We've told you before about the gruesome accidents that can occur when somebody is working on a machine and somebdoy else switches the machine on. Limbs and even lives have been lost because people sometimes don't think before activating potentially hazardous equipment.

Fortunately, there is a way to prevent accidents like this: maintenance tags! Service personnel can attach these semi-rigid plastic tags to the machines they're working on, letting everybody else know that those machines are not to be used until further notice.

Proper use of these labels can quite literally be a lifesaver. Far too many maintenance personnel have been killed by the machines they work on, and a number of these deaths might have been prevented if the maintenance work had been more clearly signposted. If, for example, you went home tonight and saw a 'Do Not Start - Men Working on Machine' tag on your oven, would you switch it on?

We sell a range of maintenance tags here at Label Source; each one gives clear instructions (e.g. 'Do Not Operate', 'Do Not Open Valve'), and some are designed to warn of more specific hazards, such as high voltages, poisonous gas, and asbestos dust.

Click here to see our full range of maintenance tags - they could save somebody's life!

Explosive atmospheres hazard zones in the workplace have to be clearly marked in accordance with The Dangerous Substance and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR), with the aim to eliminate or control such risks from flammable gases, vapours or combustible dust being ignited on mixing with air. These are the implementation of the EU’s ATEX Regulations, both the Workplace Directive (99/92/EC) and the Equipment Directive for electrical and mechanical tools (94/9/EC).

Label Source has a range of health and safety to identify areas of potential risk from gas or dust release, with the use of correct equipment (including equipment labels), in hazard zones ranging from Zone 0 to Zone 2 (for gases), and Zone 20 to Zone 22 (for dust), and for related equipment for safe operation in the zones.

There are a range of potential sources of ignition such as sparks (either electrical or mechanically generated), electrostatic discharge, high surface temperatures, ionising radiation, naked flames, electrical networks, radio frequency or electromagnetic waves, ultrasound, lightning or adiabatic atmosphere compression).

Our signs are used in a wide spectrum of customers involved in manufacture, storage, transportation, recycling or use of paint, varnishes, flammable gases (such as acetylene), methane at landfill sites, petrol, LPG, chemicals, resins, solvents and plastics, or particles from wood, coal, grain, flour, animal feeds, coatings or powders.

For ATEX applications our ranges include signs for no smoking and no naked flame prohibition safety, hazard warning (including EX signs), electrical safety, electrostatic discharge, chemical warning, and use of personal protective equipment.

Machines make our lives a lot easier, but they can also be extremely hazardous if used improperly. We've seen lots of gruesome reports in the news lately that reinforce this fact - here are some of the worst:

Warning! These stories contain injury and mutilation - do not read if you are faint of heart!

• A 60-year-old woman from Cheshire lost part of her left index finger because the machine she was cleaning had not been switched off. Her finger was caught in the machine's rotating blades; her employer, Tattenhall Dairy Products Ltd, was fined £7,500 for failing to prevent the incident.


• Roger Small, a 49-year-old man from Staffordshire, was repairing a computer-controlled machine last year when the machine started working and Small's arm became trapped in the inner workings. His arm was broken, and Key Precisions Ltd - the company Mr Small worked for at the time - were handed an £8,000 fine (plus costs).


• A worker in Glasgow needed a metal plate in his wrist after an accident involving a conveyer belt. The man's arm was caught between the belt and a roller; the HSE took his employer to court over the incident, stating that safety guards should have been put in place to prevent workers accessing the machine's 'nip point'.


• Poorly-guarded machinery was also responsible for injuring an unnamed 30-year-old from Tyne and Wear. The man's hand was left severely injured after he attempted to swap two feed belts and got his finger trapped in the machine, which was running at the time of the incident.

If you want to keep unpleasant incidents like these from occurring in your workplace, there are a number of safety measures you must take. Firstly, you should ensure that all workers are properly trained in the safe use of hazardous machinery; secondly, you need to make sure that all machinery is properly labelled with the appropriate hazard safety signs.

One of the main reasons for labelling one's property with asset tags is to minimise the likelihood of loss and theft.  Many asset tags are branded with that company's name and logo; here's one that we made for a lawn care company:

Not only does the above label feature the company's name and imagery, it also lists the unique model and warranty numbers of the item in question. This means that the labelled item is instantly identifiable - if it were to go missing, the company would be able to establish exactly which of their assets had disappeared, and if found, they would be able to confirm their ownership of the item thanks to the branded, numbered asset tag.

But what if somebdoy were to remove the tag? This is a common problem, especially when it comes to valuable electronic equipment; thieves will peel off asset labels to avoid detection and to sell the item on without provoking suspicion. With the asset tag gone, it will be much harder to identify the missing/stolen equipment as your own, and it may well be impossible to prove your ownership of it.

That is where destructible and tamper evident labels come in. These high-security tagging products are designed to prevent removal and tampering, thereby ensuring that your assets remain uniquely identifiable no matter what happens.

• Tamper evident asset tags consist of two parts. The two parts of the label cannot be removed intact, and any attempt to restore the label after attempted removal will be easily spotted, as the two parts cannot be re-attached. When a tamper evident label is removed, it leaves behind a permanent printed pattern to show that the tag has been taken off.
  
  
• Destructible asset labels are slightly simpler. They are designed to fragment (tear) upon attempted removal, making it practically impossible to remove the tags cleanly.

If you are serious about protecting your equipment, these high-security tagging options could well be the best possible solution. Contact Label Source for further details, or click here to see our full range of asset tags and labels.

As springtime approaches, the longer daylight hours and milder weather are likely to encourage an increase in recreational sports and activities on and around inland waterways. Many will dust down their clothing and equipment, which has been stored for the winter, and with much enthusiasm and vigour will embark on activities such as angling, climbing, walking or running, cycling, rowing, canoeing or kayaking, swimming, sailing, water skiing, wind surfing and sub-aqua.

However, there are risks and hazards associated with such pursuits, and these can be escalated if combined with an intake of alcohol, which can lower inhibitions, and temporarily inflate belief in ability or prowess.  Over a quarter of deaths from drowning occur in rivers, lakes, reservoirs, old quarry workings or canals, as reported in the latest WAid statistics for 2011.

Besides these fatalities, there are risks of a wide range of injuries from following the pursuits outlined above. These can include sprains or strains, fractures, crush injuries, lacerations and cuts from slides, slips, trips, tumbles and falls on damp banks, uneven surfaces on towpaths, or from rocky outcrops. Hyperthermia can result from immersion in deep, low temperature water, or from strong currents. Other injuries can be from poisoning or chemical burns from polluted water, collisions with underwater obstacles, entanglement in underwater vegetation, difficulties caused by breakdown of or ill maintained equipment, inadequate training or supervision, or from ill-health.

Matters can be made worst when some of these waterways are in remote locations, or locations with limited accessibility, and where signals for mobile phone are poor or non-existent, increasing the dangers by delaying the response time from emergency services.

To assist in providing a safe water experience, Label Source supply a range of health and safety signs to ISO 20712-1: 2008 Water signs and beach safety, as well as our general ranges of hazard warning signs and general prohibition signs, which warn the general public and workforce of water related dangers.