No one expects an accident to happen at work, and yet there were 622,000 workplace accidents that caused injuries between 2014-2016. With this costing employer over one billion pounds, it’s in everyone’s best interest to take health and safety in the workplace seriously. If workplace health and safety is something that you feel needs improving, whether you are an employer or employee, it’s worth encouraging. 

Whether you’re working on a construction site or in an office, there should be health and safety measures in place to help minimise the risk of any workplace injuries, and those in place in case an accident does occur. This will be different between work environments, but it can be as simple as knowing where the first aid box is kept and where each fire exit is. 

Here are some tips for improving health and safety in the workplace:

Start at the Beginning

Make sure every new-starter is taught about what health and safety measures are in place. Whatever your work environment, knowing this information is vital. Give each employee a tour of the workplace explaining the usual fire safety protocols and paying particular attention to any hazardous areas employees should be aware of.

Offer a Refresher Course

At the same time, make sure your current employees have the opportunity to be reminded of the health and safety measures in place. This should include anything new that may have been introduced since they started, such as if anyone is a first aider, etc. 

Be Prepared

Do your employees have the right PPE? If they are expected to do any manual labour (even if it's not often), have they had the appropriate training? Are there any restricted areas to be avoided? Being prepared can really make a difference – being prepared for work means you are aware of any health and safety situations that may come up.

Install Correct Labels and Signage

Even if you think employees have a good idea about health and safety, signage can drastically improve how aware people are in the workplace. Not only do these make people who are unfamiliar with the workplace aware of any hazards, it also reminds any employees to be vigilant. To have a look at our range of safety signs, click here.

Improving health and safety in the workplace doesn't have to be complicated or expensive, but is always a necessary way of keeping everyone safe. For any advice on what you may need to improve your workplace safety, feel free to get in touch. We can help you select from a massive range of health and safety signage. Call us today on 0800 3761 693.

To ensure that equipment, some vehicles, rolling stock and industrial plant is in good operating condition, it is important that these are lubricated, greased or oiled at regular intervals. This is to prevent malfunctions or breakdowns in mechanical equipment utilising ball bearings in universal or ball joints. This can include loader arms and winches, hydraulic pistons, and drive shaft joints.

Label Source has a range of products to identify points that require lubrication for routine maintenance, with others that can record the last and next maintenance period for lubrication.

Here at Label Source, we offer a great range of Engraved Plastic Tags! They come in a whole range of shapes, sizes and colours; and are perfect for a range of applications such as keyfobs, lockout tags; and markers for valves, pipeworks, machinery, tools, equipment, instruments and process plants. We understand that it may be difficult to find a product that matched your requirements which is why our engraved plastic tags come in a vast number of designs for various applications. 

All our engraved plastic tags are made from 3mm thick engraving laminate, and each tag features a fixing hole allowing you to easily attach it. Not only are they useful for a range of reasons but they are also built to last because of the high-quality plastic we use.

They are supplied in a range of vibrant colours to match your colour-coded identification systems; and they can fit three lines of text, depending on the size of the tag. Our engraved plastic tags have been designed to be durable and versatile, so no matter what sort of application you need these tags for, our engraved plastic tags will fit the bill. Our engraved plastic tags are customisable, so you can make the perfect tag to fit your needs. 

These tags will be made to your specifications, ensuring that they are best suited to your task - and if our standard sizes are not sufficient for your needs, our engraved tags can be supplied in bespoke sizes - get in touch for a quotation, we are always happy to help and will do our best to accommodate your specifications. We have such a wide range of products it will be no problem helping you with your specifications so just let us know how we can help!

Our range of Engraved Plastic Tags include:

Custom Engraved Tag, 25mm x 25mm, one line of text

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Custom Engraved Tags, 33mm diameter, one line of text

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Custom Engraved Tag, 63mm x 19m, three lines of text

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To view our full selection of Engraved Plastic Tags, please click here. We also offer other tag products such as custom printed plastic valve tags; serial numbered brass tags and much more. If you have any questions about any of our products do not hesitate to get in touch. Call today on, 0800 3761 693. 

Barcode types or symbologies can be confusing with some end users having trouble in identifying the best one to suit their application. Below is a summary of the more popular types of barcode, covering linear or one dimensional and two dimensional types.

