As an employer or an employee, it is crucial to maintain a safe and secure workplace environment. Various factors determine the quality of a workplace, such as the workers’ mental health, conflict resolution seminars to restore and balance workplace harmony, ensuring there is no physical danger, etc. According to Safe Work Australia, the total number of workplace fatalities in 2021 was 194. One way to ensure your workplace remains safe and non-hazardous is by putting up office safety signs in Australia. Safety signs help the workers stay safe by informing them about various types of hazards in the workplace, identifying them and taking preventative measures.
Not implementing safety signs in the workplace is a major safety violation and puts the lives of others around you at risk. Safety signs help you recognize and stay away from dangerous situations, such as construction sites, faulty wires, wet floors etc. Putting up safety signs trains the workers to identify different signs and symbols, reminding and informing them to stay out of harm’s way.
Types of Signs and Symbols Required in Workplaces
Security signs act as information cards that look after the workers’ safety. Every workplace should have certain safety signs:
- Security symbols: In Australia, there were 3.1 fatalities per 100,000 workers at construction sites. Security symbols warn people to stay away from specific locations such as wet floors, construction areas, etc.
- Office symbols: These symbols provide directions to the workers, directing them towards emergency exits, first-aid kits, safety rooms, etc.
- Prohibition symbols: With prohibition symbols, workers are made aware of prohibited areas, such as no-smoking zones, areas where they cannot use their phones, etc.
- Emergency symbols: In case of a gas leak, chemical leak, or poisonous fumes, emergency symbols come in handy.
- Warning symbols: Warning symbols are generally placed in areas with high voltage or faulty wires, warning you not to enter the space, as you could get electrocuted.
Importance of Workplace Safety Signs
There are multiple reasons why it is essential to have safety signs in the workplace:
1. Visual Communication
Putting up workplace safety signs provides visual instructions to the workers. With large and easily readable pictographic symbols that have crisp and clear instructions written on them, accompanied by a colour-coded and visually appealing illustration describing the particular hazard, safety signs warn workers whenever they enter a high-risk location.
2. Safety Methods
Safety signs highlight safety methods, dos, and don’ts during an emergency. These symbols have emergency exits and safe routes drawn on them in addition to the office’s safety policies, fire alarms, fire extinguishers, and emergency hideouts.
3. Prevent Health Hazards
Occupational safety hazards are risks that come with every job. In Australia, there were more than 190 workplace fatalities in 2020. However, you can easily prevent them from harming others by implementing safety signs. In workplaces like construction sites and farmhouses, health hazards can affect both the workers and the public, as it is an open space. Safety signs can reduce health hazards by warning the public of workplace dangers, such as construction equipment, heavy machinery, slippery floors, and cluttered objects.
4. Mandatory
Every workplace is required to put up safety signs for the safety of the workers and the public. As a preventative measure, health regulation committees have made it mandatory to implement safety signs in workplaces to protect employees and prevent minor or fatal accidents.
Final Thoughts
Having safety signs in Australia is a compulsory workplace regulation. Putting up signs and symbols keeps the workers safe from occupational hazards by warning and informing them of potential dangers.
