Tag: Guides

Research from the HSE shows that 142 people in the UK died through work-related accidents in 2020/21 – an increase of 29 from the previous year. Warehouse related injuries, such as those caused by falling from a height, being struck with a moving vehicle/object, being trapped by something collapsing or overturning or contact with moving machinery are some of the most common causes of these fatal incidents. These constantly moving and bustling environments raise a whole host of hazards that you, as the business owner, need to find ways to mitigate and manage.

Understanding the most common types of warehouse hazards gives you a heads start on your personalised risk assessment. Let’s look at them here today.

1. Moving Vehicles.

Deliveries, both in and out of your warehouse, as well as cranes and other cargo-moving equipment, these all present a significant hazard to health. Collisions and other related incidents are often caused by:

• Lack of knowledge.
• Lack of training.
• Distraction.
• Improper PPE.

All employees and visitors should be trained on the appropriate use and speed of these vehicles. Best practices, including alerting surrounding individuals of your plans and using movement sounds at all times, should be undertaken. Our range of Fork Lift & Vehicle Signs are there to help you maintain good vehicle use in your warehouse.

2. Lifting and Handling.

Warehouse employees are required to pack away goods, pick-and-pack for orders and re-organise stock to ensure the system works smoothly. This requires a significant degree of lifting and handling. With this, comes the risk of strain-related injuries and accidents when improper training has been given. Training on the safe use and maintenance of equipment as well as appropriate lifting techniques should be issued as standard. Safety signs, such as our Safe Manual Handling poster, are designed to give visual and textual advice to employees as they work, showing the recommended handling techniques.

3. Working at Height.

One of the key causes of injuries in the workplace, working at height can be unavoidable in certain environments. Particularly important with pallet work or during storage, full and regular training should be given to prevent individuals from falling and experiencing significant injuries. Signs such as the Work at Height poster provides information about ladder safety, mobile elevating platforms, scaffolding and fall arrest.

4. PPE.

Providing personal protective equipment to your employees is a legal requirement. And, this couldn’t be more important than in warehouse environments. Consider items like steel-toe cap boots to prevent injuries from falling items, protective gloves when working with abrasive packing materials for an extended period and ear protection for louder corners of the workplace. Signs such as the Danger Noise Hazard and Ear Protection Zone act as constant reminders to help reinforce this level of protection throughout your employees.

Proper warehouse safety is essential in managing risk and reducing the impact of hazards. Safety signs are an effective way of doing this and one that is suited to warehouses in all different businesses. If you would like more information about our workplace safety signs, please do get in contact with the Lasting Impressions team today.

Workplace safety is a vital concern, for employers and the team here at Lasting Impressions. Regulations and standards across the world are in place to ensure that, as your employees go about their day-to-day working life, the risk of hazards and accidents is significantly minimised. It is a legal requirement for you to mitigate the factors that could cause both the business and your team irreparable harm. And, there are many days to do this from implementing anti-slip solutions on uneven flooring to installing the right safety sign, when needed.

As a business owner in recent years, you may have heard of the ISO 45001 certificate. But, what does it mean for business safety? And how can you abide by this specific standard?

What Is the ISO 45001 Standard?

Recognised internationally, this global standard is in place to support occupational health and safety. It is issued as a means to protect both visitors and employees from accidents and diseases related to the workplace. The standard was first introduced in 2018 and replaced BS OHSAS 18001. From this date, businesses were given a 3-year period to move from the old standard to the new one.

While ISO 45001 isn’t a legal requirement, it provides recommendations to help create a safe and healthy workplace.

It is there to:

• Reduce risk.
• Improve safety.

Difference Between ISO 45001 and OHSAS 18001

ISO 54001 stepped in to replace OHSAS 18001 with key changes designed to help businesses better mitigate the advertised impact that hazards in the workplace can have on the physical, mental and cognitive health of individuals.

Key differences include:

• ISO 45001 being process-based.
• ISO 45001 considers both the risk and the opportunities for risk.
• ISO 45001 including the views of interested parties.

For businesses that are already certified with OHSAS 18001, you will need to migrate to the new standard by:

• Performing an analysis of the interested parties.
• Ask yourself how the risk associated can be controlled through existing management systems.
• Establish the scope of the system.
• Use the information to identify risks, processes, assessment criteria and to set KPIs for tracking.

Most of what was used to abide by OHSAS will still be relevant.

