these present a unique range of hazards – namely tripping, manual handling and fire safety. As with all the industries above, it is important to undertake a detailed risk assessment. And then, install signs according to the most obvious needs.

    Lasting Impressions are experts in the design and manufacture of safety signs for your business. We have worked with businesses of all shapes and sizes, as well as across various industries. If you have any questions about the right workplace signs for your business, get in contact today.

  • Workplace Risk Assessments – What do you need to know?

    Workplace Risk Assessments – What do you need to know?

    According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), all employers should carry out workplace risk assessments. They allow you to identify potential hazards and implement procedures that minimise these. In doing so, employers protect their employees, guests and visitors while maintaining exceptional Health & Safety in the process. No matter the size of your business, the amount of employees you hire or whether you work with the general public, risk assessments are vital. Our guide explains everything you need to know about them and where you can find the best templates on the Internet.

    What is classed as a hazard?

    The main reason for undertaking a risk assessment is to identify hazards. These are anything that has the potential to injury or harm an employee, visitors or guests to your building. Some of these are easy to spot. For example, hot stoves in the kitchen can cause burns. But others are more obscure. Below are the four main categories of hazards you need to be aware of.

    1. PhysicalThese hazards are those that can cause physical damage to employees, visitors or guests. They include things like slipping on wet floor, breathing in high levels of dust or hunching over computer desks for extended periods of time. These are the hazards that are the easiest to identify. Most of the time you can see them clearly during the day. Therefore, they should be the first ones you address with either safety signs or through other preventative measures.
    2. MentalThe focus on mental health in the workplace is something we’re becoming increasingly aware of. Modern work puts a great number of strains on our mental state and that of our employees. Therefore, it is vital that you take the measures to minimise this. Some of the hazards presented here are excessive workloads, long hours and working with high-need clients.
    3. ChemicalIn certain workplace environments, the use of chemicals presents its own hazards. These can be anything from everyday cleaning fluids through to asbestos. The degree of severity presents by chemicals in your business can vary drastically. However, it should always be taken into consideration – especially as different people can have different reactions.
    4. BiologicalAlthough most common in healthcare environments, biological hazards can still arise in various environments. These include the spread of infections such as tuberculosis and hepatitis.

    How does a risk assessment help reduce hazards?

    Forming an integral role in your health and safety plan, risk assessments are a comprehensive way of highlighting individual hazards. They offer a number of benefits including:

    • Allowing you to identify hazards and risks before they cause harm
    • Helping you to analyse the degree of risk presented with each hazard. This will be a vital stage in establishing where safety measures need to be implemented.
    • Supporting you in identifying the most appropriate ways to eliminate or control the hazard.

    A risk assessment essentially takes a detailed look at your workplace, using the framework of the four hazard types mentioned above. It helps to identify exactly who is at risk and how this can be prevented effectively. Additionally, risk assessments can also analyse your existing health and safety set up to establish if it is working effectively. When meeting legal requirements, they are vital and ensure you stay compliant at all times.

    When should I perform a risk assessment?

    The reasons for performing a risk assessment can vary. Primarily there are 3 times when it is vital that you look at the hazards around the workplace. These are:

    • When a new process or activity is introduced. This could be a new avenue of business you want to go down or a new job placement. A risk assessment should take place before it has been implemented.
    • Before you implement any changes to existing processes or activities. This could include new machinery brought in to complete a job or when new legislation is passed. A risk assessment will identify any new and existing hazards.
    • When a new hazard is identified. Even businesses that have a firm understanding of their work environment can still encounter new hazards. Risk assessments will allow you to establish the degree of risk and how it should be handled.

    What does a risk assessment cover?

    There are many risk assessment templates available online. We will mention a few at the end of this guide. However, there are a few general rules you should follow when undertaking one.

    • Ensure that the person performing the risk assessment is competent or works in a team that has a good working knowledge of the environment.
    • Identify hazards by walking through your work environment. Time should be taken to decide whether seemingly innocent machines or procedures could, in fact, do harm.
    • Determine the likelihood that each hazard could do harm and how severe this could be. Here, you will need to take into account the hazard during normal working activity and in the event of an emergency. For example, would the risk increase in the event of a power cut?
    • Ensure you are up-to-date with the existing Health and Safety legislations alongside any that are specific to your industry. This will help you establish the importance of each hazard.
    • Identify the actions that are required to eliminate or control the hazard/risk. What do you need to do process-wise to ensure that chance of injury is reduced?
    • Reassess these actions to ensure that they will minimise or eliminate the hazard at hand. If not, go back and reassess what can be done.
    • Continuously monitor the measures taken. This is one of the most important stages as it determines whether a new risk assessment is needed. The person conducting the analysis should also keep on top of reviews to ensure safety is always prioritised.
    • All documentation, notes and records should be kept for future reference.

