Sign Making Safety

I have known people in the sign making trade and many other trades who do not take Safety seriously.  They complain about all the regulations some of which don’t always make since to the workers in the field.

But, after spending a lifetime working at any trade, a worker should be able to expect that their employer is looking out for them in such a manner that they are still whole and not disabled by their work.

I sincerely believe that most employers and self -employed workers will agree with what I have written here about Safety.

They also know that time lost for a well-trained person to recover from an unnecessary injury is very expensive in terms of lost productive time or lost opportunity. 

I will discuss in this section systems and methods I employed over many years to make sure that the workers we employed were kept safe.

My experience with OSHA ( Occupational Safety and Health Administration ) compliance comes exclusively from working in California and complying with Cal OSHA regulations.  Because of that, there may be some topics that do not apply or may be different in other states.

The administration and training that comprise a good Safety Program are key elements to a successful program.

The absolute best way to start your Safety Program is to take the 30-hour OSHA Compliance course that is available online.  It will give the reader a great foundation and hopefully make him aware of requirements that he or she didn’t know about.

Elements of Good Safety Program

There are at least three main elements of a good Safety Program. 
The first element is to protect the worker where possible.  This is a result of a good training program that teaches the worker to be aware of the existing hazards that they might encounter while doing their job.  Also, how to avoid being injured by those hazards.

The second element is a thorough inspection program that will ensure compliance with training and the safe working condition of equipment and the working environment.

The third element is the administration of the Safety Program. If one of the employees has a serious accident, there must be some proof that the employer trained him to mitigate that hazard.  It is the employer’s responsibility to identify all hazards the employee may encounter even if OSHA has not addressed that hazard specifically.

Safe Operations Protects Worker and Employer

In recent years, the OSHA fines have gone up substantially. The written Safety Program, Inspection Records, and Training Records to prove that the employee has been instructed on how to address the hazards of his work environment and are all required to be made available to OSHA inspectors.

In the following pages I will address these and many other Sign Shop Safety related issues.  Most of these pages will also apply to any construction or shop activities.

Newsletter Subscription