ISO 4001 and Safety Signs

Reducing risk around the workplace requires control management – a factor that safety signs are designed to support. Acting as administrative control, they help you to create a communication strategy that allows you to pass across information about a residual risk and reinforce the safety procedures around it.

At Lasting Impressions, we have a wide array of safety signs designed to help your business abide by legal requirements and current safety regulations. For more information or to speak to a member of the team, please do get in contact with us here today.

As part of your fire safety procedure, identifying an assembly point is a proven way of directing individuals away from the heart of an emergency. As a business owner, it is your responsibility to take reasonable actions to protect individuals in the event of a fire. This includes implementing a plan for emergencies, maintaining appropriate fire safety measures and providing relevant information to all indoors. So, as part of this, how do you go about choosing the right fire assembly point for your business?

Is a Fire Assembly Point a Legal Requirement?

As part of the UK fire safety laws, you are required to create an emergency plan that sets out how individuals will leave the building safely. It must also include a safe area where individuals can assemble and where a fire marshall can carry out checks to ensure that everyone is there. As part of the Regulatory Reform Order 2005, these emergency routes must lead to a place of safety as directly as possible. And, the BS999 standard notes that these assembly points need to be far enough away from the building to prevent any interference with the first or the rescue services.

How to Choose a Fire Assembly Point

For new businesses or when moving into new premises, it is important to carry out a detailed risk assessment. Not only will this identify any areas of concern that need to be dealt with, but it will also help you to establish the best route of escape.

From here, you will need to consider the following factors when choosing a fire assembly point:

• The assembly point should be well-known and clearly marked.
• Any signs used to direct people from the building must provide information about the assembly point location.
• Consider multiple assembly points for larger buildings.
• Ensure the location is far away from the building but not too far to walk.
• Make sure the individuals using the assembly point can do so safely and without risk from emergency vehicles or other road traffic.
• Assembly points should, ideally, not have to be accessed by walking across a road or trafficked area.
• Avoid areas with additional hazards.
• Ensure the area has good lighting.

Choosing the Right Signs

Once you have chosen the right assembly point, appropriate signage ensures these locations remain highly visible and easy to locate. To identify a single spot, opt for a Fire Assembly Point With Tick Sign. For larger businesses with multiple assembly points, opt for designs with either ordered numbers or with letters – depending on your corporate choice. Or, personalised designs such as the ‘You Nearest Fire Assembly Point Is With Blank Sign’ can be customised and changed as needed.

At Lasting Impressions, we have a wide range of fire assembly point signs. With several sizes and the option of either self-adhesive vinyl or 1mm rigid plastic to fit your needs, we’re here to improve safety in your workplace. If you have any questions or would like to speak to one of us, please do get in contact here today.

AEDs or Automated External Defibrillators save, on average, 20 lives per year here in the UK. With cardiac arrests noted as being a ‘health care crisis’ and with some 300,000 people experiencing them every year, having an AED can provide a means to helping extend someone’s life. For many businesses, having an AED installed offers peace of mind and assurance to both employees and visitors. With any first aid solution in the workplace, the right safety signs will ensure they can be located and used in the event of an emergency. So, what signs should you have for an AED?

What is an AED?

These sophisticated, but easy-to-use, machines analyze the rhythm of an individual’s heartbeat. If they determine that there is an irregularity and cardiac arrest happening, they will deliver an electric shock (defibrillation) to try and reinstate a consistent and healthy heartbeat. While there is currently no legislation in place to say that all businesses must have an AED, many companies choose to have one fitted as a precaution. Specifically, businesses such as gyms, leisure centres, swimming pools or those in the healthcare industries may wish to consider having one fitted as a means to prevent more serious illness in an emergency.

Is Specialist Training Required?

AED machines are designed to be used by anyone. Once turned on, they will provide either visual or audible prompts that walk you through several simple steps. Because the machine analyses the heartbeat of the person in question, it will only deliver a shock if needed. While no previous training is needed to use on, CPR is highly recommended before and after the admittance of a shock. And this should make up a compulsory portion of your first aid training internally.

Where Should My AED Be Positioned?

With all safety equipment, it must be positioned optimally to ensure it can be located easily. AEDs are most effective if they are used as quickly as possible so you want to ensure it is in a highly visible location and one that is clear from obstacles. Make sure that signage used to direct people to the defibrillator, such as our AED Emergency Projecting Sign, are at eye level and maintained to keep the message clear. You may also want to consider installing an informative sign, like the AED Defibrillator & CPR Safety Poster nearby, which walks individuals through the stages needed to administer this support.