    Where can I find a risk assessment template?

    Risk assessment structures can vary depending on your industry, working environment and requirements. However, there are many templates available to download online. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has a number of templates available on its website, specifically for small business owners. These spread from environments such as Hairdressing Salons through to Office-Based Businesses and Plastering Companies, to name a few.

    The HMRC have a Generic Risk Assessment Form that can be used in a variety of environments. The Word document can be downloaded here. And, you can find a large quantity of risk assessment for download at SafetyRisk.Net.

    Lasting Impressions are always on hand to help with advice and recommendations when it comes to safety signs for risk assessments. If you have any questions, get in contact with the team here today.

  • How Can Safety Signs Help With Covid-19 Prevention

    How Can Safety Signs Help With Covid-19 Prevention

    While restrictions are slowly lifting and we’re returning to a sense of normality, there’s no denying that the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on everyone. And, as businesses reopen, there is a need to find useful and relevant ways to prevent the spread of the virus – both between employees and customers. Safety signs are one way of doing this and a highly effective one at that. They don’t just provide guidance but can benefit businesses with their virus control methods in more ways than one.

    Education

    We have been continuously told how we can prevent the spread of coronavirus. However, returning to work presents a host of unique problems. No longer is it possible to entirely isolate yourself from others. Either due to our work requirements or the layout of the business premises, we must now learn a new way to get on with our lives without significantly increasing risk. COVID-19 safety signs provide education to employees and visitors. They outline the ways in which social distancing and appropriate hand cleansing can keep everyone safe.

    Abiding by ISO 7010 means that easily recognisable signs can be repurposed to fit this need. It becomes easier to give tailored information to the relevant parties, educating them on the ways that their actions can help.

    Confidence

    The world has been different for quite some time now. And while the experts are telling us that returning to work can be managed safely, there is always the possibility of worry. Implementing COVID-19 safety signs provides a sense of confidence to employees and customers. It is a visual marker that your business is taking action to reduce risk. It is a sign of care towards those entering a building, showing that the company has taken heed of the risk and is attempting to minimise this.

    Whether this translates into employees being more willing to return to their desks or customers choosing to shop with you over the competition, it is a beneficial addition for your business.

    At Lasting Impressions, we have a wide variety of COVID Hygiene and Social Distancing Signs. From Temporary Anti-Slip Floor Graphics to Floor Stands and Directional Signs, you’ll find everything needed to minimise risk during these unprecedented times. If you have any questions or require support identifying the right sign, please do get in contact with the team here today.

  • Inspecting Your Fire Extinguishers – What Do You Need to Know?

    Inspecting Your Fire Extinguishers – What Do You Need to Know?

    The fire extinguishers in your commercial property are there to reduce risk, in the event of an emergency. They are a legal requirement under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and help to reduce the spread of smaller fires. As with all of the safety equipment in your building, it is important to perform regular checks and maintenance. This ensures they’re doing the job required, that you’re actively working to reduce risk and that the strategy you have in place is effective.

    How often do I need to inspect fire extinguishers?

    In accordance with current guidelines, you need to visually check fire extinguishers once per month. This can increase in high-risk environments to as frequently as once per week if you work in an environment where they are more likely to be required or damaged. A visual inspection can effectively tell you whether the extinguisher will perform well in the event of an emergency. It will also flag up any damage or issues that mean it may need to be replaced. The appointed ‘Responsible Person’ in your business who is in charge of fire safety should take on this responsibility.

    What to check for?

    There are 5 key steps to checking your fire extinguisher.

    Visibility

    As with all kinds of fire fighting equipment, your fire extinguisher needs to be situated in a highly visible location. During an inspection, you’ll need to establish that each extinguisher is where it is expected to be. Check whether there are any boxes, newly installed signs or items that could obstruct the view and that fire extinguisher safety signs are easy to see.

