Hazardous zones can exist in all kinds of modern workplaces. A seemingly mundane office might include areas of the building that present potential risks to employees who are not authorized to be there or trained in proper safety procedures. As a business owner or entrepreneur, there are a few things you can do to make sure these locations are marked clearly.
You Can’t Provide Too Many Warnings
When it comes to making people aware of hazards, there is no such thing as warning them of potential dangers one time too many. When you think of hazard markings, you might envision a colorful wall sign that has pictures designed to grab your attention. Signs on the wall are just one way to warn others of potential threats in a particular zone. You can also use designated floor markings in a shop or industrial area. Markings on the floor create specific boundaries or send particular messages that relay crucial information. Having a variety of different warning labels in place throughout a space can help to minimize the likelihood of a preventable accident occurring due to a hazard.
Make Signs Highly Visible
There may be minimum compliance standards when it comes to notifying workers or guest personnel about the presence of dangerous areas in the workplace. Putting up a sign to meet these requirements is great, but it isn’t particularly effective unless people notice it effortlessly. It’s good practice to ensure that any markings for hazardous areas are easily visible long before anyone steps over a boundary. Try to aim for markings that give the clearest line of sight possible from multiple locations in the space. What if someone doesn’t understand the printed language of a hazard marker? You can overcome a language barrier by using hazard pictograms to represent potential dangers.
Conduct Regular Checks
Some of the dangers in the workplace can be pretty consistent within particular industries. Construction work often requires that individuals don helmets before entering a site. However, new hazards could crop up over time as your business makes changes. It is important to review possible changes in the workplace and report hazards to supervisors as part of the review process.
Hazardous zones in a workplace often contain useful but potentially dangerous heavy equipment and other things a business might need. These areas are necessary, but you can make them safer by placing various markings that include relevant warnings at strategic locations throughout the workplace.
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