Hazard labels give critical information. Labels are the glue that hold the whole safety system together.
From manufacturing to office settings, proper labeling of hazards is important for employee safety, and fit well with 5S, Six Sigma and Lean systems.
Hazard labels should be put on dangerous chemical containers to GHS standards, and pipes.
The labels are visual indicators for important safety devices such as fire extinguishers, eyewashes, and AED stations.
Another benefit from hazard labels is organization. They can inform workers of PPE, tools, storage areas, and to be aware of falling objects.
Vinyl hazard labels are durable, and can be ordered from a third party. However, it is faster, and in the long run, cheaper to have an in-house industrial label printer.
TRANSCRIPT:
(:00)
intro music and effects
(:04)
Dan Clark: Without hazard labels critical information is missing. Labels are the glue that hold the whole safety system together.
Hello, I’m Dan Clark of The Safety Brief. This is where we talk about health and safety hazards in today’s demanding industrial and construction worksites.
(:21)
Workers get hurt without visual devices—devices that warn them of danger. Whether it’s a factory, or a hospital, or an office. Visual devices—hazard labels—are what communicate with employees.
Simple text and images on labels can convey information so people don’t need to ask extra questions. The facility can explain itself.
(:45)
These suggestions will fit well if you’re implementing, Lean, 5S, Six Sigma or other efficiency systems.
Use hazard labels to mark dangers.
- Label hazardous chemical containers according to GHS labeling standards.
- Label pipes. People doing maintenance on pipes, or other work near pipes, need to know if those pipes carry water, or Coca-Cola, or hazardous substance.
(1:10)
Use labels to give safety instructions.
- Label emergency equipment and the routes to this equipment. Fire extinguishers, emergency eyewashes, and AEDs.
- Label the gear. Putting labels on machines, vehicles and other equipment that need to have regular maintenance can help you keep track of when maintenance is performed. This can prevent hazards and make the equipment last longer.
- Label emergency meeting areas. This type of label will clearly communicate where people should meet after an evacuation.
(1:43)
Use labels for safety organization.
- Label the storage areas for PPE—the personal protective equipment. Having a clearly marked place for PPE will mean it’s ready to use whenever it’s needed, especially in an emergency.
- Keep inventory organized. Label shelves to warn workers of potential falling objects. Labeling storage containers help keep the workplace from getting messy and confusing.
- Create labels to help organize tools. Labels can be placed on tools themselves and on the places where they’re stored.
(2:18)
Commonly, labels are made from vinyl to survive indoors and out. They come in many sizes and can be ordered through a third-party vendor, such as a print shop. But that can be expensive, and, of course, there is the wait time. An option is to print on-site using an industrial label printer. It’s much faster and, over time, much cheaper.
(2:38)
That’s it for this episode. Come back for more tips and techniques on how to stay safety compliant in today’s ever-changing landscape of safety requirements I’m Dan Clark of The Safety Brief, sponsored by Creative Safety Supply. See the website at creativesafetysupply.com
END
(2:56)
sounds provided by www.freesfx.co.uk and www.audiosoundclips.com