The Importance of Safety Signs
Overall, 90 percent of the fatal work injuries involved workers in private industry. Service-providing industries in the private sector recorded 48 percent of all fatal work injuries in 2007, while goods-producing industries recorded 42 percent.
Welcome to Facility Signs
In 2005, an explosion at the BP oil refinery in Texas City, TX killed 15 and injured more than 170.According to the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, a total of 5,488 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States in 2007. This statistic obviously excludes work injuries and narrowly avoided workplace disasters. Machinery, electrical connection points, chemicals, visual obstructions, and other potential causes of injury and fatalities exist throughout a facility.
And while the 2007 figures are still too high, this number “represents the smallest annual preliminary total since the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program was first conducted in 1992.” (external link)
Effective Visual Communication
The DuraLabel 9000 is ideal for extra large labeling requirements.Make sure you always have the right large format signs and sign supplies on hand. We can supply you with selections in supply sizes up to 9” tall and many come preprinted with OSHA and NFPA compliant designs. Others are ready for printing customizing other commonly used industrial facility markings. All are specially designed to be fully customizable, so professional looking facility signage can be printed in a hurry!
We know signage for today’s modern facilities often requires batch-prints in high-volumes to keep-up with ever-increasing demands for identification. We believe quality graphics and text should never be sacrificed as a result of these demands. That’s where the new DuraLabel 9000 can fill the sign printing void at any facility.
The DuraLabel 9000 is largest industrial and safety sign printer we offer and utilizes premium-quality, self-adhesive vinyl supplies- up to 9" tall. Plus, it’s really fast. In fact, it’s the fastest large format sign printer on the market today.
Steps to Improving Safety
The first step in improving safety is to eliminate safety hazards. If that is not possible, engineering controls should be used to place a barrier between workers and hazards. 
If engineering controls cannot be used, the next step is to implement administrative controls (through training, for example). The final step is to use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to protect workers from hazards.
Other than eliminating the hazard itself, safety signs and labels play a role in all of these steps. They are an important part of any serious effort to reduce risk and promote safety in the workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) (external link) has been a catalyst in encouraging safety sign usage, compliance, and standardization. With such efforts comes an awareness of the importance for organizations to follow specific guidelines and procedures in placing safety signs for indoor and outdoor use and thus help you and your employees avoid hazardous situations.
Understandingthe importance of safety signs is a positive step in the effort to eliminate injuries and fatalities in the workplace. However, knowing is half the battle. Certain criteria need to be met by employers to ensure safety within the workplace. Employers are not alone in this effort. Different organizations have long been established to guide employers through understanding how to use safety signs properly and effectively.
