If you run or own your own business, is it vitally important that you adhere to fire safety regulations as failure to observe fire safety regulations can result in huge fines and/or loss of business.

For example, a club owner in York now faces fines totalling £173,000 for failing to comply with fire regulations. It has been reported that the club's premises had faulty smoke detectors, fire alarms and emergency lighting, fire doors that didn’t work properly, and crates of alcoholic beverages blocking an emergency exit. In the comment he made to the fire inspectors, the club owner admitted that "this has been a categorical disaster. I am not proud about any of the circumstances at all. I have learnt from this. I have learnt a hell of a lot from this."

As a business owner, you are the person responsible for ensuring that your business is adhering to the fire safety regulations, especially if you own nightclubs as you are responsible for a huge amount of young people who are often vulnerable from the intake of alcohol.

As the responsible person, you must carry out regular risk assessments of your premises, and if you find any potential hazards, make sure you advise your staff of the risks that you have identified. You should make a plan for emergency situations, provide regular training and refresher sessions of what you are your staff need to do in the event of a fire, and ensure that your emergency routes are clearly signed so that employees/staff/visitors know exactly what to do and where the escape routes are in case of a fire.

Here at Label Source, we have a huge variety of fire safety signs helping you to meet fire and safety regulations, including access and emergency signs, access and escape safety signs, Disabled guidance safety signs, NHS Fire and Emergency signs, Fire Equipment Safety Signs and projecting fire equipment signs. 

To view our full range of fire safety signs, click here. If in the unlikely event that you cannot find the sign you are looking for, please contact us either by email at info@labelsource.co.uk or call us on 0800 3761 693 and a member of our specialist team will be happy to assist you.

Electricity is extremely dangerous; even small appliances need to be clearly labelled to prevent shocks and minimise the risk of electrocution.

We at Label Source offer an extensive range of laminated voltage labels for electrical supplies and other high-voltage installations/appliances. Here are some examples of what we have to offer people and business who are serious about electrical safety:

Voltage-Specific Labels

Many of the voltage stickers we stock give specific voltages (e.g. 110V, 440V), making them ideal for applications that require an accurate voltage measurement.

Non-Specific Voltage Stickers

If you do not know the exact voltage of the installation you are labelling - or if you would simply prefer to send a stronger message to those who may be exposed to this electrical hazard - we also sell a variety of voltage labels with more general warnings and information (e.g. 'High voltage', 'Danger of death').

Labels for Specific Installations

Many of our voltage labels are design to be used alongside specific hazards, such as live busbars or terminals. 

No matter what kind of hazard you're labelling, our wide range of voltage stickers is sure to have something to suit your requirements. Click here to browse our full collection.

There has been a rapid growth in the use of QR two dimensional barcodes, which are small in size yet are able to contain high data storage capacity. In appearance the QR (or Quick Response) codes are square dots arranged in a square grid, and can be incorporated in label designs.

These QR barcode labels can be used in manufacturing, distribution and warehousing to provide item identification, product or service tracking, and stock control. The QR barcodes labels can be produced on a range of materials including self adhesive vinyl (standard and tamperproof destructible, polyester (including tamper evident), aluminium foil, polypropylene and aluminium.

These labels can be produced to customer specification inclusive of these QR barcodes, to suit a range of operating conditions and environments. For further information contact sales@labelsource.co.uk or telephone Freephone 0800 3761693 or 01443 842769.

Whats been going on in the world of Health and Safety this week? 

Taylor Wimpey Provides education to primary school students 

In Banbury this week students from Woodford Halse CE primary academy learnt about how to keep safe near building sites.  A visit from health and safety consultants arranged by building company Taylor Wimpey saw the young pupils learn about the different hazards that are posed by building sites, including hazards like falling scaffolding, broken glass, falling bricks and sharp metal hidden around the site. Here at label source, be believe that the education of the potential hazards of building sites is essential for young children to ensure their safety near construction sites, and we hope to hear about more of these lessons   happening around the country. 

To read mor about Taylor Wimpeys visit click here.

Firm Fined £5000 after mobile platform failed

In North Lincolnshire an agricultural services firm has been fined following an incident where two workers fell three metres when a mobile work platform failed. The firm had been contracted to erect a steel frame building, work had just started on installing the steel roof beams when the accident happened.  The two men where attaching the steel beams from inside a man riding basket attached to a forklift truck when the basket attachment failed, due to the fact that the basket had not been secured correctly, and the basket along with the workers fell to the ground. Both men suffered broken bones and internal injuries from the fall.  The HSE later revealed in court that the equipment that was used was not the correct equipment for the job that they were conducting, the company had failed to provide the correct working at height equipment and how the work was not properly planned or properly supervised. The firm was fined £5000 and have to pay £10,147 in costs. The two workers have fully recovered and have since returned to work.

Click here to read more on this report.

Gate Safety Week 

From October 12 – 18 it is national gate safety week. This is a campaign that has been created by Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) Powered Gate Group with hope to improve the safety of powered gates here in the UK. 

In total 3 children and 3 adults have been killed from accidents involving powered gates. It has been reported that in the UK alone there are over 500,000 powered gates in use, however, shockingly only 30% of these gates are safe to use. 

The gate safety week campaign aims to educate the public and professional installers the dangers around poorly installed gates and how to identify and report unsafe gates.

Learn more about Gate Safety Week Here 

Wearable Technology saving lives

Site workers in Bristol are using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) which uses chips to pass information between transponders and receptors. This innovation alerts pedestrians and machine operators of each other presence by sending vibrating, audio and visual alerts when the pedestrian and a vehicle driver are in the ‘danger zone.’ Allowing the both the driver and the pedestrian to avoid an accident. This device also features a warning system, if a pedestrian does breach a danger zone a warning system logs the incident and records it, so site managers can identify workers who repeatedly breach the danger zone and offer safety training to avoid accident. 

Click here to read more about On Guard

What is PAT Testing?

It is a legal requirement that any electrical appliance or equipment that has the potential to cause harm is maintained. Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) is a test of all electrical equipment and appliances to ensure that there are no faults or damage to the appliance and that they are safe to use. A PAT Test includes a visual appliance test; most of the damages that could happen to your appliances can be picked up visually. However some of the damages could only be highlighted if you have conducted full testing. 

How frequently do you have to PAT test your appliances?

This can differ depending on the appliance that you are Pat testing. If you are testing a 230V hoist then this will need a formal inspection every week, however a desktop computer in an office may only need testing every 2-4 years.  

Should I label the appliances that have been tested?

PAT Test Labelling is useful as a way to record and monitor the lifecycle and depreciation of your assets and maintenance of your appliances. 

The items that have been tested should be labelled with a PAT test Label, these labels must contain the following information:

• Status: if the appliance passed or failed the testing
• Test Date: the date when the appliance was tested
• Inspection due date: The nest time this appliance needs to be tested

Appliances that have failed the PAT Test must be labelled “failed” and taken out of use immediately, wither to be fixed or to be replaced. You must never use faulty electrics. 

There are many variations on the PAT Test Label and Label Sources large range of PAT Test Labels are extremely durable, can last through long periods between testing without deteriorating and will stick to any surface.  

Click to view our full range of PAT Test labels, If you cant fined the specific label that you are looking for please contact us via email at info@labelsource.co.uk or call us on 0800 3761 693 and a member of our specialist team will get back to you as soon as possible,