How to Use Digital Health and Safety Signage in the Workplace

Health and safety signage are designed to provide essential information about risks, safety measures, and emergency procedures and help people to avoid accidents and protect themselves. For businesses, installing appropriate health and safety signage isn’t jsut about compliance with industry regulations, it’s about fostering a culture of safety, protecting employees and visitors and avoiding legal repercussions.

From indicating emergency exits to warning of hazardous materials, health and safety signs are a vital component of workplace safety that provide clear guidance in areas where dangers may be present. This article will delve into the different types of health and safety signage, their importance and how to effectively implement them in the workplace.

Table of contents

What is Health and Safety Signage?

Why is health and safety signage important?

Types of Safety Signage

How to Implement Effective Safety Signage in Your Workplace

How to Design Workplace Safety Signs for Digital Displays

Create Effective Digital Safety Signs with DeskAlerts

Conclusion

What is Health and Safety Signage?

Health and safety signage is important for maintaining safety in workplaces, public spaces and any other areas where risks to peoples’ health and safety may be present.

It is a system of signs, symbols and information that’s used to communicate important safety information, precautions and various environments with people so they can be informed and take appropriate measures to stay safe.

Visually alerting people to potential dangers or required safety measures helps prevent accidents and ensures a safer environment for everyone.

The main purpose of health and safety signage is to provide clear, and easily recognizable instructions or warnings. These signs are often regulated by industry standards and government regulations to ensure consistency in their design and use. For example, specific colors, symbols and wording are commonly used to convey particular safety messages, such as alerting people to emergency exits or hazardous materials.

Effective signage should be highly visible and strategically placed in areas where risks are present or wherever people may need to take specific actions to protect themselves and others.

In addition to raising awareness of potential hazards, health and safety signage can often be required by law to ensure that businesses and organizations meet workplace health and safety compliance standards.

In industries such as construction, manufacturing and healthcare the use of these signs can drastically reduce the likelihood of accidents, injuries and other incidents.

Why is health and safety signage important?

Health and safety signage helps to keep people safe at work. They provide essential information that helps to prevent accidents and injuries - and can even save lives.

Whether your employees work in an office, a factory, a construction site or a hospital, clear signage is important to ensure that all employees are aware of the risks in the environment immediately around them, and how they can act to ensure their own safety as well as the safety of their colleagues.

These signs can help to provide guidance on emergency procedures which can make a huge difference in a high-pressure situation by enabling people to act swiftly and confidently. An example of this might be signage that points out fire exits, first aid stations or emergency response equipment such as fire extinguishers.

Health and safety signage also helps companies ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

Failing to have proper health and safety signage in the workplace can lead to serious legal consequences for businesses.Signs are a legal requirement in many industries, designed to prevent accidents and ensure the safety of employees, visitors and customers. Without them, companies may face penalties, lawsuits, and operational disruptions:

• Regulatory bodies, such as WorkSafe in Australia or OSHA in the United States, impose significant fines on companies that don’t comply with health and safety signage requirements. These fines can be costly, especially for repeat offenses or if the lack of signage results in an injury or accident.
• If an employee or visitor is injured due to the absence of proper safety signage, the business could face legal action. Victims may claim negligence, resulting in compensation claims for medical bills, lost wages or emotional distress.

• In severe cases, a workplace may be temporarily shut down by authorities until compliance with health and safety regulations is met, leading to operational delays and loss of income.

Check out our guide on 30 Safety Topics and Messages to Send in 2024 for inspiration on how to keep your employees informed and protected.

Types of Safety Signage

As we’ve outlined already, health and safety signage is used to communicate important information about safety protocols as well as potential hazards that may be lurking in particular workplace environments.

Health and safety signage can be categorized into different types - understanding these helps to ensure compliance with safety regulations as well as a reduction in accidents, injuries and fatalities.:

1. Warning Signs

Warning signs are designed to alert people to potential hazards or dangers in their immediate surroundings. These signs don’t mandate specific measures people should take to ensure their personal safety, but instead serve to raise awareness so necessary precautions can be taken.

Warning signs are commonly (but not always) identifiable by having a yellow background with a black triangle with a symbol or text that describes the hazard. Common examples include “Danger: High Voltage” or “Caution: Wet Floor”.

