Workplace Safety

Safety OSHA Signs

OSHA requires businesses to post certain safety signage in the workplace. Compliance is critical, but what are some of the most common safety OSHA signs for small businesses?

Whether you know it or not, your workplace is a dangerous place.

In effort to minimize work-related accidents and injuries, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Agency) requires employers to adhere to certain workplace regulations including the proper placement of safety OSHA signs.

There are a lot of reasons why safety signage is a good idea, especially if your business has a warehouse or manufacturing component that is prone to on-the-job injuries. But to comply with OSHA requirements, you'll need to conduct research regarding the display requirements for your specific work environment.

All safety OSHA signs must be concise and easily legible. The idea is to make the sign as large as possible based on the average viewing distance. Specific size requirements vary according to the letter height and the distance at which it will be viewed.

OSHA signage must be located in places that give workers enough time to react to potential workplace dangers. They must be permanently affixed to structures and not obscured by inventory or other materials. Placement requirements also dictate that signs must be reflective or equipped with battery powered lighting in the event of power failure.

Safety OSHA sign requirements are different from one workplace to the next. However, here are some of the most common categories of OSHA signs that apply to small business work environments.

Danger Signs

OSHA danger signs are designed to indicate the presence of immediate danger. The purpose of this level of OSHA signage is to tell workers that they need to take immediate precautions when working in a specific area of the plant. According to OSHA regulations, these signs are also required to utilize red, black and white colors.

Caution Signs

Caution signs are less alarming than danger signs, but they are still important tools for warning employees that there is a high potential for hazards or unsafe work practices. Color requirements for caution signage call for highly visible yellow and black backgrounds and lettering.

Safety Instruction Signs

Safety instruction signs describe the safe use of equipment and work materials. They can be located throughout the workspace and feature black, white and green coloring.

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