Safety posters can improve team members’ attitudes toward safety, but are your safety posters making the biggest impact they could be?
Keep these tips in mind to ensure your safety posters are making the most impact.
LOCATION
Relevant posters should be displayed in a well-trafficked area. For example, safety posters about PPE, machine guard safety and lockout/tagout should be located in a machine shop area. An elegant canvas print about general workplace safety can be placed in a lobby or in the safety meeting area. Alternatively, a safety poster about forklift safety can be located at the entrance to the warehouse. Hanging an easy-to-read safety poster that emphasizes a hazard or safety tip in critical work areas gives workers easy reminders of vital information at the exact moment they need it.
SIMPLICITY
The best safety posters can be understood in a few seconds or less. Keep the message simple with large print and few images. Less is more when it comes to communicating your safety message on a poster. Don’t try to cram too much information onto a single safety poster but instead aim to convey one message that reinforces a single safety lesson, idea or practice.
READABILITY
The message of any safety poster or artwork should be clear and concise. Bright images or photographs capture and engage employees’ attention and large, legible print with a simple message that can be read quickly while passing will ensure your safety message gets noticed. Safety posters and artwork can be incredibly powerful motivators when the message is on target. Pro tip: Keep safety posters at eye level.
ROTATION
Keep the safety messages fresh by rotating your safety poster selection. Employees stop noticing safety posters that hang in the same place for a long time so switch things up every few weeks or at least quarterly. When a new safety poster is put up in the workplace, employees with take an extra second when passing to read the message, which is what you are trying to achieve by posting safety posters. Add safety posters in new locations, swap out old posters for new ones, and change up the messaging of your safety posters when it makes sense. Consider creating a rotating schedule so that you are making good use of your investment!
REINFORCEMENT
Annual safety training, weekly toolbox talks, refresher courses and on-the-job training are all crucial elements of your workplace safety and health program, but reinforcement is critical to maintaining a safe work environment throughout the year. Informational safety posters should repeat ideas that employees have already been exposed to during safety training or a weekly safety meeting. Sharing safety concepts and best practices that workers have already heard, or been exposed to, is the best way to strengthen great safety habits on the job. Don’t try to teach something new with a safety poster.
Every organization should have a written safety policy that is communicated to all employees and reinforced during onboarding and annual safety training, but finding innovative ways for management to demonstrate their ongoing commitment to safety is also necessary to cultivate a safety-minded workforce. Investing in high-quality artwork like safety posters, motivational safety prints or elegant canvas art with a workplace safety message reinforces safety as a company value throughout the year.
Safety posters, canvas prints and wall art can be a great way to share your commitment to workplace safety with your employees. Keep these 5 recommendations in mind as you are evaluating the best way your organization can take advantage of the positive benefits safety posters have when it comes to safety communication, motivation and engagement.
Visit the Inspire Safety online gallery today to find the perfect safety poster or canvas print for your company.
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