Metal nameplates have several benefits, mostly due to their resistance to weather and overall durability. However, each type of nameplate – which includes brass, stainless steel and aluminium nameplates – has its own unique advantages and disadvantages.

Below, we list the benefits of metal nameplates, as well as each type’s qualities.

The Benefits of Metal Nameplates

Broadly speaking, metal nameplates appear a little more high-end than their plastic counterparts. A metallic structure communicates a strong message to your client base. There’s a reason why it is used on public transport like trains; it looks safer, more durable and reliable. However, going beyond aesthetic choices, metal nameplates offer a cost-effective solution to your nameplate needs.

They simply offer the best protection against environmental hazards. No matter the weather, a quality metal nameplate won’t fade or become damaged. Reliability is the core selling point of these products.

However, not all metal nameplates are made equal. Considering whether you want an aluminium, brass or stainless steel nameplate is a decision you’ll have to make.

Take Your Pick: Aluminium, Brass or Stainless Steel?

Picking between aluminium, brass and stainless steel depends on what you need.

Aluminium nameplates, once coated with an anode layer, boast strong protection against chemicals, weather and other light conditions for several years. They are the lightest in weight on the market out of the three available, as well as being the most malleable of the bunch (which means you can make some inventive designs with them!)

Brass occupies the middle ground between aluminium and steel offering strong resistance against corrosion. It is reasonably light, but it doesn’t have the same feather-like design as aluminium nameplates.

Finally, steel nameplates are the toughest of the bunch and should be used for the most demanding of conditions. They have considerable resistance to chemicals, temperature extremes, seawater and direct mechanical damage.

Uses for Metal Nameplates

Typically, metal nameplates are used in industrial settings. They can be used to:

• Designate the producer of a piece of machinery
• State the brand and/or name of a piece of equipment
• Add decorative value
• Place serial codes and barcodes

Metal nameplates can also be used by stores and other customer-facing jobs to signpost key areas or for added decoration. Some people even like to use them as house nameplates!

Find Nameplates For Your Business Here

Think you can benefit from industrial-level metal nameplates? Then check out the range here from Label Source.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, too, to hear the latest on how the world of labels and signs can benefit your business.

No matter where you work, electricity will be somewhere in your workplace. Sure, some jobs, such as engineers or electricians, encounter it a lot more, but even if you’re a humble office worker or an agrarian farmer, there’ll be some point in your working day where you’re face-to-face with a potential hazard.

Treatment for electric shock and its symptoms has come a long way, but as always, the best line of defence is using correct safety protocol. However, even if signs are used perfectly, the volatile nature of electricity can still result in accidents, so staff members must know the correct steps to deal with them.

Even the smallest shocks can have a long-term effect on health, so find out how electric shock notices and proper protocol saves lives below.

What Does the Law State?

Generally speaking, The Health and Safety Regulations 1996 place a responsibility on employers to provide safety signs in places and circumstances where there is risk to their employees. The level of risk is calculated during a risk assessment, so, in the case of electrical dangers, electric shock notices would need to be put in place to proactively protect employees.

A separate set of laws are specific to electrical dangers. These are principally defined by the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 which puts responsibility on employers to ensure electrical devices are safe in the workplace. Employers, defined as the duty holders, must:

• Organise electrical systems in a way that prevents danger
• Keep electrical systems maintained and functioning safely
• Carry out repairs by a professional to prevent danger

However, once a risk assessment is carried out, how do you mitigate risk, react to accidents and what is the best practice for electrical-related signs in general?

How to Mitigate Risk

Other methods include:

• Checking to see if fuses are correctly fitted.
• Ensuring equipment at 230 volts or over has an RCD (residual current device) fitted order to limit the duration of electrical shocks.
• Consistently running maintenance to prevent and fix any problems with electrical equipment.

In addition to the above, you or another member of staff should be trained in how to deal with someone who has suffered from electric shock.

How to React Should an Electric Shock Occur

The first step to dealing with someone suffering from electric shock is to safely turn off the source of electricity. If this is not possible, then do not touch or go near the person until it is switched off.

Once the power has been switched off, prevent the injured person from becoming too cold. If they are unresponsive, then perform CPR if you are properly trained in it.

For burn areas, they should be covered by a sterile gauze bandage or cloth. Under no circumstances should a towel, blanket or other thick covering be used as the fibres can stick to the affected area.

The emergency services should be called if the person has any of the following electric shock symptoms:

• Confusion
• Arrhythmia
• Cardiac arrest
• Loss of consciousness
• Seizures
• Muscle pain and contractions
• Breathing difficulty

Of course, erring on the side of caution is recommended. If anybody is affected by electricity, then the emergency services or a trip to A&E can’t hurt. 

