ISA-UK says sign-makers should ensure their safety procedures cover both the production and installation of signage
Safety First
When it comes to installing signage, no matter how big or small the project may be, health and safety is critically important to sign-makers and wide-format printers. Whether it is small floor graphics promoting social distancing, or huge billboards showcasing the latest Hollywood blockbuster, ensuring the safety of people around signage takes a great deal of thought.
If a piece of signage were to fail or a member of staff slips and falls while installing the sign, this could lead to potentially life-threatening injuries and submit your business to all sorts of legal issues. However, by taking the right precautions and planning out all jobs carefully, you can avoid this and complete the job successfully.
Here, we find out more about the steps sign-makers can take to ensure the safety of their staff and the general public.
Responsible business
One organisation well placed to advise on signage safety is ISA-UK, one of the leading trade groups for the sign industry in the UK. ISA-UK director David Catanach says great care should be taken when it comes to both producing and installing the sign.
“More and more clients are demanding that sign and graphics companies meet higher expectations in standards and practices and not cut corners,” Catanach says, adding: “The best way to ensure safety is training your staff and meeting standards and regulations.
More and more clients are demanding that sign and graphics companies meet higher expectations in standards and practices and not cut corners”
“This covers fabrication, installation methods and equipment and even understanding the need for risk assessments in the majority of all activities. Ignoring your responsibility was never an option and if your outlook is that a 2” wood screw has always done the job when standing on the top of a van to fix a sign to a wall, then I advise you to think again and your staff to think ‘is this a safe career for me?’”
In terms of how ISA-UK can help, the organisation will soon publish its ‘ISA-UK Best Practice Guide’, a go-to source for information on ensuring health, safety and quality in all forms of signage work.
ISA-UK will soon publish a new guide covering health, safety and quality in signage work
The guide will be centred around the British Standard BS559 (a new specification for the design and construction of signs) which it says all sign-makers should be working to. Currently, there are eight sections ranging from initial survey, through to design, manufacturing and installation, including maintenance and inspection.
“The aim is to provide a ‘handbook’ of best practice and be able to add to it covering other activities not provided for under BS559, but that is valuable information for the sign and graphics businesses,” Catanach says.
Sam Armstrong, who was recently appointed president of ISA-UK, also talks up the importance of the new guide, as well as the standard that is specifically aimed at sign-making.
“Signage must be designed and constructed so that it is fit for its function and can be installed and maintained without putting persons at risk when carrying out these operations under normal conditions.
“The hierarchy of safety integration requires that risk be initially eliminated or reduced by inherently safe design measures, which should take precedence over the final level of informing users of residual risks by the provision of warnings and instructions.
“Since there may be a number of different parties involved in the concept, design, specification, manufacture, construction and installation of a sign, it is vital that the correct information should be passed between the contiguous parties to ensure that the final product is visually correct, manufactured to specification and installed in accordance with the requirements of BS559.”
Prioritise safety
During the past year or so, we have seen a huge increase in demand for floor graphics, with this form of signage used in a wide range of environments to promote social distancing as part of efforts to reduce further spread of Covid-19. However, with this rise in usage comes the potential for more safety issues, with companies working on these applications having to ensure the graphics are installed properly to prevent slips and trips.
Drytac is a specialist supplier of floor graphic vinyl films and global product manager Shaun Holdom says in the UK, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) only recognises slip ratings based on the Pendulum Test Method.
“This is in accordance with their assessment of slip resistance for flooring,” Holdom says, adding: “Slip ratings and certifications determine the suitability for a given product in a specific environment. They are important to keep consumers safe and avoid any potential hazards.
O Factoid: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) website offers guidance on how to keep staff and the general public safe when installing signage O
“In the UK and Europe there are two certifications used to rate the product and advise its suitability for floor applications – DIN 51130:2010 [R Value] and BS 7976-2/EN 13036-4 [Pendulum Test Method]. Research has confirmed that the Pendulum Test Value [PTV] is a more reliable and accurate method for evaluating slip resistance.
