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OSHA Safety Signs: How to Keep Your Business Compliant in 2025

Friday, March 07, 2025

Brandon Garcia

DSS Safety Updates/OSHA Compliance/OSHA Safety Signs: How to Keep Your Business Compliant in 2025

In fiscal year 2024, federal OSHA investigated 826 worker fatalities, marking an 11% decrease from 928 the previous year, according to OSHA. The decline highlights how imperative it is to stick to OSHA safety signs and rules to protect workers.

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In fiscal year 2024, federal OSHA investigated 826 worker fatalities, marking an 11% decrease from 928 the previous year, according to OSHA. The decline highlights how imperative it is to stick to OSHA safety signs and rules to protect workers.

Safety and compliance officers must prioritize following workplace safety guidelines. This is super important in fields like manufacturing, warehousing, and dealing with chemicals. Ignoring these rules can result in tough penalties and put employee safety at risk.

​Keep going to learn what you need to know about safety signage compliance. We'll also give you some practical tips on keeping up with OSHA standards signs in 2025 to keep your workforce safe.

Understanding OSHA Safety Signage Requirements

The point of OSHA standard signs is to spread awareness of the risks in order to keep people from getting hurt at work. According to the rules from OSHA's specifications on how to avoid accidents with signs and tags (29 CFR 1910.145), employers must:

  • Choose the right colors and alert words: For instance, signs that say "Danger" need to have red, black, and white colors to point out immediate risks
  • Place in proper areas: Put signs where workers can see them before they encounter any hazards
  • Use standard symbols: Pictograms must be used where needed in order to improve understanding across various language barriers

Common Types of OSHA Safety Signs

Employers must know the different types of industrial safety signs they need for compliance purposes. Making sure the correct signs are used is important to avoid workplace injuries and ensure everyone knows about the possible dangers. Here's what each sign means:

  • Danger signs: These indicate hazards that could result in death or serious injuries
  • Warning signs: These indicate dangers that may result in death or serious injuries
  • Caution signs: They indicate potential hazards that may cause minor or moderate injuries
  • Notice signs: These signs give general information that's not related to safety dangers
  • Safety instruction signs: These signs give procedural guidance to increase workplace safety
  • Biohazard signs: These are key in places like labs and hospitals to let you know about biological hazards

Implementing Effective Safety Signage

Ensuring workplace safety is not only about following the rules. It's about protecting lives and avoiding accidents.

​Proper signage is essential to communicate hazards to employees and guide them toward safer behaviors. Some steps we consider in attaining compliance for safety signage are:

1. Conduct a Hazard Assessment

The workplace assessment should clearly highlight the hazards that exist. If employers are able to discover potential threats early on, they can act and take necessary precautions. This assessment details what signs are needed for the workplace.

2. Choose the Appropriate Signs

Selecting compliant signs specified by OSHA is vital. Signs should be constructed from materials appropriate for their environment, like UV-resistant coatings for outdoor signs.

3. Regular Maintenance and Updates

Check signs periodically to ensure they are visible and readable. Regular audits and feedback from employees can spot missing or ineffective signage before it becomes a hazard. Damaged or faded signs must be replaced as soon as possible for your continued compliance with work safety regulations.

4. Employee Training

They should know what different signs mean and what they should do if they come across them. Seeing proper and clear indications makes it easy for everyone to follow safety protocols, and this can alleviate accidents in the workplace. The training should include items such as the following:

  • Different OSHA sign categories explained
  • Understanding of the pictograms and signal words
  • Signage-based emergency response procedures

Recent Updates and Compliance Strategies for 2025

OSHA has increased enforcement, especially in its high-hazard industries. Companies need to keep their distance from scrutiny by addressing safety concerns.

​The main updates are as follows:

  • More serious penalties: OSHA recently announced plans to increase fines for non-compliance
  • Increased need for ergonomic safety: The growing emphasis on preventing musculoskeletal disorders leads to the need for proper signage and training
  • Heightened emphasis on mental health: With the growing understanding of how mental health contributes to safety, OSHA urges employers to address stress and burnout

To stay in compliance (and avoid costly fines), employers must enforce workplace safety guidelines.

The Cost of Non-Compliance

There is no denying that overlooking workplace safety can lead to serious repercussions, whether they be a rise in accidents or even legal actions. Inspection efforts by regulatory agencies to ensure adherence with safety measures are ramping up.

​Penalties for not following work safety regulations vary and can be quite severe:

  • Fines of thousands to millions of dollars, based on the severity of the violation
  • Heightened scrutiny and possible closures for repeat offenders
  • Lack of proper signage could expose you to legal liability if anyone gets hurt
  • A breach in employee trust and increased employee turnover​

While it's certainly important to avoid non-compliance in order to prevent penalties, It's about creating a safer workplace for team members.

Best Practices to Maintain Compliance

To comply with federal regulations and help minimize hazards, employers should take a proactive approach to workplace safety. One important aspect of maintaining a safe workplace is having clear and effective safety signage.

To ensure compliance with OSHA standards signs, businesses must follow these best practices:

  • Stay up-to-date: Review OSHA updates to stay abreast of regulatory changes
  • Get professional service: Safety experts will evaluate your professional space and determine appropriate alert solutions
  • Use Technology: Use digital solutions that keep track of which signs were placed where and when
  • Build a safety culture: Create an environment where employees are encouraged to report missing or damaged signs and join safety discussions

Ensure Compliance With OSHA Safety Signs

OSHA safety signs are more than legal compliance. They're a moral responsibility to keep your workforce safe. If you want to create a safer workplace, proper signage, conducting regular training, and staying abreast of regulatory updates can go a long way.

For over 60 years, Durable Safety Signs has been a proud member of the Woodrow Corporation family with a focus on producing compliance-ready safety signs you can trust. With this commitment to excellence, we ensure that our products stand to the latest OSHA standards. So you can ensure your employees' safety at the workplace.

Shop now to explore our extensive range of safety signs and ensure your business remains compliant.

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