Electrical Sign Best Practice

A significant portion of electric-related injuries are down to, pardon the pun, shocking standards of signage. All possible electrical hazards must be signposted with appropriate signage.

Label Source stocks a range of electric shock notices to prevent the possibility of accidents and help to keep your premises safe.

Poor cable management leads to cables that aren’t only annoying to untangle and wrestle against, but are also a serious health and safety risk. Alongside the risk it poses to workplaces, there is a multitude of efficiency reasons as to why a proper cable management system pays dividends.

With half of the UK’s workforce placed in offices, cable management is essential to keep them working efficiently and, most importantly, safely. Plus, let’s face it, looking at tangled-up cables for too long can get anyone on edge!

How Can Cable Management Help Workplace Efficiency?

When you picture the ideal office workspace, what comes to mind? Images of things like a cushty back-supporting chair, plenty of legroom and adequate desk space comes to mind. One thing that doesn’t come to mind is a matrix of tangled cables beneath your feet. Even if these cables aren’t directly in your way, their presence is the antithesis of organised desk space.

If you do subscribe to an “out of sight, out of mind” philosophy when it comes to cable management, what happens when you need to move desks or the times where you need to replace parts of your computer set up? When replacing these or migrating desks, you will be lost in a mess of knots for longer than you need to be, leading to lost working time, damage to parts and, most of all, a lot of frustration.

For some workplaces, regular inspections are needed for cables and equipment. This is where having a tightly-organised cable management system comes into its own. When complemented by cable markers and cable tags, testing and differentiating different cables becomes easier.

Whenever clients walk through your workspace, you want to make a good impression. Having an untidy desk with knotted-up cables and cables doesn’t look the best, particularly if it’s part of a client’s first time meeting you or your business.

How Does Cable Management Save On Costs?

When cables are allowed to pile up or slack behind equipment, they tend to suffer from crushing and sagging. Over a long period of time, this damages the effectiveness of cables, meaning they will eventually need to be replaced.

Additionally, should maintenance be called, organising cables can bite into the time they spend fixing a problem. The longer they take to solve a problem, the more it will cost your business. Should maintenance need to spend 20% of its time finding the right cables and de-tangling knots, this will add up to a significant kitty of wasted cash.

The Health And Safety Risks Of Poorly-Managed Cables

Using incorrect cables, leaving electrical products on and relying on tangled-up cables is a big fire hazard. Daisy-chaining power strips – a practice where you connect one power strip to another – is worryingly a common practice in some workplaces, which is a serious fire hazard.

Instead of setting up proper cable management, this “easier” solution isn’t a solution at all, it just increases the probability of an outlet being overloaded with power, sparking and igniting a fire.

Slips, trips and falls make up 31% of non-fatal injuries at work according to the HSE. Tangled-up cables are rarely stored away properly, with trips over cables making up a significant portion of office-based work injuries. If an employee trips over a cable left out and you, as an employer, haven’t sorted it out, then you will be liable.

Overall, not operating under proper cable identification best practice and utilising a cable management system is the opposite of a safe, well-managed workspace.

Workplace Products Which Help

Organising cables is so easy that it’s a wonder why it isn’t as common as it should be. By utilising a few products, which you can find here at Label Source, it can be made significantly easier.

To safeguard your cables and operate under proper cable management, you can use the following:

• Safety cable wrap labels – Used to show if cables or appliances have been properly tested, complete with a date for when the next test is due.
• Wire markers – Identifies cables with a number or letter-based system.
• Cable identification labels – Marks and identifies labels with a colour-based system. Comes in diameters from 4mm – 16mm.
• Plastic cable tags – Identifies cables with high voltages or currents.

Establish A Cable Management System Today

In essence, a cable management system can improve workplace efficiency by saving on time during inspection and making repairs easier. Time is money, and nobody wants to spend time detangling a mess of cables on the clock.

For those of you reading who are currently drowning under a never-ending flood of cables, then consider the range of cable management products from Label Source.

For businesses that frequently interact with pedestrians, slip-resistant floor stickers are an excellent method of both improving floor grip and highlighting areas suitable for walking.

While these are not a health and safety requirement, they have advantages for people-facing businesses, especially when it comes to managing how people interact with your space. Below, we list how slip-resistant footprint stickers can give your business a safety boost, as well as provide you with ergonomic and creative benefits.

