Racking Signs: Why Are They So Important?
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Signage is simple enough, but as a result, it is often overlooked while the more complicated installations and considerations take precedence. But, warehouse signage is critical to employee safety, productivity, and workflow efficiency. There are also legal and industry regulations to consider and adhere to. Keeping signage a top priority is a must for a high-functioning, well-maintained warehouse to operate properly.
Where to use warehouse signage
Wayfinding Signage
Mezzanine floors, floor signage for pick-flows, over-hanging section signage, aisle, row and level signage.
Labelling
Shelving product labels, hazardous items, protective clothing required, medication and specialist products.
Efficient Picking
Working in combination with the floor plan and workflow, signage contributes to ensuring goods get to distribution as quickly as possible.
Load Information
Safety signage, heavy goods vehicles unloading or loading, location signage for items ready to load and unload.
Health & Safety
Hazardous items, restricted areas, dangerous machinery, wet floors, danger of slips and trips, electrical and gas awareness signage.
Racking signage legal requirements and accountability
As mentioned above, companies have legal and industry legislative requirements to comply with. Companies are accountable for the safety of their employees and the running of their warehouse.
Health and safety legislation
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 section 2 states that every employer must ensure the health and safety of their employees so far as is reasonably practicable, and it is their duty to operate within the legal requirements of the business. The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 also offers guidance on regulations relating to safety warehouse signage and signals.
SEMA guidelines on racking signage
Signage will form an integral part of your risk assessment and inspections. SEMA will be looking for evidence of appropriate signage and will highlight errors and omissions on your inspection report. So, by ensuring they are a primary part of the regular maintenance checks, you can be comfortable that you are up to standard and your facility is safe.
Find out more about SEMA load notices guidelines.
Improving operations with signage
Efficiency and productivity are critical in creating a high-functioning warehouse and successful supply chain with swift turnaround and dispatch of goods – and signage is a significant chink in said chain.
It might seem over the top, but when you have teams ranging into the hundreds of pickers and warehouse staff working to ever tighter pressures and demands, effective non-verbal communication is crucial to keeping momentum.
Signage is as much about education as safety, providing essential information to everyone, even if English isn’t their first language. By improving the visibility of products with adequate labelling and overhead section signs, and visually mapping out the flow of the pick, workers can easily and safely navigate the products.
Guiding the picker to the right place to pick the correct products naturally helps to eliminate fulfilment errors and decrease their pick times as a result.
Preventing workplace accidents with improved racking signage
Workplace injury statistics
With the recent HSE workplace injury statistics 2019/2020 reporting slips, trips, and falls as the highest reported non-fatal accidents at work, there is undoubtedly a case for better signage and protection for people at work.
Unfortunately, accidents happen, but warehouse managers can avoid many with simple yet highly effective safety, process, and delivery signage to guide people on how to safely work and move around the warehouse.
- Slips, trips and falls 29%
- Lifting, handling and carrying 19%
- Struck by a moving object 11%
- Acts of violence 9%
- Falls from height 8%
At Nene, we understand the importance of signage, and it forms an integral part of our installation and product services for our clients. We can tailor signage to your specific needs with our custom print service while complying with legal and industry requirements and recommendations. So whether you are in the market for a complete installation or need purely signage and printing guidance and services, Nene knows what you need.