What is industrial safety signage?
Industrial safety signage is found on worksites around the world, especially in areas where hazards cannot be removed. Safety signs are essential for communicating nearby dangers, necessary safety precautions and points of egress, so if an emergency does occur, the appropriate action can be taken.
Industrial safety signage is built for durability and visibility, so they remain useful at a distance, even after extended exposure to workplace conditions.
Why is industrial safety signage important?
Industrial safety signage is a mandatory layer of worker and visitor protection and is therefore important for several reasons. For example:
It reduces the likelihood of injury – Modern industrial safety signage is designed for maximum visibility and intelligibility. This means new signs are easier to read and understand than ever. With their enhanced presence, safety signage can alert workers to nearby dangers more effectively, even with the visual and audible distractions common to an active worksite.- It reinforces a commitment to safety – OSHA recognizes that safety programs are more likely to succeed if workers are encouraged to participate. Industrial safety signage is a constant reminder to workers that they should always be alert and looking out for others. It’s also difficult to convince workers to stay safe if their employer doesn’t have the most basic safety measures in place, like proper warning signage.
- It ensures compliance with OSHA – Preventing workplace injuries is the primary goal, but employers also have OSHA to answer to. OSHA requires employers to place industrial safety signage where hazards are present, and it requires this compliance at the administrative level. That means upper management is responsible for ensuring safety signage is present.
- It allows for easier wayfinding – Wayfinding means getting people from point A to point B as efficiently and safely as possible. On a hazardous worksite, better wayfinding can also help prevent injuries, particularly among people who are unfamiliar with the worksite’s layout. For instance, safety signage can help people navigate around a hazard. It can also direct people toward alternative routes in high traffic areas, as heavy traffic can increase the risk of accidents.
- It also helps in emergencies – Industrial safety signage is also useful for pointing out emergency exits. Should people need to suddenly evacuate from the worksite, safety signage ensures they know where to go, no matter where they are.
- It provides critical operational instructions – Some equipment must be handled with lockout tagout, and safety signage can be used to alert workers to this. Safety signage can also point out hazards particular to a piece of equipment, like dangerous air or oil pressure. Industrial safety signage can remind workers to perform regular maintenance on certain equipment.
It reduces the likelihood of injury – Modern industrial safety signage is designed for maximum visibility and intelligibility. This means new signs are easier to read and understand than ever. With their enhanced presence, Where should industrial safety signage be installed?
OSHA standards specify where industrial safety signage should be placed in an effort to maximize visibility and effectiveness. In addition to OSHA, though, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) also publishes guidelines on proper safety signage placement. On most worksites, both OSHA and ANSI standards are followed. This is what both standards require:
- The signage must be close to the hazard – Ideally, the signage should be posted as close to the hazard as possible without sitting inside the hazardous zone.
- The signage must be clearly visible from a distance – OSHA requires safety signage to come with a one-word “tag” that immediately conveys danger, caution or biohazard. This tag should be visible from at least five feet away and printed in a language that all workers can understand.
- The signage cannot be placed on moveable objects – This means the sign cannot go on a window, sliding door or something similar. The signage should be secured in place and protected from accidental removal.
- The signage cannot produce a hazard itself – Industrial safety signage is produced with rounded edges to avoid being a hazard. Further, the signage cannot be a distraction itself, which could compromise the safety of anyone working nearby.
- The signage must be protected from exposure damage – The signage should be installed in a place where it is unlikely to be affected by nearby work efforts, the sun or weather.
What kinds of safety signage can a printing company provide
Experienced safety signage printers can work with a variety of materials and produce a full range of signage designs. This includes:
- Danger, warning and caution signs – OSHA and ANSI recognize three levels of risk when setting up safety signage. Caution signs are yellow and point out hazards that could result in minor or moderate injury. Danger signs are red and point out hazards that could result in major or fatal injury. Warning signs are orange and are an intermediate between the two. These three make up most industrial safety signage and are the most important. They require high quality printing and color control to ensure maximum visibility.