Knowing how to provide first aid and provide a means of support to the ambulance system is one of the best ways to keep your employees and visitors safe. At Lasting Impressions, we design and manufacture tailored safety signs to suit every need – including your first aid activities. For more information or to ensure you find the right sign for your needs, please do get in contact here today.

In the UK, a large percentage of the responsibility for building a safe workplace lies in the responsibility of the employer. You need to ensure that the working environment you provide has the tools and measures in place to prioritise wellbeing and care for everyone who enters. However, there are limitations to what an employer can do and a degree of responsibility must fall on the employee too. Everyone working under one roof must take action to reduce the risk of accidents and injury. Let’s take a look at 3 employee responsibilities that help to build a safe workplace here.

1. Take Reasonable Care Of Their Own Health And Safety

No matter how many measures a business puts into place, accidents will happen if the employees don’t actively try to keep themselves out of harm’s way. For example, if an employee is asked to complete a task that they have not been trained on or do not feel comfortable completing, they should ask for assistance. Undertaking activities that present a real risk to their health and wellbeing isn’t beneficial to anybody.

2. Take Reasonable Care Of Employees, Visitors, Guests And Members Of The Public

While carrying out tasks in and around the workplace, employees must make a keen effort to reduce the risk of injury to others. This means working in a safe manner and keeping with their training. If a task is deemed unsuitable for completion around a certain body of people (for example, moving heavy loads when visitors/customers/guests are using a walkway), it should be halted and rescheduled for a safer time.

3. Report Safety Concerns

While a risk assessment is a widely accepted method of identifying hazards, it is hard to identify every risk without the support of the employees. These individuals are in the working environment, day-in-day-out. They become privy to potential risks that may not be overly evident at all times. For this reason, it is vital that employees have a method and feel comfortable enough to report safety concerns to higher management. They must also ensure that any injuries, illnesses and work-related injuries are reported so that preventative measures can be put in place.

Workplace safety should always be a keen focus for both the employee and employer. With the right tools, including safety signs, you can actively reduce the risk of injury and create a more secure corporate setting for everyone. Here at Lasting Impressions, we have the experience and means to help you create a safe place to work every single day. For more information or advice, please do get in contact with us here today.

Here in the UK, it falls under the remit of the business owner to ensure their employees can safely evacuate a building. In the event of an emergency, this protects their safety and reduces the risk of serious accidents. Safety signs are specifically designed to help with this, offering a visual guide that directs and informs individuals in unison. The exact requirements for a business will vary depending on many factors, but let’s look at what safety signs exist to assist in the event of an emergency.

Why May You Need To Evacuate A Building?

In the event of sudden or increasing hazards, it may be essential to move employees, visitors and guests outside of the building. Some common reasons for evacuation include:

• Fire
• Burst Water Pipes
• Chemical Exposure
• Gas Leak Detection.

In all of these situations, remaining in the building increases the possibility of serious accidents and even death.

Safety Signs To Assist In Evacuation

As part of your fire safety plans, it is vital that you create straightforward, easy-to-follow and switch exit routes to direct individuals outside of a building. To do this, you may need to use a combination of the following signs:

• British Standard Exit Signs – Green and white signs with directional lines and universally recognisable symbols towards a fire exit.
• Door Plate Fire Exit Signs – Designed to affix to fire doors, providing directional instructions and housekeeping rules.
• Fire Exit Luminere Signs – Glow-in-the-dark signs that help with visibility during low-light conditions.
• Wheelchair Fire Exit Arrow Up Signs – These specialist signs provide guidance to wheelchair users, ensuring they can find the nearest refuge location or an unhindered pathway out of the building.

Setting Up An Evacuation Process

As with any safety measure implemented in your business, it is important to understand the hazards presented first. A risk assessment provides your health and safety representative with this information. From here, you can work to identify the best routes out of a building and install safety signs to help support this. Access your signs once installed. Are they:

• Fitted at eye level or a highly visible location.
• Fitted in a well-lit environment, or one that has backup lighting in the event of a blackout.
• Installed in a way that does not confuse the reader. You must make sure there are not too many or too few signs near each other as the messages can become scrambled.