Code 39 is a popular means of labelling assets, property and warehouse racking. It is alphanumeric barcode system, which allows a combination of serial numbering with prefix or suffix lettering. It does not have a built in check digit, and has a low data density (meaning that it takes more space). As a consequence of the density, it is not suitable for labelling of small goods. This linear barcode system is commonly ideal for a maximum of 8-10 characters.

Code 128 is another one dimensional barcode type. Again it can provide alphanumeric barcodes. It does have the advantage of providing a check digit for verification, and with it being a high density format, which makes it more space efficient than code 39, allowing longer strings of data. This code is used for product marking, asset tagging, inventory control labels and stickers for warehouse racking applications. GS1 is a subset of code 128 and is used in packaging and shipping, where the first part of the barcode identifier is customer specific.

Interleaved 2 of 5 is a numeric only one dimensional barcode symbology, with digits interleaved to form a single symbol. It is high in data density , but can only handle even numbers of digits. It is used mainly in warehousing and distribution on documents, packages, shipping boxes, pallets and containers. The horizontal bars at the top and bottom of the barcode are to reduce the possibility of misreading on scanning.

EAN 8 and EAN 13 (8 digits and 13 digits respectively) are the recognised system for barcode marking in globally traded retail products, and incorporate details of the manufacturer, product type, pack size etc.. EAN stands for European Article Number (although this has become international), and includes country of origin, manufacturer, product and check digit. At the point of sale these barcodes  can present information on price, expiration date and batch production date, as well as supporting stock control and product re-ordering.

QR codes are one of the main two-dimensional or matrix. The QR signifies Quick Response and originated in the automotive industry, and have greater storage capacity and fast readability. The can be numeric or alphanumeric, but have the added advantage for product marketing, as these barcodes can be linked to individual URLs, and can be used in commercial applications for tracking, and for product and service advertising. For applications with a small surface area, there is a Micro QR version. QR codes can contain up to 4296 alphanumeric characters, and has an error correction capability. This can be read by mobile phones.

Data Matrix is another two-dimensional or 2D barcode system. This square patterned alphanumeric barcode is more compact than the QR code, and it is often preferred when marking small items or components, especially in electronic, pharmaceutical and aerospace markets. Once more, it can be read by smart phones. These can contain up to 2335 alphanumeric characters Logos can be included in the centre of the barcode as this does not affect readability, which is contained on the perimeter. Data Matrix has a high storage capacity and correction capability, and are smaller in size allowing them to be generally used in asset marking, and product tracking.

A further 2D coding system is Aztec, which is used widely in the healthcare sector for patient, blood product and specimen identification, and transport applications. It has the potential to offer less space to contain data, because it does not have a quiet zone (a blank space needed by other systems when being scanned). This cannot be read by mobile phones, but only by dimensional imaging devices, thus adding an element of security. Aztec codes offer high levels of error correction to prevent mis-scanning. The size can vary on this system, therefore allowing for huge amounts of data to be stored, but it does not support Kana or Kanji characters, unlike QR codes.

Label Source can produce labels incorporating barcodes to customer design. These are available in a wide range of sizes and a diverse range of materials, including self-adhesive substrates including paper, vinyl, polyester, polypropylene, aluminium foil, tamper evident polyester, destructible vinyl and aluminium.

A textile company based in Devon has been fined after a workers hand was crushed. The incident occurred at the Heathcoat Fabrics Ltd factory after the worker was preparing a piece of machinery for the next shift, when his hand was drawn into rotating rollers. He suffered severe crushed hand injuries which resulted in the amputation of 4 of his fingers. 

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Heathcoat Fabrics Ltd had failed to safeguard the machine, making it very dangerous to use. A guard was previously fitted to the machine, but when it broke down;the company had failed to repair it, and instead replaced it with an emergency stop wire. The machine was left un-guarded for over two years, and a guard wasn't fitted till after the incident occurred on the 23rd August 2014.

The company pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 11 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, and were fined £300,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2862.30.

To prevent a similar incident occurring at your workplace, it's important you ensure that every safety measure has been put in place to ensure your workers remain safe when using machinery that posseses a risk of entanglement. Here at Label Source we have a wide choice of entanglement warning signs that will inform your workers of the risks of using that machine, and to take extra caution, preventing any incidents or accidents from happening. To view our range of entanglement warning signs, please click here.