    Instructions

    Signs and notices of information need to be kept clean and in pristine condition. If you notice wear or damage these should be replaced. This includes safety signs as well as the information available on the fire extinguisher itself. You want to ensure that, in the event of an emergency, the user could identify what they should do to safely extinguish the fire.

    Locking Pin

    All fire extinguishers have a locking pin that prevents them from being accidentally discharged. This should be visually checked to ensure it is in place and that all relevant seals and tamper indicators are unbroken. If these are found to be damaged, the fire extinguisher will need to be replaced. Sealants like these indicate that an extinguisher is ready, in the event of a fire, and fully loaded to help.

    Volume

    While the locking pin and seals will indicate whether the extinguisher has been used, it is still important to check the volume. Is it full and has it been unused? You need the full capacity to fight fires and the reassurance that the right equipment is available.

    Pressure Rating

    Fire extinguishers have a pressure gauge fitted to them. This is an indicator of whether the gases inside are maintained within safe limits. Check that it sits within the manufacturer’s recommendations.

    A visual inspection not only ensures you remain legally compliant. It also provides peace of mind and reassurance to your employees. And is a means to keep the business safe at all times.

  • Reduce Machine-Related Risks With the Right Signs

    Reduce Machine-Related Risks With the Right Signs

    Large scale machinery, whether it’s used within your warehouse or on your construction site, presents significant hazards. Both users and bystanders can find themselves at risk if the right information is not readily available. Equally, as a business owner, it is your responsibility to prioritise the safety of your employees. This is where our team at Lasting Impressions come into play. In today’s blog, we’re going to look at how you can significantly reduce machine-related risk with the right safety signs.

    What Are the Key Hazards of Machinery in the Workplace?

    A detailed risk assessment is the only way to clearly understand the unique hazards in your workplace. However, knowing the types of accidents and injuries that can occur with machinery gives you a good base to help improve safety.

    • Accidents caused by faulty or unsafe equipment that has not been maintained.
    • Accidents caused when using machinery without the right PPE.
    • Accidents caused by a lack of training.
    • Accidents caused by unsafe equipment.
    • Accidents caused by machinery that is unsuitable for the job at hand.

    What Are Your Responsibilities as an Employer?

    As we mentioned above, you need to ensure that machines are used safely and actively reduce the risk surrounding them in your workplace. As an employer, your responsibilities include:

    • Providing suitable machinery for the job at hand.
    • Ensuring machines are maintained and serviced accordingly.
    • Carrying out regular risk assessments and take action to minimise the risks highlighted.
    • Provide suitable PPE.
    • Ensure safety signs are in place around the machine to inform of specific risks.

    Workplace Machine-Specific Signs

    Here at Lasting Impressions, we supply a wide range of safety signs specifically designed to reduce the risk of accidents by machines. These include options like the ‘Stop Machine Before Removing The Guards’ sign, the ‘Unauthorised Persons Not To Use This Machine’ sign or the ‘Danger Moving Machinery Risk of Trapped Hands’ sign all offer clear and legible instruction to reduce incidents. Once you have performed a risk assessment and identified the specific hazards to your workplace, get in contact with our team here who will help you to identify the right signs required.

  • Managing the Return to Work Safely Post-Lockdown

    Managing the Return to Work Safely Post-Lockdown

    With restrictions due to being lifted here in the UK over the summer, it seems that the end is in sight for virtual working. Returning back to the office and the workplace presents a unique set of challenges for business owners. How will you manage employee emotions and anxiety surrounding the re-entrance into group life? How will you have to adjust the working environment to keep in line with current regulations? And, what steps do you need to implement in order to keep the working environment as safe as possible?

    When Will You Plan the Return to the Office?

    The current recommendations for employees to work from home, where possible, is expected to be lifted around June 2021. From this point, there will be a need to facilitate the return in line with COVID-secure guidance. Employers should have some flexibility in their decision – the pandemic has caused a high degree of stress and worry.

    Understandably, returning to work may feel worrying for many people. Equally, employers can take their own stance, allowing employees to work from home if needed and supporting a hybrid working set-up.

    How to Organise Safety Post-Lockdown

    The key thing to consider when organising the return to work is safety – the working environment needs to be set up to reduce the risk of virus spread. Therefore, the recommendations are to consider a detailed risk assessment that takes into account areas that currently create employee clusters, high-traffic or those with high-touch areas. You need to take into account things such as whether employees can maintain the required social distancing during their work and whether multiple-person touch can be reduced in certain areas.

