As the world is now governed by Health & Safety regulations, it has never been more important to ensure that you have the correct signage. Signage is the most common way of communicating Health & Safety information which highlights possible risks to workers and the general public.
Between the dates of 1st April 2015 and the 31st March 2016, 144 workers were killed in the UK while in the workplace, as reported by The Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Having the correct signage is crucial in highlighting the potential risks that cannot be controlled or avoided to help prevent accidents.
Included in HSE’s annual report from 2016 were work related injuries and illnesses and they found the following statistics:
- 3 million people suffer from a work-related illness
- Over 621,000 work related injuries
- 2,515 people died
There has actually, despite these figures, been a downward trend of fatal work-related injuries. One of the factors in this trend has been due to the safety signs directive being adopted by all EU member states in 1992. The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals Regulations) act adopted these changes in 1996 and this required all employers to display the relevant safety signs to highlight any potential risks.
Since its introduction, the Safety Signs and Signals Regulations had had a huge impact in providing safety for workers and members of the public as well as a 50% reduction in the number of fatal injuries. There is also a connection between the number of reported incidents and the introduction of health and safety signs. Easy to understand signage is paramount in alerting people to potential hazards around them.
Here at Sherwin Rivers, we produce all types of bespoke Health and Safety signage on dibond, foamex, waterproof and tearproof paper. Our experienced team are on hand to offer expert advice to ensure your Health and Safety signage is fully compliant with the legislation.