- Notice and information signs – Notice and informational signs provide important information about non-hazards. They could provide directions, point out exits or direct people to first aid or fire extinguishers.
- Pipe labels – Pipe labels are adhered directly to fluid-carrying pipes, and help workers identify what is being carried inside. Each label is color-coded to specify water, flammable fluids, combustible fluids or fluids that are used to extinguish fires.
What should a business look for in a safety signage printer?
Just as employers cannot compromise on their safety signage, they cannot compromise on their safety signage provider either. Here’s what to look for in your industrial safety signage company:
- A wide range of printing capabilities – Ideally, your signage company should be familiar with an assortment of materials that can be used for printing. That’s because safety signage has to survive in tough conditions, and it has to fit in a variety of settings. For instance, fiberglass signs offer the best durability, and can last for up to 25 years. Self-sticking vinyl and polyester, though, can fit anywhere and last five to 10 years. If your printer can work with these materials, they can provide a complete industrial safety signage solution.
- Experience – If a signage company has plenty of experience and clients behind their name, it’s because they know how to reliably deliver effective signs. The printing industry has also gone through major changes over the decades, so print businesses that survive are print businesses that can adapt to their clients’ needs. That’s a printer that will be around if support is needed in the future.
- Relevant portfolio – Industrial safety signage is unlike other forms of signage, in that it must follow specific design guidelines to be in compliance. It’s important, then, to select a signage company that has experience producing signage for worksites. This will ensure you get effective, compliant signage for your site.
Industrial safety signage is a critical, and mandatory, part of every worksite’s safety plan. It relies on clear colors and clear text to be effective, so companies should consider an experienced, highly capable printer.
Industrial Safety Signage FAQs
Do our plant signs have to follow OSHA or ANSI?
General industry signs fall under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.145, and construction sites fall under 1926.200. Since a 2013 OSHA update, employers can follow either the older ANSI Z35 and Z53 editions from 1967 and 1968 or the 2011 ANSI Z535 editions for sign design, colors and tags, and signs that already meet the older standard do not have to be replaced. This is general information. Your safety manager should confirm what applies to your site.
When should a sign say NOTICE instead of CAUTION?
Use CAUTION, WARNING or DANGER only when there is a risk of personal injury. NOTICE signs, which use a blue header under ANSI Z535, are for information that is not tied to an injury hazard, such as visitor check in, restricted areas or equipment instructions. Mixing them up waters down the hazard signs, so workers start to tune them out. Our article on why occupational safety signs matter on worksites covers more of the basics.
What are CEMEX-certified safety signs?
CEMEX-certified signs come from a design library built to OSHA and ANSI requirements, covering front-of-facility signs, traffic and parking direction, site management, notice signs, caution, warning and danger signs, banners, decals and heat stress signage. Carroll Printing & Promotions has access to the full library and can produce these signs on durable materials such as aluminum. Browse the catalogs on our CEMEX safety signage page.
Which sign materials hold up best on an industrial site?
Match the material to the exposure. Aluminum suits outdoor posts, fences and gates that see sun, rain and wind. Vinyl decals work on equipment, tanks and doors where a flat sign will not mount. Banners carry site-wide reminders on fences and buildings. Tell us where each sign will go and what it will be exposed to, and we will recommend a material for that spot.
Can you design custom or bilingual safety signs?
Yes. We can help design safety signs to meet OSHA requirements for your specific hazards, equipment and site layout, including site maps and custom decals in different shapes. On crews where English is not everyone’s first language, English and Spanish versions of the same sign help every worker understand the message. Start with our occupational safety products.
Are safety signs enough on their own?
No. Signs mark the hazard at the point of risk, but they work best alongside training and steady reminders. Posters and banners in break rooms, floor and wall decals and heat stress materials keep the message in front of workers all shift. See how we support occupational safety awareness programs for crews working in the heat.
How do I order industrial safety signage in Houston?
Call 713-228-9331 or send the sign list, sizes, quantities and installation locations through our request a quote form. We work with construction, oil and gas, energy and automotive clients across the Gulf Coast and nationwide, and also print decals, banners and signs for the rest of the site.
