Some Must-Know Things about Safety and Warning Labels

Several kinds of hidden dangers exist at every industrial facility, which leads to unforeseen incidents and other catastrophic accidents. Mostly, such incidents happen as the workers are not aware of the possible dangers and hazards in their way of operation. Hence, assuring the basic safety of people and keeping a standard work environment is a basic requirement for all workplaces. How can employers keep their workers safe by letting them know about the possible dangers and hazards ahead in? The basic and the most cost-effective way to do this is sticking safety and warning labels on products, items, equipment, or systems, where there is a potential of any kind of danger. Available in several sizes, shapes, and custom messages, safety, and warning labels help inform employees in a timely, clear, and unobtrusive manner about the unsafe aspects of work equipment or a product. This post is intended to pass a few significant information about safety labels.

Factors to Consider when Designing Safety Labels for your Facility

Safety labels can be stuck or displayed anywhere at your facility. They must be chosen or designed as per the hazard level. Keep in mind the following while choosing labels for your work environment.

• The text in the label must be written clearly in legible letters. The information in the label must be visible to the reader coming from a far distance.

• Prefer labels with a red, yellow, or orange background as they help catch the attention of the reader from far and inform them about the presence of hazards, operational states, and system failures or malfunctions.

• Do not overcrowd the label with too much information, instead provide some indication of a problem, and desirably suggest some action. An example of this type of hazard. (Example: Hot Surface), consequences (Example: Can Cause Severe Burns) and action to avoid the hazard. (Example: Use Protective Gloves). Also, it is important not to print several caution messages in a single label as this will confuse the reader.
• Ensure opting labels that are in compliance with ANSI, OSHA, and ISO standards to prevent workplace accidents, personal injuries, and property damages.
• Always prefer labels that are made from strong, durable, and long-lasting printed materials. A few popularly used materials include polycarbonate, polyester, vinyl, or foil. The main advantage of these materials is that they won’t fade due to continuous use.
• Putting the warning signs or symbols blindly all over the place is not at all a good idea as many employers believe. However, place them wisely only in places that are prone to accidents.

So far we have discussed the role of warning labels or signs in communicating important safety or safety-related information to assure workplace safety. We have also listed a few of the several important points to consider when opting for the labels. In the next post, we will discuss more labels that prevent workplace accidents, personal injuries, and property damages to an extent.

Safety and warning labels are the perfect and cost-effective way to let the workers and visitors know and make them cautious about various hazards at the workplace. The labels printed with words, such as Danger, Warning, and Caution, will not only save workers from injuries but also protect your staff and visitors on the site. In the last post, we had a discussion on the importance of having premium quality and compliant safety signs for use in the occupational environment. We have also listed some of the important points to consider while choosing the labels from plenty of options available. In this post, we will discuss some of the common types of safety and warning labels that help to convey safety information in the workplace.

Commonly Used Types of Safety and Warning Labels

There are several situations wherein you will find the safety labels extremely useful. A few amongst the dangerous situations that demand the sticking of safety labels include machines being repaired or being in maintenance, trip hazards and slippery floors, the danger of falling objects, and exposure to harmful substances, among several others. The following are the most commonly used types of safety and warning labels that help warn objects and situations that can be dangerous.

• Mandatory signs
• Danger Signs
• Prohibition Signs
• General Information Signs
• Fire signs
• Biohazard Signs

All these labels can be customized to desired colors, formats, sizes, signal words, symbols, and type of information as per the needs of your work environments. The following are the options you can choose from when opting for custom safety labels:

• Material Type: Self-adhesive Vinyl, Self-adhesive Laminated Polyester, Rigid plastic, Aluminium, Polypropylene, and Photoluminescent material.

• Laminate and Adhesives: Gloss White, Matte Litho, Fluorescent, Silver and Gold Foils, White Vinyl, Polyester, Tyvek, Semi-gloss, Laser-Rite, TL-2 (Tire), Brown Kraft, Trans Therm 2, and Thermal Transfer Multitherm.

• Safety Messages: You can get your safety labels printed with plenty of messages. The following are examples of safety messages.

  • Flammable Materials
  • Risk of Fire
  • Overhead Crane
  • Battery Charging Station No Smoking or Open Flames
  • Beware of Back Injury When Lifting
  • Beware of Welding Flash
  • Bloodborne Pathogen Kit
  • De-Energize Before Reaching In
  • Hard Hats Required in this Area
  • High Noise Area Wear Ear Protection
  • Sharp Edges With your Fingers
  • Risk of Electrical Shock

Whichever options you chose, it is extremely crucial to have your final product precisely and clearly define potential hazards and actions to avoid them. Moreover, the labels must also visually convey exact instructional messages about hazards related to your products, areas, and equipment.

Having discussed the importance of safety labels, it is significant to have the right type of labels with customized features that last long when used in commercial and industrial environments. Get these items from a reliable manufacturer who owns the capabilities to design the labels in any shape or size according to the client’s requirements. Performance Label Company (PLC) is one of such leading names in the market that owns a rich legacy in providing custom safety labels according to the customers’ desired specifications for applications in multifarious industrial applications.

Related Blog Posts:

• How to Effectively Use Safety & Warning Labels during Pandemic?
• Pointers for Writing a Warning Label to Avoid Product Liability