Creating Safer Workplaces: A Checklist for Auditing Safety Signs

Keeping the workplace safe is always serious business because it also means keeping your employees and customers out of harm’s way. A key aspect of workplace safety is performing regular safety sign audits, which help ensure your safety signs are clear and visible, compliant with regulations, and effective.

In this article, we provide an easy checklist to guide you through the process and help you prepare for your next safety sign audit.

Why is Auditing Safety Signs Important?

Auditing safety signs is crucial in the workplace. Here’s why:

• They help prevent accidents. When employees immediately see safety signs, they can quickly identify potential hazards and make faster decisions, reducing the risk of accidents or injuries.
• They keep your business compliant. Performing regular audits ensures that your workplace remains compliant with OSHA and ANSI regulations and helps avoid penalties later.
• They improve workplace awareness. Updated safety signs communicate to everyone that safety is a priority. It also builds trust and shows employees that you care for their well-being.

How to Use This Safety Sign Audit Checklist

This checklist will help you review workplace safety signs and identify any changes needed.

Before You Start Check safety policies and past audit remarks. Note which areas you must improve on, whether it's compliance, visibility, or awareness.

While You Walk Through the Workplace Bring a notebook or phone to take notes and photos with. Inspect various safety signs in each area, including entrances, hallways, parking spaces, and exits. Make sure to check for placement, visibility, and condition.

After the Audit Write down and categorize your findings, prioritize urgent fixes, and create a plan on how to implement improvements.

Safety Sign Audit Checklist

While there are specific professional organizations that can perform safety audits, you can start with these basic preventive measures to keep your business safe:

1. Understand regulatory requirements set by OSHA, ANSI, ADA, ISO, and NFPA. Start with the basics and familiarize yourself with various safety organizations and their regulatory requirements. Find out how signs should look, where they should be displayed, and what information should be included.

2. Review local and state regulations. Stay updated with local and state regulations and ensure that your business is compliant with these rules. Some states or locations may have different requirements from national or international standards.

3. Memorize safety signs and their color codes: Warning (orange/black), Mandatory (blue/white), Prohibition (red/black), Emergency (green/white) signs. Learning safety sign regulations involves knowing the types of safety signs used in workplaces and their color codes. Commit each type to memory, understand what the symbols mean and how they’re used, and identify what their color codes indicate. Below are some examples of safety signs:

• Warning Signs. Informs about potential hazards and are usually orange with black text and symbols.
• Mandatory Signs. These have a blue background and white text. They indicate actions that must be taken in the workplace.
• Prohibition Signs. Conveys information that is not allowed to be done in the workplace or in certain areas. These have a red circle with a diagonal line crossed over a black symbol or text.
• Emergency Signs. These have a green background with white text and symbols. They share information directing readers where emergency exits, equipment, and first aid kits can be found.

4. Define your audit goals. Decide what you want to achieve in the audit — improving visibility, fixing compliance issues, or updating signage to help you stay focused.

5. Assemble a safety team. Gather your team, including safety officers and staff from various departments, to get different perspectives and to review issues that may have been missed during the audit.

6. Set a non-disruptive audit schedule. Pick a time that won’t disrupt daily operations or create hazards, such as quieter hours or scheduled maintenance hours.

7. Review necessary documents including regulations and past reports. Check past audit reports, policies, and guidelines to have a better understanding of recurring issues and to avoid repeating any mistakes that have been previously overlooked.

8. Identify key areas to inspect (entrances, exits, fire extinguisher posts, etc.) List high-risk and high-traffic locations to ensure you don't miss important areas during your audit.

9. Safety signs must be visible, readable, and placed at eye level. Ensure that all signs are visible to employees and visitors, are readable, and are free from any obstructions. This also means placing them within reasonable viewing distance without the need to move closer or look for them.

10. Signs are free from errors, wear, damage, and fading. Check for typos, grammatical errors, or damages that can make the message hard to read or misleading.

11. Replace damaged or outdated signs. Verify that the information on the signs is current and accurate and replace any signs that no longer meet standards or fit current workplace conditions.

12. Record findings and take photos of issues. Document everything when conducting a safety sign audit. You can use this as a reference when making improvements later.

13. Write a detailed report with recommendations. Be thorough with your notes and timelines, summarize findings, and identify responsible team members to help you determine what specific actions to take.

14. Add new signs. Install signs in areas where hazards are present but have inadequate or no warnings or instructions.

15. Organize safety workshops. Train employees on updated safety procedures and explain the meaning of new or revised signs.

16. Hire third-party safety officers. Consider outside experts for additional professional guidance, unbiased assessments, or assistance in meeting compliance requirements.

17. Schedule regular follow-up audits. Plan regular follow-up audits to ensure ongoing compliance and effectiveness and maintain safety in the workplace.

18. Check the effectiveness of changes and make further adjustments. After making improvements, observe how people interact with the signs. If there’s still confusion, implement changes as necessary.

Conclusion

Conducting a safety sign audit is important for keeping your business or workplace safe for everyone. Through this checklist, you can ensure your safety signs are clear, up-to-date, and abide by local regulations. Remember that regular audits not only improve safety but also encourage responsibility among workers and employers.

Need help with signs in the workplace? Order from Signs.com for top-quality safety signs. We offer free design templates and quick turnarounds.

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