The right combination of safety signs will ensure evacuation is a swift and easy process. At Lasting Impressions, we have a host of experience supplying signs to clients throughout various industries. If you have any questions, cannot find the sign you’re looking for or need to speak to one of us, please do get in contact here today.

For many businesses, safety signs are the surest way to minimise the risk of accident and injury for their employees. After undertaking a full risk assessment, they can be installed in minutes and use universally recognised imagery to ensure the message can always be read. While most safety signs aren’t overly expensive, they are still an investment in your business. And, you may be wondering how long they should last? Let’s look into that here.

What Causes Safety Signs To Degrade?

As with anything in the workplace, wear-and-tear occurs over time to safety signs. While protective coatings are used on many designs, over-exposure to direct sunlight can cause the dye to fade. If signs aren’t properly cleaned and maintained, the build-up of dirt and grime can cause damage and reduce the visibility of the information provided. And, in rigorous environments, the possibility of impact or damage increases. There are all manner of reasons why a safety sign may need replacing over time but the most significant is if the message cannot be understood easily.

How To Keep Safety Signs For Longer

Signs, like the high-quality ones we offer here at Lasting Impressions, are designed to stand the test of time. However, there are things you can do to make them last even longer:

• Include your safety signs in daily maintenance – e.g wipe them down and clean away any dirt.
• Choose the right material for every location – Alupanel for outdoors/ self-adhesive vinyl for indoors, for example.
• If possible, position safety signs away from direct sunlight.

How Long Will They Last?

No matter how well-cared-for a safety sign is, it will eventually need replacing. Most standard plastic signs should last anywhere between 3 and 5 years, depending on the conditions. Aluminium signs are more durable and can offer 7 years in the right conditions. Alupanel signs are designed to be exceptionally hardwearing and resistant to damage from extreme weather conditions. You can expect these to last for 7+ years, depending on the environment.

Here at Lasting Impressions, we design and manufacture safety signs for modern business. Taking into account the limited time for maintenance, demands of high foot traffic and the need for information to be visible, each one of our signs performs an exceptional job. If you would like more information or advice on ensuring your chosen sign lasts for longer, get in contact with us here today.

Safety signs are an effective and simple way to reduce risk in the workplace. Here in the UK, they also ensure your business stays legally compliant with current regulations and that your employees can work safely at all times. To suit the needs of various industries, safety signs are available in many different materials. And, if this is the first time you’re setting out to tackle a specific hazard, the options may be confusing. In this blog post, we’ll look at how best to choose the right material for your safety signs.

Why Does Material Matter?

All safety signs that are designed around the ISO7010 standard are made to be easily recognisable and legible. They are used to ensure certain messages can be read and understood clearly by everyone – regardless of native language or experience. While the printed material used on a safety sign may be clear, the structure of the sign needs to support this too.

Businesses need signs that can withstand external elements and last for many years. Poorly maintained or older signs can begin to deteriorate, making the pictograms or font harder to read. Those that aren’t wipe-clean will be harder to maintain and increase the potential for information to become distorted. The right material will ensure the message you are trying to get across remains clear and easily legible to all.

What Materials Are There?

Here at Lasting Impressions, we make signs in four different materials:

• Self-Adhesive Vinyl – This flexible gloss vinyl has a permanent self-adhesive backing. It is capable of bonding to most types of smooth, clean surfaces and works best when fitted in the interior of a building.
• 1mm Rigid Plastic – Made from a 1mm HIP plastic, these hard-wearing signs can be fitted both internally and externally with a wipe-clean surface for easy maintenance.
• Photoluminescent Plastic – These specialist signs are covered in a unique coating that absorbs natural light throughout the day. In the event of a power outage, they will glow and ensure information printed on them can be easily read. They are best suited to internal use and in areas where key safety messages cannot be missed.
• Alupanel – Tailored specifically for outdoor use, these aluminium composite signs have a plastic core. They can withstand extreme weather conditions.

How To Choose The Right One For You?

Firstly, consider where the hazard you are tackling is. If it is indoors and next to a smooth surface, consider the self-adhesive vinyl signs which require minimal installation. For fitting to hard, rough materials such as brickwork, the 1mm rigid plastic options offer a durable solution. And, if you need to alert people of a hazard outside the building, the alupanel signs offer the durability you can trust over the years.

We also recommend working with a specialist team when implementing new safety signs into your business. Here at Lasting Impressions, we can help you identify the right option for your business. If you have any questions or cannot find the sign you’re looking for, get in contact with us here today.