Owning your own business isn’t without its benefits. Unfortunately, it also has its downsides as well. A good example of this is the hazards that exist within practically every business environment.
Naturally, you want to protect your business, employees, and visitors from injury while they are on your premises. Minimize the impact of these hazards by using safety labels and warning decals wherever caution should be exercised.
Types of Safety Labels
There are several different types of labels but safety labels used by businesses usually fall into three general categories.
Facility and Building Labels
This is the most common type of safety label. This type of safety label warns people of common hazards that might exist in and around your property. This type of label warns people of things such as wet floors, icy patches, closing doors, and more.
Emergency and Fire Exits
Fire safety labels are an important part of any business’s fire prevention equipment. Warning labels should always be designed in such a way that they are very noticeable, with large and brightly colored type.
These should feature not only type but also directional devices so that people understand where the exits are that the signs make them aware of. It is also important that you make sure that these signs are created with the requirements of your local fire authority in mind.
Machinery Labels
It is important that any machinery with even the slightest chance of harming someone be labeled as a potential hazard. This includes any equipment that is heavy, mechanical, electrical, or has the potential to give off heat.
These types of labels should be placed so that they are easily seen by anyone who is either using the equipment or even just walking past it. It should also be noted that these labels should be able to withstand wear and tear.
Purposes of Safety Labels
These labels should accomplish several purposes.
These include:
Reduce the chances of accidents and injury – Whether a person is working in a given area or is simply a visitor, they should be aware that the potential for harm is present. Obviously, the better the signage is, the better the chances are that they will be seen and danger averted. The chances of avoiding payouts of workman’s compensation and damages from lawsuits are substantially lessened.
Compliance – Warning labels and safety decals are required by OSHA. As a result, you should always label appropriate hazards in order to stay in compliance with local, state, and national requirements. For example, if your firm manufactures and/or ships hazardous materials, it would be required that their presence is announced with safety labels to all employees and others who might be in the vicinity. This will help to remind employees and others to avoid certain areas or to use appropriate safety protective gear.
Locating safety equipment – What good is having a fire extinguisher and other safety equipment if you can’t readily find it? A safety label can make everyone aware of the location of a piece of equipment that might otherwise be overlooked in the event of an emergency. Safety labels are also a good way to make sure that people who might be required to use equipment know how to do so appropriately. These types of labels are also a cost-effective way to better organize your business.
Training and Orientation Benefits – Having safety labels is an excellent way to make new employees and others aware of where safety equipment is located and how it is used to its greatest advantage. This is especially important for someone who might not be familiar with the dangers of your business areas.
Whenever employees, guests, and others are on your property, you should make every effort to make sure that they are safe and know how to protect themselves when there is an emergency. Safety labels that are correctly made and appropriately placed are excellent for this purpose.
Designing Efficient Safety Labels
When designing your safety label you should always make sure that your safety labels are brightly colored, have a type that is easily readable, and can be understood by anyone who might be reading them.
This includes others who might be on your premises who might not speak English or better understand warnings in their own language. This will significantly reduce the risk of accident or injury on your premises.
Steps to Designing Your Safety Label
Each step of the designing process is important to creating efficient labels that suit your business’s needs.
5 steps to designing a safety label:
- Chose dimensions – determine how wide and long you want your label to be
- Select material – from plastic to metal, pick the perfect material for your application
- Specify signal word – choose your word depending on the severity of the hazard (ex: “Caution” or “Danger”)
- Write word message panel text – explain what the hazard is in a clear and concise manner
- Decide if you need an identifier – this is a number used to identify the hazardous chemical and is not always required
Once you have finished designing your safety label a manufacturer can begin the printing process.
Mitigate Risk With Hallmark Nameplate
Want to protect your business and employees? Our expert designers and manufacturers can help you create safety labels for your business. We will walk you through the different options and give suggestions on what will best fit your needs.
Request a FREE quote today to get started!
