We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: chemicals are dangerous, and need a comprehensive safety system surrounding them to ensure that your workplace is safe.
And a large part of that is signs.
We’ve talked a lot about the importance of hazchem signs, emergency information panels and dangerous goods labels. Today however, we’re going to shine a spotlight on a type of sign that we don’t cover quite as often: mandatory signs.
When dealing with chemicals, mandatory signs are, well, mandatory!
And here’s why…
How mandatory signs keep you safe from chemicals
Like the name suggests, mandatory signs are all about telling people:
- What they need to do in your workplace
- What PPE they need to wear while doing it
Featuring white pictograms within a blue circular disk and black wording underneath, these eye-catching visual designs and easy-to-understand photographic illustrations get the message across quickly, keeping your team safe.
Mandate PPE with mandatory signs
When people think of hazardous chemicals, most of the time the first thing they think of is burns.
While many chemicals can cause burns, that isn’t the only way chemicals can harm your team. Depending on the substance in question, chemicals can also:
- Impact breathing
- Cause rashes
- Trigger allergic reactions
Mandatory signs serve as a reminder to staff to wear the proper safety gear to protect themselves from these consequences.
Our online sign shop carries a wide range of mandatory signs for all sorts of different types of PPE, including:
- Face masks and respirators
- Face shields and goggles
- Gloves
- Closed-toe shoes
- Protective suits
Not only do mandatory signs serve as reminders to your staff – who hasn’t accidentally forgotten something while they’re in a rush? – but they also inform newcomers without having to arrange a full safety briefing.
And it isn’t just chemicals, either – our online sign shop’s range of mandatory signs also includes signs that remind staff to check safety guards, keep aisles clear, chain up containers and more!
Lay the ground rules: setting proper guidelines while working
It isn’t just PPE that’s essential in staying safe around chemicals – it’s also crucial that your mandatory signs also lay out what practices your team needs to follow in order to stay safe.
For instance, a lot of chemicals are relatively mild, and won’t cause burns or other issues should they come into direct contact with your skin.
However, if you accidentally ingest them or get them into your eyes, that can cause issues!
Just think about how often you rub your eyes when they’re tired, or scratch your face. And what happens if you’ve brought a sandwich for lunch?
Unless you wash your hands frequently, there’s a high chance you might accidentally ingest traces of chemicals!
That’s just one example of the types of habits that mandatory signs can help establish among your team.
Keeps you compliant with workplace requirements
Okay, so we’re kind of stretching the definition of ‘keeping you safe” here, but hear us out!
As a manager, your job is to take any and all reasonable steps to ensure that your team is safe. That means following Australian OHS laws, and all of the requirements that they lay out.
One of which is signage.
Current laws mandate certain types of signage, including hazchem signs, emergency information panels (EIPs) and of course, mandatory signs.
Fail to do so, and you might find yourself being hit with a hefty fine – especially if something goes wrong, and it can be directly tied to the lack of signage!
Ensures that visitors know how to stay safe
Your team knows everything there is to know about the chemicals they work with, as well as how to stay safe.
But what about:
- Delivery drivers?
- Guests?
- Contractors?
- Visitors?
- Upper management?
These people don’t visit your site every day, so it’s reasonable that they might not understand what they need to do to stay safe.
Ideally, you’ll start with a safety brief to make sure they know what to do – unfortunately, people like couriers and delivery drivers visit so frequently that this simply isn’t possible.
Not to mention, there’s always the possibility that they’ll forget without a reminder!
And that’s where mandatory signs come in.
Get mandatory signs with our online sign shop
Let Signsmart help keep your business safe!
With our huge range of workplace safety signs, including mandatory signs, our online sign shop has all of your signage needs covered.
A huge range of premade signs means that we can get you the signs you need, and quickly – sometimes by the following day. With nationwide-delivery, you won’t be without sign coverage for long!
We can even make custom signs just for you, whether it’s from a template or a completely new, clean-sheet design.
As experts in hazchem, we can even help first-timers, telling you what you need to stay safe!
What are you waiting for? Contact Signsmart on (03) 9687 3050 or fill in the form to ask us your questions.
