6 Reasons Why Smart Companies Get Custom Safety Signs
Your business needs safety signs. You know that. It’s an OSHA requirement, and, if the signs do their job, they’ll save your employees from accidents or even save their lives.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 2.8 million workplace injuries and illnesses in 2018, the most recent year on record. That’s 7,671 accidents every day or 5.3 every minute. Even worse, there were 5,250 deaths on the job that same year. That’s 14 per day.
The presence of safety signs has been proven to help reduce those numbers. OSHA has guidelines for your safety messaging, but that doesn’t mean you have to get the same cookie-cutter signs you’d see in any other business. Here are six great reasons why you should consider getting custom signs made for your business.
1) Reduce Sign Fatigue
You know how you can watch a TV network that keeps its logo in the corner of the screen and, after a while, you don’t see it anymore? The same thing happens with safety signs. Workers grow so used to seeing the same safety signs everywhere they go. Most are yellow with black lettering or white and red, right?
Eventually, their eyes stop noticing them at all. It’s not their fault. They’re not negligent. It’s called sign fatigue, and it’s a real thing that your brain does when it sees the same thing repeatedly.
By customizing your signs with different messaging, colors, or even shapes, they’ll stand out and force your employees’ eyes to take notice. That makes your signs more effective and helps keep your workers safe.
2) More Accurate Messaging
Your workplace isn’t exactly like any other. Chances are you have machines or unique potential dangers. They may not fall under typical signage options like “High Voltage” or “Low Headroom.” Trying to use a ready-made sign that is vague or doesn’t accurately portray the danger can have disastrous results.
By customizing your signs you can make sure that the messaging is accurate and draws attention to the real danger at hand.
3) Branding
The latest studies show that people today are exposed to as many as 6,000 to10,000 ads each day. Your company logo and colors work together to create a brand image, an ad for your business.
Custom safety signage is a perfect branding opportunity. Use your company colors and logo to keep your brand front and center in all safety messages. If some of your signage is public-facing, this is an excellent opportunity to imprint your brand on passers-by without dipping into that ever-so-delicate marketing budget.
4) Improve Company Image
Putting your brand on your safety signs sends a powerful message to anyone who sees it, whether they are an employee or a part of the general public. It creates a direct connection between your brand and a genuine concern for the safety of your employees.
Safety signs need to meet OSHA and other regulatory requirements. Putting your brand on those signs shows respect for employee safety and the organizations that enforce such provisions.
5) Personalization
Chances are your company has its own lingo. You use specific terminology, acronyms, and even have a few inside jokes. Custom safety signage allows you to incorporate your company language into your signs. This helps your employees understand the warnings and the dangers they reference.
As long as the signs meet the proper OSHA guidelines, you can even incorporate a little bit of humor or levity. Safety is a serious business, but that doesn’t mean it can’t have a little personality.
6) Special Language Needs
Do you have a bilingual workforce? Create bilingual signage to make sure that everyone can read and understand the safety issues on site. You may be able to find ready-made signs in English and Spanish, but what if you need a different language or even more than two on each sign? There are thousands of spoken languages globally, but you won’t find most of them on your standard safety sign options.
Whether it is many workers or just one or two who could benefit from bilingual or multilingual signs, as an employer, it’s essential to know that they can read and understand all of your safety signage.
The Case for Custom Safety Signage
OSHAcademy estimates that a business incurs’ direct costs because of an employee accident from $1,000 to $20,00. The average price, including indirect expenses such as lost productivity, is estimated at $10,000.
The most crucial factor in safety signage is effectiveness. If you save money by purchasing standard, run-of-the-mill safety signs that don’t correctly do the job, it’s not a smart investment. Custom safety signs can improve effectiveness by drawing more attention and providing more accurate messaging. If you can customize your safety signs and those changes help even one employee avoid an injury over the life of your signs, you’ve made a smart investment.