    How Can Safety Signs Help?

    Here at Lasting Impressions, we’re doing everything we can to support businesses as they look to return to face-to-face work. To do so, we’ve devised a selection of COVID/Social Distancing signs that are tailored to corporate needs. These include everything from hygiene signs to encourage regular handwashing through to temporary anti-slip floor graphics that reinforce social distancing. The specific needs of your business will depend on the unique environment and employee roles. However, we recommend considering safety signs for areas such as:

    • At the entrance and exit to your building, consider hand washing and hand sanitising signs.
    • In the canteen, consider social distancing signs.
    • In the workplace, consider directional signing to reinforce new working spaces.

    All of our Lasting Impressions signs are designed to meet your needs, with easy wipe-clean surfaces and clear information that will be legible by all. If you have any questions or would like support designing your post-lockdown employee return, please do get in contact today.

  • A Guide To Social Distancing In The Workplace

    A Guide To Social Distancing In The Workplace

    While in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic or into the near future, social distancing has become ingrained in our current everyday life. As a means to prevent the spread and protect the health and safety of many, we are being asked to stay 2 meters apart at all times. For businesses, both those that have opened and those still in the planning stages, implementing this social restriction poses a set of unique challenges. But with all aspects of safety in the workplace, the right signs can offer a cost-effective and successful solution. Our guide will help your business open successfully, once allowed.

    What is the 2-meter rule?

    In a means to prevent COVID-19 from spreading quickly through our nation, the 2-meter social distancing rule was introduced at the beginning of lockdown. The idea assumes that this virus is primarily spread through respiratory droplets and that keeping this specified distance will significantly reduce the risk. As of the 4th July, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the 2-meter rule would be replaced with a 1-meter+ guidance, acknowledging that the original distance was often hard to replicate.

    Even with this relaxation, the social distancing restriction still places unique challenges on business owners. From those with brick-and-mortar shops to jobs that require close contact with customers, how will the logistics work in line with this?

    How can this be implemented in businesses?

    The HSE has produced guidance for employers with appropriate measures that should be taken to continue working safely during coronavirus. And, via the GOV.uk website, you can find a multitude of guides to help your business reopen. Here, we will summarise some of the key points you should consider.

    Practical actions pre-opening

    Before your business opens up, it’s important to discover the new hazards posed and implement precautions to minimise these. The following steps are advised by the government:

    • Carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment

    Using the HSE guidance, walk around your workplace and identify the areas that present a risk. Consider the virus during your review – where could it be spread? Where is close contact necessary? How many handwashing facilities do you have available etc?

    • Develop appropriate cleaning, handwashing and hygiene procedures

    Encourage employees to follow the government’s guidance on handwashing and ensure you provide hand sanitiser readily around the building. All items that are touched on a regular basis should be disinfected and cleaned frequently.

    • Where possible, ask employees to work from home

    This isn’t always possible but, even if it’s only select people in your team, encouraging people to work from home minimises the risk of infection spread. Where possible, provide the right equipment, include them in communications and ensure they are able to do their job remotely.

    • Maintain the 2m social distancing guidance, where possible

    During the risk assessment, consider ways to implement the social distancing guidelines into your workplace. This could mean moving desks apart, eliminating shared workstations, using floor tape to mark areas, implementing a one-way system and using safety signs to remind employees of the new rules.

    • Where employees cannot social distance or work from home, manage the risk of transmission

    If you have to open and employees are unable to distance, you need to take measures to reduce the chance of illness. Use screens or barriers for face-to-face meetings, encourage back-to-back working, stagger arrival and departure times and minimise exercises that need direct exposure as much as possible.

    There are a number of industry-specific guides also available on the gov.uk website including ones for:

    COVID-19 and Social Distancing Safety Signs

    To support your business and help the UK economy to get moving once more, we have designed and manufactured a range of social distancing and coronavirus-specific safety signs. Suitable for a wide variety of businesses, they act as reminders for employees and customers.

    COVID-19 Hygiene Safety Signs

    Designed to ensure employees and customers remember to maintain a high level of hygiene, these mandatory safety signs are hardwearing and easy to install. We have a variety on offer, from ‘Catch It, Bin It, Kill It’ vertical signs and Wash Your Hands For 20 Seconds Sign and identifying signs for Hand Sanitiser.

