Many road accidents and workplace hazards occur due to the lack of proper warning signs and indications. The lack of safety signs in the workplace and road is a significant issue in many states. And to prevent these kinds of accidents in the firms, the governments are making it compulsory to put warning and safety signs in required places.
Some of Australia’s most common workplace injuries are fractures, falls, slips, trips, lacerations, wounds, and mental health conditions.
What is the Australian Standard?
In Australia, the prevention of injuries and hazards is of top priority. The Australian Standard 1319:1994 lists certain requirements for the use of these safety signboards and laws. The laws and regulations cover the necessary steps to be taken for the protection of staff and visitors.
The Australian Standard classifies the signs into four major branches:
Regulatory signs:
These signs include rules and regulations about a specific activity that, if not followed, can result in a legal violation. Ignoring or breaking safety orders, regulations, and other procedures because of their workplace implications is also illegal. These signs are further broken down into three groups:
I. Prohibition signs: These symbols are self-evident. They describe activities that must not be carried out in a specific setting. The sign usually consists of a red slash and an annulus, with the prohibited activity written in black.
II. Mandatory signs are obligatory; they exist to indicate a specific action or rule in a particular setting. These signs are known as ‘pictograms,’ and they are usually blue and white.
III. Limitation signs: These symbols denote a numerical or suitably defined limit on a specific activity in a given setting.
Hazard signs
These signs are classified as either Danger or Warning. While the former is a sign of a potentially life-threatening activity, the latter is a sign of a potentially dangerous activity that is less likely to be life-threatening. While the word ‘Danger’ is usually printed in white and red on danger signs, warning signs are printed in yellow and black.
Emergency information signs
These signs indicate where a facility, such as a fire exit or a first aid room, is located. The majority of them have white text on a green background.
Fire signs
The location of fire-fighting services, types of equipment, and other fire alarms are indicated by fire signs. The colours red and white are used to represent them.
Why are these signs vital?
Many surveys show that most cases of hazards in the workplace happen due to a lack of proper signboards/indications. Thousands of people face near-fatal accidents in the workplace because of poor safety indications. Where hundreds are working together, safety must be a prerequisite and not just a requirement.
Safety signage is crucial in scientific industries because not every staff will be aware of the risk factors of the chemicals and wires. The unaware staff are not just putting themselves into danger but may injure others and destroy the equipment. The safety signs in the workplace help bring attention to such possible hazards, thereby preventing injuries.
Nowadays, it’s compulsory to install safety signs as part of regular standards for all workplaces to ensure the wellbeing of the staff. A workplace without proper signage will be fined and may lose the license for a brief time.