In industrial environments, construction sites or areas where hazardous materials are stored or used, warning signs are important to minimize risks and prevent accidents.

2. Mandatory Signs

A mandatory sign gives instructions for people to follow, such as specific safety actions or procedures that need to be adhered to. These signs are often characterized by a blue background and white symbols or text, and can be found in environments where protective equipment or safety practices are required by law or regulation.

Examples of mandatory signs include “Wear Eye Protection” or “Hearing Protection Must Be Worn”.

Workplaces where mandatory signs are commonly found include laboratories, factories and construction sites where the need for people to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) is necessary.

3. Prohibition Signs

Prohibition signs are displayed to indicate actions or behaviors that are not allowed in a certain area. They are used to help prevent unsafe behaviors or unauthorized activities that could result in accidents, injuries or harm to people and property.

A prohibition sign will typically feature a red circle with a diagonal line through the action that’s being prohibited. Examples of prohibition signs include “No Smoking” or “No Entry”.

4. Emergency Information Signs

An emergency information sign provides guidance to people about how they should respond in an emergency situation. These signs are used to help people quickly identify the location of emergency exits, first aid stations or health and safety equipment like fire extinguishers or defibrillators.

These signs are often green with white text or symbols and are highly visible. Common emergency information signs include “Emergency Exit”, “First Aid Kit” or “Assembly Point”.

In emergency situations these signs play an essential role in directing people to safety or emergency response equipment.

5. Fire Safety Signs

A fire safety sign is a specific type of emergency information sign that’s used to provide guidance about fire-related hazards and safety equipment. These signs are often used to indicate the location of fire extinguishers, fire blankets, fire hoses, alarm points and the procedures people need to follow in the event of a fire.

Fire safety signs signs are usually red with white text or symbols, ensuring they stand out in an emergency situation. Examples include “Fire Extinguisher,” “Fire Hose Reel” or “In Case of Fire, Break Glass.”

Commercial buildings, schools, hospitals and other public spaces need fire safety signs to help ensure fire safety equipment is accessible and that evacuation routes are clear and well-marked.

6. Regulatory Signs

A regulatory sign is used to communicate information about any legal obligations or requirements that must be followed by people or companies in specific environments. You’ll often find these signs in transportation, workplace and public safety contexts.

Regulatory signs often feature a white background with black text or symbols, clearly stating the rules or laws that must be followed. Examples include speed limit signs, “No Parking” signs, or signs indicating restricted areas. By providing clear instructions on legal requirements, regulatory signs help maintain order and safety in public and private spaces.

How to Implement Effective Safety Signage in Your Workplace

Implementing effective safety signage in your workplace is key to providing and maintaining a safe and informed environment for employees, visitors and customers. Clear and visible signage will help prevent accidents, communicate hazards and ensure everyone knows what to do in order to stay safe.

Here’s how to implement safety signage effectively:

• Identify hazardous areas: Start by assessing your workplace for potential hazards. Identify the areas where accidents or injuries could occur such as areas with heavy machinery, wet floors or high voltage areas. Consider the locations where emergency exits, first aid stations, fire extinguishers etc should be highlighted to employees.

• Choose the right signage for the right situation: Use appropriate signage for each type of hazard (warning, mandatory, prohibition or informational signage). Make sure your signs are easy for people to understand and include clear, universally recognized symbols. You should also consider using signs with bright colors or made from reflective materials so that they can be visible in different lighting conditions.

• Place signs strategically: Ensure that signs are placed in locations where they can easily be seen by everyone - ideally at eye level. They need to be placed near any potential hazards - but far enough away from them so people can have time to react in advance. You should also avoid cluttering areas with too many signs as this can overwhelm or confuse employees.

• Regularly inspect and maintain signage: Don’t just set and forget your signs. Over time, they can become damaged or worn out or may no longer accurately depict the situation at hand. Make sure to regularly inspect them for wear and tear, replace faded or broken signs and update if the hazards or workplace layouts change.

• Educate employees about signage: Ensure all your employees understand the meaning of each of the safety signs in the workplace and what they need to do to follow their instructions. Regularly train your staff on workplace health and safety and emergency procedures, and highlight the importance of the signage.