    Fit these signs near all handwashing stations, ensuring they are highly visible and legible. Also, consider the high contact areas where hand sanitiser is vital and use signs to alert readers of its presence.

    COVID-19 Social Distancing Signs

    Suitable for use in the workplace, our social distancing signs act as a reminder of the 2-meter rule. They can be used to advise avoiding contact with others or to specify the maximum people permitted to work in a certain area. We have also manufactured options for customer-facing businesses, like our ‘Queue Here and Wait To Be Called’ or the ‘We Are Open For Business’ sign.

    Use to help ensure compliance with the current rules. Again, these signs should be visible and clear, allowing the information to be read. Place them in areas where foot traffic tends to build up or close contact is likely to occur.

    COVID-19 Workplace Directional Signs

    Implementing a one-way system in the workplace is one of the recommendations for businesses as we begin to reopen. Our directional signs help to specify information such as Entry Only, Please Wait Here and Arrows for Up, Down, Left and Right.

    When used, place them at eye height next to doorways or in relevant positions.

    Temporary Anti-Slip Coronavirus Floor Graphics

    One way to ensure compliance with the social distancing rule is through our anti-slip floor graphics. Manufactured from British Safety Standard non-slip laminate, these signs are easy to apply and remove when no longer required. They are another visual cue to remind employees and customers of the new regulations. Choose from simple Please Keep Behind 2m Safety Line designs to Please Stand Here and Keep Your Distance signs.

    Use on walkways or areas where queues generally build-up to emphasize safety.

    COVID-19 Social Distancing Floor Stand

    Another temporary option for many businesses are our floor stands that have been printed with social distancing messaging. These can be used in settings where queues or groups of people move regularly or in applications that don’t have a set location. Again, the designs include everything from Please Stay Within Marked Lines and One Way Aisle through to Please Queue Here options too.

    Our team stays on top of government regulations and design signs to suit the needs of customers from various industries. If you have any questions about our COVID-19/Social Distancing range or have a bespoke requirement for a sign, get in contact with the team here today who will be happy to help.

  • Can I Prevent Every Accident in the Workplace?

    Can I Prevent Every Accident in the Workplace?

    As an employer, the wealth of responsibility falls on you when it comes to health and safety. In accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, it is your legal requirement to implement procedures that minimise the risk of accident and injury. If you’re dealing with a high-risk environment, such as a laboratory or warehouse, it’s tempting to wonder whether all risks can be eliminated. Can I actually prevent every accident from happening in the workplace? In this blog, we’ll discuss how managing risk and setting up the right actions is the best course of action for every employer.

    Why Is There a Risk of an Accident in the Workplace?

    In every working environment, there is some degree of risk. Whether this is due to human-error, stock movement, or simply a number of individuals occupying the same space at the same time. It is impossible to avoid risk entirely. The best thing that a business can do is assess the hazards at hand, agree on ways to minimise them, and reassess the working environment regularly.

    How Do I Prevent Accidents in the Workplace?

    The only way you can minimise or prevent the risk of accidents at work is to first understand that they exist. One of the most comprehensive ways to do this is to carry out a risk assessment. This is a process by which you evaluate all of the risks to your employee’s health and safety. To do so, you will:

    • Identify the hazards and the factors that have the potential to cause harm. This is also known as hazard identification.
    • Analyse and evaluate the risks. Here, you will determine which risks are most prominent and need to be addressed urgently.
    • Decipher ways to eliminate the risk (if possible) or control it in an appropriate manner.

    Risk assessments are an internal process that doesn’t carry any legal weight. However, they are imperative to understanding the potential problems that your employees could face. We recommend carrying them out with a number of appointed bodies within your business. Make a note of all of your findings, the determinations on how serious each hazard is, and how you plan to address them. This way, your new procedures can be reassessed on a regular basis to ensure they are in keeping with any changes.

    Managing the risk of accidents in the workplace is the best way to help protect employees, guests, and visitors. You will never be able to entirely eliminate risk but reducing it significantly will create a happier and more thriving environment. Lasting Impressions designs signs to help you do just this. Providing visual reminders, information, and advice to prevent accidents, they are a vital addition to your workplace. If you would like to speak to a member of our specialist team about managing accident risk, get in contact with us here today.

  • Warehouse Safety Signs – What Do You Need to Know?

