These are just a sampling of the types of safety messaging you may encounter when hazards are present.  Some hazards are obvious, like explosives or dangerous chemicals.  Others, like small plastic bags and wet floors, seem more innocuous.  But one thing is clear.  Safety signs and labels are crucial in identifying all types of potential hazards and reducing people’s risks, no matter the setting.

In 1970, Congress created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for workers, which laid the groundwork for standardized safety signage and labeling across the country.  Since then, organizations like the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and Underwriter Laboratories (UL) have further refined and developed national and international standards for safety signs and labels across all industries.  

Medical Settings

Healthcare is one of the industries most critically impacted by standardized and effective safety signs and labels. Hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities are complex, busy, and often stressful environments with many moving parts.  Messaging to all employees with different levels of training has to be crystal clear. Safety signs and labels need to be seen and understood by everyone, from surgeons to cleaning and security personnel.  

While signage is no replacement for quality training and supervision, it definitely enhances the safety of the healthcare work environment.  In fact, safety and warning labels and signs are one of the quickest ways to convey messages to workers and visitors – not to mention patients.  Safety signs and labels highlight potential hazards for patients on everything from bathrooms to medical equipment to pill bottles.  They are a crucial component of safe healthcare settings.  

Types of Signs and Labels

There are many categories of safety signs and labels.  Some of the most common in medical settings include danger, warning, and caution signs; biological hazard signs; fire safety signs; admittance signs; allergy and contraindication labels; and pregnancy symbols.  Inconsistency in safety signs and labels can result in serious injury or death, so it’s important to carefully consider their design, location, and durability.  An experienced printing company can help.

Does Design Really Matter?

Medical research shows that warning signs induce the highest level of perceived hazard.  Also, people are more likely to heed safety signs and labels when they include five components: An alerting word (such as “danger”); a statement of the hazard; a statement of its seriousness; a statement of the probable consequences; and finally, how to avoid the hazard.  These are important factors to keep in mind when creating safety signs and labels.

Failure to use and/or comply with proper safety signage and labels can result in legal charges.  Designing durable, compliant, and clear labels can literally mean the difference between championing safety for all parties involved versus finding yourself sought out by legal process servers.  Safety labels and signs are a critically important part of any product or service–and the medical world is no exception.

Moving Forward

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed extra emphasis on the importance of communicating hygiene and safety protocols in a wide variety of settings.  Businesses are looking for the innovative floor, wall, and window signs that are customizable, removable, and easy to disinfect.  Product labels must often include more medical warnings and information than previously.  

Staying current with medical safety signs and labels is perhaps more important now than it ever has been.  The printing company you select should be up-to-date on today’s standards for safety label and signage development.  Ensure you’re checking all the boxes and creating a long-lasting product as you move forward in designing your next sign or label.