“As a result, the HSE and many insurance companies have adopted this as a standard test method for assessing slip resistance.”
So how can sign-makers ensure they are meeting these standards? Holdom says working with trusted suppliers such as Drytac means companies can be sure the materials they are using are of the highest standard and offer all the relevant protection.
“The first step is to ensure a proper slip rated material is used,” Holdom says, adding: “It is the responsibility of the sign-maker and installer to make sure that all graphic materials are suitable for application based on location and installed as per the recommendations of Drytac or any other media manufacturer.
Drytac says to avoid material lift in floor graphics, sign-makers should test to ensure the adhesive is suitable for the surface
“Contrary to common knowledge, most falls are not caused by slips, but trips. So, it’s more important that any graphics are securely adhered to the surface and there is no lifting of edges which can cause a trip. To avoid material lift, test to ensure the adhesive is suitable for the surface. Leave a small printed sample in the required location for 24 hours and check the adhesion. It is also suggested to apply graphics with rounded edges rather than sharp corners to avoid material lift.”
Holdom goes on to advise that all graphic media will have a life span as recommended by the material manufacturer and, as such, the sign-maker must ensure the material they are working with is able to stand the test of time on the job they are completing.
Then, there is the issue of insurance, with the installer responsible for holding the correct employer, public and product liability insurance, while the product manufacturer must also have the correct product and public liability insurance. For more information on insurance, Holdom recommends Signelite as a good place to start.
Drytac is unique as every batch of products undergo in-house slip testing and QC testing to ensure it achieves the British Standard BS 7976-2/European Standard EN 13036-4/North American Standard ASTM-E303 for slip resistance.
Drytac has created new guides for help on health and safety when installing floor graphics in retail, construction and housing, stadiums, and schools and universities
Holdom continues: “We have also created new guides for the retail, construction and housing, stadiums, and schools and universities sectors that explain more. The four dedicated guides cover the essential aspects of floor graphic projects – such as safety obligations and insurance – in retail, construction and housing, stadiums, and schools and universities, respectively.”
Building and improving
Turning to signage safety measures and strategy in action, family-run business Signs 24-7 recently secured accreditation from Alcumus SafeContractor in recognition of its safety procedures. The accolade demonstrates the company’s commitment to meeting industry standards, with Signs 24-7 having held the accreditation for three consecutive years.
Signs 24-7 recently secured accreditation from Alcumus SafeContractor in recognition of its safety procedures. Pictured: Signs 24-7 health and safety manager Emelie Davies
“The accreditation also helps to show prospective clients that the business is fully compliant with Construction Design and Management Regulations, which must be adhered to at all times to ensure projects are planned safely and sensibly with all risks managed accordingly,” Signs 24-7 health and safety manager Emelie Davies says.
Davies’ role at the company is to keep the team up-to-date with the latest legislation, with the business constantly striving to improve health and safety within its activities. Davies says the company uses a whole host of measures to ensure the safety of workers when installing.
This, Davies says, begins with a construction phase plan, where it plans all installations and assesses the hazards and implement control measures to keep sites as safe as possible. The firm also produces a Risk Assessment and Method Statement (RAMS) document, which lays out the methodology of the work staff are carrying out, and a risk assessment to cover all aspects of the job.
Signs 24-7 carries out a host of safety procedures prior to any signage project
In addition, regular workshop and site inspections are completed to ensure that the team are working safely.
“Our staff have complete packages of training which cover a wide variety of construction and installation health and safety aspects including CSCS cards, PASMA scaffold training and IPAF mobile elevated work platform training to name but a few,” Davies says.
“Our experienced and qualified team also ensure that the safety of customers and the general public is a priority at all times by using barriers to avoid people wandering into a dangerous work area.
“Our aim as a company is to achieve ISO9001 quality accreditation and ISO45001 Health and Safety accreditation in the future.”
Health and safety can often be a minefield when it comes to planning out signage or wide-format print work, but having in place a focused strategy, you can ensure the safety or your staff when producing and installing applications, as well as after when the piece is in place.
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