Thermal transfer printing can offer many benefits over direct thermal, laser or inkjet printing. It can provide durable, high definition labels, which can withstand exposure to ultraviolet (UV), and temperature extremes, and are chemical and abrasion resistant.

In addition, if printing is required other than black, there are coloured thermal transfer ribbons available, and with some materials there are colour options. Also, the thermal transfer technology allows the use of different substrate materials including paper, polypropylene, vinyl, destructible vinyl, polyester and tamper evident polyesters.

If you have an on-site demand for printing labels, for marking assets or inventory, healthcare or laboratory marking, quality control stickers, product nameplates and compliance labels, or shipping labelling, we have an extensive range of paper and synthetic labelstock on three core sizes, 76.2mm (3 inch), 25.4mm (1 inch) and 40mm. By combining our materials with the correct ribbon type, you can create long lasting labels for indoor or outdoor applications (weatherproof and waterproof for synthetics), including one and two dimensional barcodes, serial numbering, and labels conforming to CE, UL and CSA standards.

These labels are configured to be used on a variety of industrial, desktop and handheld printers from Zebra, Citizen, Toshiba TEC, Intermec and Datamatrix.

It’s been a while since we have done a health and safety gone mad blog post, so this afternoon, we have spent some time this afternoon rounding up all the “health and safety gone mad” stories that have been reported this month for some light Friday afternoon reading. 

So without any further ado here is our top health and safety gone mad stories for this month;

1.Council Killjoys ban bunting at an annual carnival over health and safety fears that someone could be injured by the colourful decorative flags. 

Decades the small Cornish town of Lostwithiel has hung traditional decorations through the streets of the town during carnival week. However this year they could face having their carnival without the traditional cloth flags because “inappropriately hung bunting can create a danger to highway users and draping it across the streets without taking suitable precautions is risky.”  

You can read the whole story here.

2.Health and safety gone mad as seaside town’s benches faces AWAY from the sea

Ok, so the whole point of going to the sea side is to gaze out across the sea and enjoy the spectacular views. Well if you are planning a trip to Maryport Town this summer prepare to be disappointed! The council have installed benches that face away from the sea because they are concerned that tourists may step around the bench to sit down and “topple into the sea” surely it would have been a better idea to install a railing?! 

Click here to read more. 

3. Health and Safety gone Mad? Greater Anglia to scrap clipping train tickets to protect wrists

ITV Reported that the Greater Anglia rail network are going to stop their train conductors from using the traditional hole punch to mark checked tickets and encourage them to use a red marker pen in fear that the hole punch is hurting their wrists. Understandably their passengers were less than impressed when the decision was announced labelling it pathetic!! 

Read the full article here.

4.Blooming Cheek! Health and safety officials order greengrocer to remove plants from outside his shop after someone tripped over

Okay, so this one isn’t completely nuts, a greengrocer from Ilkley, West Yorkshire, has been told to remove the plants that he displays outside his shop after a pedestrian tripped over one of his plants.  The fact of the matter is that he does have a huge amount of flowers on the pavement outside of his shop, which is a trip hazard in itself. But the council advised that they are willing to come to a compromise over the extent of his display. Let’s hope that he can carry on showcasing his flowers outside, just not in such a way that poses a trip hazard to the public.

Read the whole story here. 

Have you heard any crazy health and safety stories this month? Let us know! In the meantime, make sure you follow us on facebook and twitter for more health and safety stories. 

Punch hazard signs are used to alert users to the risks and dangers of using industrial equipment such as punch presses and metal forming machines. The slide ram action on these machines can cause injuries to your hands when you're inserting the metal or other materials. Another way an injury can be caused is when a metal or other material is held or removed during blanking, stamping or during drawing production processes. These hazard signs are vitally important for preventing accidents!

We have two punch hazard signs available on our website; both are both available in either self-adhesive vinyl or rigid plastic, and they come in a variety of sizes. If you would like to view our choice of punch hazard signs, please click here. 