    Warehouse Safety Signs – What Do You Need to Know?

    Warehouses are unique and challenging environments for every business. In these bustling settings, people, vehicles, and stock are in constant movement. As the link between business and customer, these environments are some of the most important when it comes to maintaining good brand satisfaction. Therefore, having a happy and healthy team working here is vital. Maintaining safety in warehouses falls to the employer. It is your role to ensure that all measures and precautions are taken to minimise the risk of hazards and injury. Warehouse safety signs act as a visual reminder, reinforcing specific rules and procedures in line with this. In today’s blog, we’ll take a look at how you can implement safety signs into this area of your business for the protection of all staff, visitors, and guests.

    The Role of Warehouse Safety Signs

    In any working environment, a sign is a visual cue. It should be placed in a prime position – meaning an area where a specific action or hazard is most likely to occur. They are also used at points of prevention or areas where other actions may prevent the risk of an accident. Safety signs are designed to provide clear and concise information to the reader. They are designed with well-recognisable graphics and colour-schemes that are universally recognised.

    In warehouses, hazards arise due to several factors. These include:

    • Moving vehicles.
    • Poor housekeeping.
    • Transporting stock/goods.
    • Manual lifting.
    • Exposure to chemicals.

    In all of these situations, the right signs work to reduce the risk and remind employees of their responsibilities.

    The Right Signs for Your Warehouse

    Once you have carried out a risk assessment to better understand where and what the specific hazards are for your warehouse, you can begin to implement the right signage. For example, Danger Fork Lift Signs or Dang/producter Beware of Moving Vehicle Signs remind employees and visitors to be alert to these potential hazards. Please Use Bins Provided General Signs and Do Not Litter Signs encourage people to dispose of their rubbish safely, reducing the likelihood of trip hazards.

    The Health & Safety at Work Guide Poster provides practical information about reducing risks, including advice on proper manual handling techniques. As does the Safe Manual Handling Poster and Risk Assessment Safety Poster. A combination of these displayed appropriately around the workplace will help to reduce the risk of accidents for everyone within the work premises.

    Understanding safety signs for different areas of your business is our speciality here at Lasting Impressions. If you cannot find what you’re looking for on our website, please get in contact with our friendly team today.

  • How to Create a Fire Escape Plan for Your Business

    How to Create a Fire Escape Plan for Your Business

    One of your most pressing requirements as a business owner is to maintain the safety of your employees, visitors, and guests. To do this, you need to have a safe and well-practised fire escape plan that can be adopted by everyone on your premises. It’s important to remember that, in the event of a fire or equally hazardous emergency, there will be a sense of chaos and confusion in the air. Minimizing the risk of a serious accident is your top priority and one of the best ways to do this is by ensuring everyone leaves the building in a swift and organized manner. In this blog, we’ll show you how to create a fire escape plan that works.

    What is a Fire Escape Plan?

    Essential to any business, a fire escape plan is a structured document which details all of the actions that need to be adopted in the event of a fire or emergency. It should be created with the layout and specific requirements of both your building and employees in mind. You need to ensure that this plan is easy-to-follow, well-structured, and adaptable, should any needs change. It needs to be taught to all employees and practised at least once annually. This document aims to ensure there is a clear route to escape the building which takes everyone away from the immediate danger.

    What to consider

    While every fire escape plan will differ to suit the business, there are several things everyone should consider. These include:

    • What should a person do upon hearing the fire alarm?
    • What should a person do upon discovering a fire?
    • Who is responsible for calling the fire brigade?
    • Who is responsible for isolating the power to the building, if required?
    • Who are the designated fire wardens or marshals?
    • Where are the assembly points?
    • Who is responsible for performing the roll call during assembly?
    • What fire fighting equipment is available and who is designated to use it?
    • What training will you need to provide to ensure your fire exit plan is followed?

    Fire Escape Signs

    The right fire exit signs will help to ensure fire routes can be followed – even by those who don’t have previous knowledge of your building. Arrow Up, Arrow Down, and Fire Exit Keep Clear signs are just some of the options available to help improve safety in your workplace.

    There is also a host of guidance available across the Internet to help you devise a fire escape plan that works, including this one from the Fire Safety Advice Centre. If you have any further questions about planning a fire escape route of the relevant signs needed to support your business, please get in contact with our team at Lasting Impressions today.