After sanitizing every surface in a building – and even sanitizing the sanitizer bottles, what more can be done? Actually, there is one more thing. Safety signs and labels help businesses reopen safely, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Placing hygiene reminders at strategic locations, can make a business a safer, healthier place for customers and employees alike. And, when customers visit, they’ll appreciate all the extra effort, likely making the business their provider of choice.
Start with the Front Door: “Mask Up” Safety Stickers
Businesses don’t have to be a “Karen” about reminding customers to wear masks. After more than a year of extended lockdowns, a little humor can help make customers feel both welcomed and safe.
One creative Ohio hardware store added a portrait of the state’s governor peering through the window to their “mask up” reminder safety stickers. Another Ohio business, a convenience store, used the governor’s last name, DeWine, in a clever play on words: “Don’t whine; do like DeWine – or you can’t get your wine. Mask up!”
Be creative and come up with something that will put a smile on their face, and then work on the design, adding images and graphics to complement the text used. Do, however, make the words large enough so that seniors and others with limited vision can see them. And, if the signs will be exposed to the elements, be sure to make labels from weather-resistant materials, like custom vinyl stickers.
Also, the CDC suggests, include a reminder to people with symptoms of an illness not to enter the building. Always include a phone number they can call so they can get what they need without coming inside.
Just inside the door, place a basket or other container with individually wrapped disposable masks inside. They don’t cost much, but they position the business as a hospitable place that puts the health of its customers first. Bonus points for including a sanitation station with disposable wipes or a hand sanitizer dispenser. Again, as with the “mask up” reminder, place an attractive, inviting safety sticker nearby.
And, don’t forget to remind customers to keep at least a six-foot distance between them and employees or other customers. After a whole year of caution, people often feel a sense of fatigue and return to their former habits.
Grocery and Big-Box Stores: Use Safety Labeling by the Cart Storage Section
One big part of stopping the spread of COVID-19 – or any germ, for that matter, is sanitizing surfaces after people use them. One of those surfaces is the handle of a shopping cart. Install safety stickers by the carts to remind customers not to return them to the cart queue but rather to a designated spot after they finish shopping.
On the labels, assure customers that the available carts have already been sanitized. Customers, especially the most vulnerable ones, will appreciate all the precautions.
Retail Stores: Include Product Safety Signs and Labels
Minimize touching with safety signs, labels, and other reminders for customers to refrain from touching products when possible. Label safety signs with your store’s logo to attract your customers’ attention while promoting your brand at the same time.
Display Medical Safety Signs in Healthcare Settings
Laboratory safety signs and labels are essential to keep patients out of areas that conduct testing for pathogens. And in medication storage rooms, it’s not enough to have chemical safety labels. Signs that are easy to see can warn cleaning personnel and others not to touch dangerous substances. For X-ray or other electronic equipment, electrical safety signs and labels are necessary to protect patients and employees from accidental shocks.
Install Safety Signs in Employee Break Rooms
In addition to public-facing areas, employee break rooms need safety signage. Since employees eat and socialize in these areas, reminders to maintain social distancing in these more relaxed areas are a must.
Remind them to wash their hands after lunch is over and mask up again before they greet the public or join their fellow employees on the assembly line, office, or kitchen. Make the signs inviting, reminding employees that they are cared for, rather than making them feel like it’s just another decree from on high.
Display Large Safety Signage in Workrooms
Employees who love their jobs often get so focused on their work that they forget everything but that. That’s good, but to keep everyone safe, display a few reminders about proper handwashing after touching germ laden surfaces, wearing masks, and opting for Zoom meetings instead of one-on-one conferences to discuss confidential or sensitive matters.
The larger and more attention-getting, the better. Keep signs lighthearted and caring to keep morale high.
When focusing on how having a safe workplace benefits them, they’ll be more likely to comply. Treat employees the same as the best customers, and employees will give the company their best.
Post Cleanliness Reminders in Restrooms
Both customers and employees alike need a few hygiene reminders now and then. With the coronavirus making handwashing more important than ever, a few instructions on how to safely wash one’s hands are critical to maintain good health.
Safety signs should include hand-washing guidelines that remind people to wash with both soap and water. It maybe shocking to learn the number of people who don’t observe this basic principle of good hygiene. According to a YouGov survey, about 40 percent of Americans don’t use soap to wash up after they use the toilet.
Additionally, be sure that signage reminds restroom users to wash for at least 20 seconds. Lighten up the reminder with one that encourages them to sing “Happy Birthday to You” twice while washing to get rid of the germs on their hands. That way, the business sounds like a trusted friend rather than a stodgy nanny.
Use Floor Decal Signage for Checking Out Customers
Whether a business is a busy grocery store, a medical clinic, or an auto repair shop, the checkout line to pay for goods and services often gets crowded. Floor decals can serve as a gentle reminder to customers to keep their distance from each other.
And, it doesn’t hurt to place a sanitizer (and a sign to indicate that it’s there) near the outgoing door so that customers can rid themselves of germs that might have landed on them during the checkout process.
Markets should include another reminder to return used carts and baskets to a designated area after taking their merchandise to their vehicle.
Include Visual Instructions in Signage
Some customers might not speak English. Others, including some people with autism, might be non-verbal and prefer visual signage. Using easy-to-understand visual instructions on safety labels will ensure that the message gets out, no matter what language they speak.
Contact us to learn more about how the right safety signs and safety stickers can help reopen a business with the utmost safety.