Uses for Slip-Resistant Footprint Stickers

Mostly, businesses use footprint stickers to control people traffic and ensure shoppers and/or pedestrians are on the correct path. For that reason, these stickers are popular in the following places:

• Shopping aisles
• Concert, conference and sporting venues
• Factories
• Warehouses
• Hospitals

Besides determining where people can and can’t go, footprint stickers can be used for advertising and brand awareness purposes. They allow businesses to flex their creativity while solving issues with foot and people traffic.

Benefits of Using Slip-Resistant Stickers

While they’re not a health and safety requirement, adding slip-resistant footprint stickers can have several benefits to a business. Namely:

• Improvements to the efficiency of people and foot traffic through the premises.
• Provides avenues for decoration, brand awareness and marketing.
• Reduces the probability of slips during wet weather.
• Prevents customers from entering prohibited areas.
• Improves customer experience.

Floor stickers exist in a space between improving a business’ customer experience and providing a layer of safety.

How to Apply Floor Stickers

Application of floor stickers is simple enough. Firstly, ensure the sticker will be added to a secure floor that is clean and dry. The stickers are resistant to chemicals and cleaning materials, but applying them to a dirty floor will affect their usefulness.

Next, plan out where you want to put the stickers so they are roughly in line with a person’s stride. Placing small markers can help with this. Finally, just peel the stickers and place them on the floor evenly – voila, you’re done!

Solve Your People Traffic Problems 

To upgrade your business and help solve people traffic problems, browse our range of slip-resistant footprint stickers at Label Source.

On average, British people are less likely to recycling in the workplace than at home. With the majority of us happily recycling in the comforts of our own domestic bliss, these efforts tend to go out of the window once we clock-in.

There is a multitude of reasons as to why recycling in the workplace is more difficult than in a domestic setting, but businesses can make small changes to temper this tendency.

Encouraging recycling at work can be made easy by following best practice or proper use of recycling bags. Here, we explain how to improve recycling in the workplace.

Stock Up on Recycling Bags

As a business, you need to ensure your staff members have the resources required to recycle. A plentiful stock of recycling bags means you can be prepared for days when more people are on-site and when more waste is being produced than usual.

Not having the supplies to help your staff recycle can leave them demotivated and send strong signals that you, as a business, do not care about the issue enough.

Recycling bags should be of high quality, too. A strong, heavy-duty woven polypropylene make-up is recommended for the bags due to its durability. Label Source exclusively stocks these thanks to their usefulness in a wide array of industries.

Strategically Place Recycling Bins

In order to action recycling procedures in the workplace, you need to place bins strategically to proactively facilitate recycling. You want the act of putting waste in the correct bins to be almost subconscious for your staff, so putting the paper recycling bin near the printer or the food waste recycling bin in the kitchen can naturally increase recycling rates.

Placing a recycling bin next to all rubbish bins helps, too. We understand that all workplaces are busy and staff members do not want to spend much time thinking about the act of recycling. If you think about the placement of recycling bins, then this will naturally encourage recycling at work. 

Removing individual bins from under desks and workspaces is encouraging, too. If a staff member has a personal bin near their workstation, then they’re much more likely to put rubbish away there than at designated recycling points.

Educate and Communicate with Staff

Stocking up on recycling bags and bins isn’t going to improve your workplace’s recycling immediately. Your staff members need to be communicated with and educated, especially when it comes to using the correct recycling bins and cutting down on ‘wishcycling’.

‘Wishcycling’ is what happens when someone is unsure if a piece of waste is recyclable and/or which bin it goes in. Instead, they opt to recycle it in a random receptacle, but this causes problems later down the line. Educating staff on the long-term effects of ‘wishcycling’, and what each bin is used for, will not only increase the rate of recycling, but also its efficiency.

Recycling information can be cascaded at team meetings, delivered through internal emails, and via posters around the workplace. It’s also important to let all of your staff know why the company is attempting to increase rates of recycling and connect them with a sense of shared responsibility.  

Conduct a Full Waste Review

An annual waste review ensures your business is continually improving its recycling and not stagnating. The review compromises of two stages:

• A preliminary waste review – identification of the main waste produced and the costs of disposal.
• A detailed waste review – the plan to manage a business’ waste.

These reviews will inform your ongoing strategy and set up a long-term plan to improve recycling in the workplace.

Are You Eco-Conscious?

Having signs such as recycling signs, waste segregation signage and resource conservation signs and notices are recommended to get you up to standard.

However, if you’re truly looking to improve your workplace’s recycling potential, then check out the range of high-quality recycling bags from Label Source. These bags are the first step in ensuring you and your staff members are ready to face the modern challenges of an eco-friendly workplace.