How Safety Signs Can Reduce Accidents in the Workplace

On Wednesday, two men were killed by a Ferris wheel. A faulty cable in the ride at the Greensboro Youth Council caused both men to fall from the ride. One of them was declared dead at the hospital, and his co-worker suffered major injuries. This accident could have been avoided if sufficient safety signs would have been applied. And a substantial check-up of the cable could have avoided the accident.

Keeping employees safe and reducing work-related injuries are the most important priorities for any organization. Accidents happen almost every day in the workplace. But they can be prevented by providing training to the employees and by fixing sufficient safety signs to make the environment safe for working.

Creating an awareness of the most common accidents in a workplace will make employees exercise caution.

• Slips, trips and falls are the biggest problems of all the jobs. The result is often serious injuries from a muscle pull to a fracture.
• Electrical accidents are extremely dangerous. A high voltage current is enough to take the life of a person. Fire in a workplace mostly happens because of faulty electrical wiring.
• Manual handling injuries includes lifting, pulling and carrying of heavy equipment. Without proper training employees are at a risk of causing injuries to neck, back, arms and legs.
• Strain injuries are caused to the employees who require regular use of arms and hands for most part of the day. People who work in occupations such as typists, factory workers and drivers are often at risk. The result is mainly numbness and pain in the neck.

OSHA is an agency which is created by Congress of United States under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Its mission is to prevent work related injuries, illnesses and occupational accidents. OSHA provides guidance and standards for safety at workplace and defines associated dangers, hazards and precautions related to them. Each sign has a significant color scheme, signal words and they reveal the nature of the information posted.

Colors used in workplace safety signs usually carry a specific meaning.

• Red Color: indicates emergency devices and danger signs.
• Yellow Color: notifies caution and alerts employees.
• Green Color: informs about emergency measures like fire exits, first aid kits.
• Blue Color: instruct and notifies people to take safety measures such as wear PPE.

Common Safety Signs at a Workplace that help avoid accidents:

Slippery when wet: A common cause of accidents is falling on slippery surfaces. A precautionary or caution sign can help avoid the same.

High-Voltage Current: High voltage current is another major cause. Electricity or high voltage current can paralyze the body, burn the skin or even prove fatal. Electrical accidents can cause fires, explosions and can cause damage to the equipment also.

Construction Area: Next possible accidents happen at construction sites. Construction areas are filled with heavy equipment, falling objects, stored materials. Proper warning signage can prevent accidents.
Notice: It will increase security of people, property and information. Efficiency is reduced by interruptions in work. Notification at entrance will help to keep an account of the people at site.

Hard Hat Area: Wearing a hard hat can protect from falling objects and hitting your head. They save from hazardous chemicals, electric shocks; keep away hair from getting entangled in the machinery.

No Smoking: Smoking around inflammable and explosive materials can be dangerous. No smoking sign can help prevent accidents.

No Trespassing: Carelessness can bring people to walk into the area which they are not authorized for. It can risk not only their lives but others life too. The best security is posting a No Trespassing sign.

No Entry: Obscure places which one cannot see should be marked by No Entry signs as these places may have hazardous materials or may be private in nature. Often no entry places have unsafe conditions and toxic atmosphere.

Authorized Personnel Only: Many working sites have limited entry for safety reasons. It is not only for security reasons but for efficient work environment also.
Confined Space Signs: Most workplaces have some or the other confined or closed space to work in. Confined space signs that warn every worker to follow rules and practice caution are extremely crucial for safety.

Safety signs make the workers aware of the potential dangers in the environment by providing the required information and safety instructions. They are important in reducing accidents at the workplace. Safety signs help in giving directions at the time of emergencies.