Safety signs are very important in the workplace.  They are there to bring attention to potentially dangerous situations.  With all of the laws in the world today, a person or business that has employees really has to make sure that they are creating a safe working environment for them.  If anything happens, they will be questioned about the incident.  If these safety signs are not posted and an injury occurs, the business could be in serious trouble.  There are a multitude of different styles and shapes of these signs.  Thanks to groups such as the ADA, certain requirements must be met when making notices for public buildings.  This includes room labels, handicap accessible placards, no smoking and hazard warnings. 

The most common posting that will be seen in a workplace will read exit.   To some, this may not seem like an actual warning that something may be dangerous, and the truth is, it is not.  It does, on the other hand, label where the people can leave the building in the event of an emergency.  It leads the public out of the grasp of danger.  The laws have made this type of posting universal so that anyone and everyone will recognize it from a distance.  One quality that all safety signs share is the fact that they need to be easily read from far away. 

This next example is for employees of a business rather than the customers.  It is used in the majority of workplaces to warn their workers to use precaution when lifting things.  It will read “How to lift correctly” and will have pictures and instructions on how to do so.  Believe it or not, this is a very important warning to all employees.  When working in a place where a person has to lift heavy boxes or products for most of their work day, these types of safety signs will be a reminder on how to lift properly and not injure them. 

No smoking notices are not just to tell people that they do not allow smoking in their building, but it’s also to protect all of the customers.  It is a known fact that second hand smoke is very dangerous to one’s health and could cause serious conditions.  Laws are set in place to ensure that any public place is smoke free so that no one is at risk.  There will also be postings where there is a designated smoking area for those employees who must have a cigarette on their breaks. 

Some safety signs are not seen on walls, but are seen on the floor.  They are foldable warnings that tell people of wet floors.  This obviously applies to employees and customers alike.  If someone is not paying attention, they can easily slip and fall on a newly mopped area.  Businesses cannot just avoid mopping either.  It is inevitable that someone will eventually spill something on the floor that will need to be cleaned.  That is why it is very important to place these warnings where the slippery surface is so that no one will get hurt.