Despite Tough Economic Times for Facility Managers, Regulations and Other Factors Still Drive Safety Signs Worldwide

Free OSHA Safety Best Practices Guide

Budget + time + resources are the formula for facility managers responsible for updating, reviewing and replacing safety signs. As budgets decrease, responsibilities and workloads increase among small staffs already stretched to maximum capacity. And yet safety signs and labels provide a layer of protection and communication to workers exposed to arc flash, lockout/tagout incidents and chemical hazards

Despite tough times, regulatory and logistical changes still advance the need for safety signs. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA 1910-145) requires safety signs be used to indicate specific hazards that, without identification, may lead to accidental injury to workers and/or the public or lead to property damage. Adherence to ANSI a13.1, ASME a13.1 and NFPA 70E standards is important.

Safety Sign Best Practices Guide

A complete reference guide to OSHA Sign Making

OSHA requires that danger signs must be red, white and black. Caution signs must be yellow, black and white. Safety instruction signs must be green and white. The sign's wording should be easily read and concise and contain sufficient information to be easily understood. Wording should make a positive, rather than negative suggestion and should be accurate. OSHA requires signs to have rounded or blunt corners and be free of sharp edges, burrs, splinters or other sharp projections. OSHA also specifies that the means of attaching the sign to a wall, post or other supporting material must not cause a hazard.

While facility managers are under greater scrutiny than ever before, Thomas L. Schulte, ISS Security Services, found that safety signs are usually replaced for the following reasons:

• Technological advances in materials
• The sign is no longer readable. He notes that signs in the front of operations are usually replaced more often than those on the “back 40.”
• Relevance of the sign has changed

Jim Tweedy, International Board for Certification of Safety Managers, suggested asking the following questions when assessing safety sign placement:

• Is the sign appropriate for the risk?
• Is the sign placed in the proper location to inform people of the need for caution?
• Is the warning used because the facility has neglected to abate a correctable hazard or danger?
• Is there a more suitable sign available to replace an outdated sign?
• Has the facility changed layout or equipment placement?

Labeling Supplies & Innovations

Often, new labeling supplies are crafted for very specific applications. Reasons may vary -- adhesion, chemical resistance or abrasion.

Specially engineered supplies have been developed for lasting performance on surfaces like oily drums, near electrical circuits or even on freezing pipes. For example, DuraLabel poly cling tape supply uses a special, proprietary bonding layer that feels like a permanent bond, yet the label can be removed and repositioned.

Innovations include:

• Improved printer technology for printer portability and more durable labels for pipe marking
• Advanced adhesives to label difficult surfaces like plastic, brick and wood
• New materials to withstand tough environments – think Arizona sun
• Color coded wire and cable markings indicate different uses such as grounding, hot wiring and utility locations
• Economical, custom color labels on continuous rolls
• Non-adhesive labels which can be easily relocated for temporary applications
• Support products such as mobile print stations, printer carts and application sprays

Facility managers can choose from hundreds of high performance safety labeling supplies for every budget, weather condition and application.

Safety Signs and Labels around the Globe

We are not isolated in our concern for industrial workplace safety. Major US firms with overseas facilities, for example, represent just one facet of the global marketplace. Multinationals may employ thousands of workers from Boston to Bangkok. Standardizing safety practices, including signs and labels, ensure that messaging and communications are consistent.

Across Europe and Latin America, general safety, warning and exit signs tend to have fewer words and more imagery. Where more than one language is spoken, posted safety signs are typically bi-lingual.

New hazardous material labeling protocols (GHS) are being rolled out in Europe and will soon be required in the US.

The European Agency for Health and Safety at Work  (EU-OSHA) offers these hazardous material labeling guidelines : 

Labels must indicate the name of the substance, the origin of the substance (name and address of the manufacturer, distributor or importer), danger symbols and indication of danger involved in the use of the substance and a reference to the special risks arising from such dangers.

The dimensions of the label must not be less than those of a standard A8 sheet (52 x 74 mm), and each symbol must cover at least one tenth of the surface area of the label. Member countries may require their national language or languages to be used in the labeling of dangerous substances.

The goal of the European Regulation Classification, Labeling and Packaging (CLP) of chemical substances and mixtures is to have a consistent labeling system for chemicals placed on the global market, regardless of where they are made or used. The CLP label (diamond with a red border hazard pictogram) is replacing the existing European classification and labeling regime (orange square danger symbols) which were in place in Europe for more than 40 years. Efforts to standardize labeling fall under the auspices of United Nations Globally Harmonised System for the Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS).

Whether you’re a safety manager in the UK or a facility manager from Connecticut, consistent use of safety signs play a critically important role in reducing injuries and saving lives at industrial facilities. For more information, visit www.DuraLabel.com.

By Jack Rubinger