If you cannot find a sign that meets your requirements, please don't hesitate to contact us. You can get in touch with a member of staff by calling 0800 3761 693 or emailing info@labelsource.co.uk - we will try to solve any problems or troubles you may be experiencing.

Recently, and interesting story published by the Wall Street Journal came to our attention, which discussed the prospect of adding safety warnings to mobile phones. For the vast majority of us, these devices are an essential item that we use and carry with us every day, which makes it rather worrying to think that we may be unknowingly putting ourselves at risk without being provided with proper instructions.

Just recently, MP's voted for a law which states that all cigarettes in England should be sold in standardised packaging with health warnings; a proposal that easily won an overwhelming majority. This of course, seems like common sense to most of us, as we are well aware of the serious health risks posed by smoking. It would, however, be careless to forget that this was once a normal practice amongst former generations, who were not as well-educated on the risks of smoking as we are today. In past eras, it would have been as normal to see someone holding a cigarette in a public place, as it now is to see someone scrolling through their smart phone, which could be an unsettling thought if the possible risks attached to phones are proven.

With possible links to cancer and infertility, it's more than fair to say that these devices are not completely without risk, so why is action not being taken? The issue with subject of mobile phone safety, comes from the fact that there is simply not enough information available to properly evaluate the risks, and therefore provide accurate warnings. With so many health scares and warnings dominating the news, it's easy to see why health professionals would be hesitant to make bold statements about the health risks of mobile phones, but this doesn't distract from the fact that we should have a right to make an informed decision about our chosen lifestyle.

We know the health risk of consuming certain foods or being exposed to certain substances, so doesn't it also stand to reason that we should be properly advised on a device that many of use on a frequent basis? While the risks themselves may not be clear, it is clear that there are risks involved with exposure to radio-frequency; a possible side-effect that shouldn't be ignored by technology companies, or consumers. Whatever your opinion about the severity of these risks may be, it's clear that action must be taken by all involved  to ensure that an entire generation is not living in ignorance.

What are your opinions about this story? Let us know via our social media channels:

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We have all heard our fair share of silly Health and Safety excuses, but this health and safety ban is one of the more ridiculous stories we have come across.

The University of East Anglia announced that they will not be offering a Mortarboard throwing photo opportunity at this year’s graduation celebration following a string of flying Mortarboard related injuries they have experienced over the years.

It is understandable why they would want to be cautious about offering the photo op to newly graduated students, especially when last year one of their students ended up in A&E after a receiving a serious injury from a Mortarboard throw, and it is good that they have taken steps to make the traditional celebration safer, however imposing an outright ban on the activity and getting the students to pose as if they are throwing the headwear for it to be photoshopped in later may not be the correct way to handle the situation.

This yet another example of Health and Safety Going mad. Yes this is certainly a way in which a mortarboard accident can be avoided, but it certainly does seem like the university is damping the graduate’s celebrations.

The HSE have condemned this this ban saying that “the chance of being injured by a flying mortarboard is incredibly small and its is over the top to impose and outright ban. We usually find that the concern is actually about the hats being returned in good condition”

It makes sense that the companies are concerned about the condition that their gowns and mortarboards are returned in is understandable, and if this was the case, why don’t they just come forward in saying so – instead of hiding behind health and safety?

In conclusion, these silly health and safety myths gives health and safety a bad rep, the more companies hide behind silly health and safety excuses, the more people are going to ignore the serious regulations and end up causing a serious accident.

We believe that more work needs to be done to help discourage companies from hiding behind silly health and safety excuses. For example, instead of banning mortarboard throwing they could cordon an area off where the throwing will take place, and perhaps get the students to throw the hats slightly forward so they land on a soft mat instead of directly up in the air? This solution, to us at least, seems like the better idea, as the condition of the headgear is not compromised while the students are still able to take part in a university tradition.

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