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As a business owner, safety should be at the forefront of your mind when planning your operations. You, your employees, and your customers need to be safe while working or making use of your products and services. Workplace accidents can have a major impact on your business. Not only will it affect the productivity and happiness of your workers and the loyalty of your customers, but it can also lead to fines and prosecution if you’re found to be negligent.
There are many ways to improve safety standards in the workplace, including better training and hiring a safety supervisor. However, you can also make a big difference to safety and minimize accidents with a simple equipment called a safety tag. These come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but they ultimately help your employees use equipment and tools safely.
What is a Safety Tag?
Safety tag, much like signs, are all about communication. One of the biggest and most effective ways to improve safety is by improving communication and making sure that every employee understands how to use equipment correctly and when not to use it. Tags are fixed to a tool or piece of equipment and provide vital information. This includes details on when it was last inspected, the date of the next inspection due, and warnings.
It makes sense to use safety tags where applicable, as they can decrease the potential risks that employees face. However, regulations may also require them by law. For example, a ladder inspection tag is necessary for compliance with the Work at Height Regulations 2005. Failing to comply with these regulations could mean that your business is liable if someone hurts themselves while falling from a ladder in the workplace.
Safety tags consist of a holder that permanently attaches to the device and then an insert that is slotted inside. The insert can be written on to provide information crucial for your employees. There are many different types of safety tags. While they’re all designed to improve safety standards, they do serve different purposes.
Types of Safety Tags
Each type of safety tag is used for a different purpose within the workplace. Depending on your business and the sort of equipment that you use regularly, some may be more important than others. Here are some of the most commonly used types of safety tags:
Ladder and Scaffolding Tags
Falls are an unfortunately common type of workplace injury but they’re often avoidable if correct procedures are followed. When using ladders or scaffolding to reach inaccessible areas and scale heights, employees should take great care. Ladder and scaffolding tags provide a pre-use checklist for employees to follow, ensuring that they avoid common risks that come with misuse of the equipment.
Ladders and scaffolding need to be regularly inspected and maintained to help prevent faults that could lead to accidents. The safety tags keep a record of these inspections, ensuring that no equipment is used without being maintained properly.
Lockout Tags
When equipment or machinery needs to be repaired, it should be shut off and locked down to prevent it from being used. Faulty equipment could cause an accident, so employees have to be made aware that they’re not to use it. Lockout tags provide a clear warning that the machinery or tool is broken and shouldn’t be used.
This ensures that machinery won’t be switched on while repairs are being carried out and that employees can’t use it until it’s fixed. This ensures that the repair technicians are safe while carrying out their work, and employees are less likely to be injured by faulty equipment.
