Chemical Signs: How to Address Workplace Hazards Effectively
Chemical Signs: How to Address Workplace Hazards Effectively
How can chemical signs help in addressing workplace hazards? Discover effective strategies and safety tips to maintain a safe workplace environment.
Every conscientious business owner aims for a 100% accident-free workplace. Yet, the Department of Labor reports that, on average, 15 worker deaths occurred every day in 2022. How can you ensure your workplace doesn’t become part of next year’s statistics?
Chemical signs are a crucial weapon in the fight against workplace accidents. When used correctly, they effectively communicate the presence of hazards. They are also crucial for compliance with OSHA regulation 1910.145.
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at how to use chemical signs for effective workplace hazard management.
Understanding OSHA 1910.145
Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) standards apply to almost all businesses and are vital to those handling chemicals. An employer’s responsibility toward their staff involves ensuring OSHA chemical signs are used correctly.
Purpose of OSHA 1910.145
OSHA 1910.145 provides detailed specifications for accident prevention signs, tags, and chemical hazard labels. OSHA-compliant signs fulfill three functions:
- To warn
- To educate
- To promote safe working practices
Defining OSHA Chemical Signs
Looking through OSHA 1910.145, you may wonder why there is no specific reference to chemical signs. That is because the signs discussed in this standard can be used in many settings.
Rather than providing detailed guidance about which chemicals to use the signs with, it provides broad guidelines that apply in many situations. Each workplace can then procure signs that meet OSHA requirements and fit their specific situation.
It also helps us define a sign in this context. According to OSHA standards, safety signs are surfaces prepared to warn or provide safety instructions to workers and members of the public who could be exposed to hazards.
It does not include posters, news releases, and bulletins. These are governed by different regulations.
Types of Workplace Safety Signs
OSHA divides workplace safety signs into four main categories. Each has slightly different requirements and applications.
Danger Signs
These signs show there is a hazard that poses an immediate danger to your life or health. In terms of chemical signs, these would include:
- Flammable
- Chemical Storage Area
- Chemicals mentioned by name, such as asbestos, chlorine, and sulfuric acid
- Chemical Unloading Area
Danger signs must be crystal clear, with zero ambiguity. The best ones use a clear, bold font. At the top, the word danger is emblazoned in clear lettering, often against a red background. These signs may be a familiar sight, but including them everywhere they need to be could save a worker’s life.
Although not specifically mentioned in OSHA standards, many businesses also use warning signs. They are typically orange with black lettering. Warning signs also alert workers and visitors to the presence of chemicals that could cause death or serious injury, such as gasoline.
Caution Signs
Caution, or warning signs, are the second level of hazard communication. These signal a lower level of danger but still warn about the presence of potentially hazardous chemicals.
OSHA requires that caution signs have a standard yellow background, a black panel, and yellow lettering for outstanding visibility.
Safety Instruction Signs
Safety instructions, featuring a white background, a green panel, and white lettering, help workers understand how to handle dangerous chemicals. They can also feature text or pictograms to convey important messages about following workplace safety rules.
Biological Hazard Signs
Although biological hazards are not usually what we think of when talking about chemical signs, they can constitute dangerous chemicals. They are infectious agents that present a risk of death, injury, or illness to your employees. If you deal with any such substances, biological hazard signs are essential.
OSHA provides the biological hazard symbol configuration that must be used. The text should be clear, either:
- Danger
- Caution
- Biological Hazard
- BIOHAZARD, or
- The biological hazard symbol
Identifying Hazards and Choosing Chemical Signs
In order to be respected and heeded, you need to place chemical signs with care. Use them too liberally, and people may start to ignore them. Failure to use them when needed could result in a serious accident.
Using Safety Data Sheets (SDSs)
Safety data sheets provide all the information you need about a particular chemical. They provide detailed information about its health and environmental hazards and set out the safety precautions anyone using the chemical needs to take.
SDSs are the cornerstone of every business’s safety protocols. Whenever a new chemical is brought into use, the SDS must be checked, and a decision must be made about the type of OSHA chemical signs to use. They take all the guesswork out of safety, helping all workers stay protected.
Educating Employees
It’s easy to put a sign on the wall and think our job is done. However, as our discussion has shown, different chemical signs represent various levels of risk. Therefore, it is vital to train employees who handle chemicals to interpret chemical signs correctly.
OSHA requires employees to undergo training whenever they are first assigned to work with a hazardous chemical. This can help them understand the risks and practices that will keep them and others safe. Whenever you introduce a new chemical or an employee changes roles, they will need more training.
Training involves more than reading the SDS. It involves:
- Understanding the level of risk involved
- What to do in the event of a spill
- How the chemical interacts with others
- The signage that should be in place
When all employees are trained on the proper use of chemical signs, it makes the workplace safer for everyone. They can report missing or inappropriate signage. Having a safety-aware workforce makes it easier to comply with OSHA and keep everyone safe.
Your One-Stop-Shop for Chemical Signs
Chemical signs are essential to keep your workplace OSHA-compliant and your team safe. At Durable Safety Signs, we have spent the last 60 years making this easy for our customers.
We stock a wide range of chemical signs in English and Spanish and can create custom signs to order. There is a variety of danger and warning signs to choose from. We cover ammonia to sulfuric acid and everything in between — all the signs you need to keep your workforce safe.
Check out our range of chemical safety signs and place your order today.