How to Design Workplace Safety Signs for Digital Displays

Digital signage has become commonplace in modern workplaces and is used to convey important information - including safety messages.

A digital display refers to electronic screens—such as LED, LCD or projection displays—that present dynamic content in real time. These screens can be found in various settings, including offices, factories, schools, hospitals and public spaces and are used to communicate different types of information - including health and safety signage.

Before designing workplace safety signs for digital displays, it's essential to understand their primary purpose: to inform, warn and guide employees and visitors.

Safety signs should communicate risks, safety procedures and emergency protocols clearly and effectively. Unlike traditional static signs, digital displays allow for animations, changes in content and interactive features that can enhance engagement and understanding.

Key design principles for digital displays are:

• Ensuring clarity and simplicity. Safety signs should convey messages quickly and unambiguously. Be sure to se straightforward language and avoid jargon. Focus on key phrases and visual symbols that represent the message, such as commonly known icons for fire, chemicals or protective gear.
• Use confident branding and color coding that aligns with your organization’s branding while at the same time adheres to the universal safety color codes such as red for danger and yellow for caution. This consistency helps to create a recognizable safety culture.
• Choose fonts that are easy to read from a distance. Sans-serif fonts are generally more legible on digital displays. Also ensure the text size is appropriate for the viewing distance and is large enough to be read quickly.
• Highlight the most critical information using contrasting colors, larger fonts or bold text. Organize content in a way that guides the viewer's eye naturally through the information, prioritizing warnings and instructions.
• Make the most of the strengths and capabilities of digital displays to include animations or scrolling messages that can draw attention. For example, a flashing "Emergency Exit" sign can alert individuals to safety routes in real-time.
• Safety information can change based on regulations or workplace conditions. Ensure that digital displays are updated regularly to reflect the latest safety protocols and hazards.
• Incorporating touchscreens can allow employees to access detailed safety procedures or training materials. This interactivity can enhance engagement and retention of safety information.

Create Effective Digital Safety Signs with DeskAlerts

As organizations increasingly shift towards and seek out digital solutions for the workplace, it’s important to choose one that is versatile and reliable, such as DeskAlerts.

DeskAlerts is an internal communications software solution that offers a range of digital channels and tools to help organizations communicate better with their employees and boost engagement and productivity. It also has an important role to play in emergency communications, so companies can alert their employees quickly when there’s a crisis so they can take appropriate steps to be safe.

One of the digital tools included with DeskAlerts is digital signage. Using the DeskAlerts system you can turn any screen in your organization into a digital billboard to display information.

You can leverage DeskAlerts for impactful digital safety signage by following these tips:

• Understand your audience and tailor your content to your audience’s needs, ensuring that it’s relevant.
• Ensure the information is easy to understand by using language and imagery that’s not overly complicated, and is relatable to employees.
• Keep your safety messages straightforward and use short, impactful sentences or bullet points to convey information.
• Avoid technical jargon that could confuse the message.
• Highlight any essential instructions or warnings.
• Incorporate visual elements by using high-quality images and icons that represent your safety messages Visuals can quickly grab peoples’ attention and enhance their level of understanding.
• Ensure colors are easily distinguishable.
• You can make and use templates within DeskAlerts to create visually appealing signs that align with your company branding.
• DeskAlerts lets you create dynamic content that can be easily updated or replaces as critical situations change.
• You can use the signage along with other DeskAlerts tools to reinforce and remind people about safety drills, inspections or protocols. This includes channels like pop-up desktop alerts, mobile notifications, scrolling desktop tickers, corporate screensavers and desktops.

Enhance your workplace safety and streamline emergency communication with DeskAlerts. Request a Demo today to see the benefits for your organization.

Conclusion

Properly implemented health and safety signage empowers employees and visitors to take control of their safety, fostering a proactive culture of awareness. Businesses that invest in clear and well-placed signage not only meet compliance requirements but also demonstrate a commitment to the well-being of their workforce, customers and other stakeholders. Ultimately, these signs provide a simple yet powerful way to keep people informed, safe, and protected in a wide range of environments. 

If you’re looking for innovative solutions for health and safety signage in your workplace, our team of experts would love to showcase DeskAlerts to you so you can see how it could enhance your signage. Get in touch with us today.