Warning and instructional plates are very important since these help safeguard the health and lives of the people who use them. These are often found on machinery, equipment and even locales that may bring with it some danger. The importance of these plates should never be downplayed and these should be placed prominently in areas that can be easily sighted, since these can actually mean the difference between life and death.
With this said, let us now tackle what important elements should be found on these warning and instructional plates. As the name implies, these are used for warning and instructing people of what to avoid and what to do respectively. This means that one of the main elements of this particular metal nameplate is the copy that states these instructions and warnings to readers.
The copy that is on these plates need to be easy to read and understand, with the instructions easy to grasp and warnings concise. The fonts used for these need to simple to enable the quick reading of such plates without having to be confused in determining what one word was saying or what a letter was on these plates. You also need to ensure that the warnings on these plates are stated as plainly as possible so that people really know what the full extent of the danger is when a person uses the machinery or equipment this plate is attached to.
When it comes to warnings, you should be aware of the levels of danger that comes with each header type. The ranking of the most common headers used for these plates in order of severity of the threat is Danger, Warning, Caution and Notice, with Danger being the most severe of all. Plates that carry the header Danger are attached to machinery or equipment that present the user with the threat of death and severe injuries. When a person ignores such a warning plate, this can easily mean that the person is putting his life at risk.
Plates that carry the header Warning carries with it the second highest level of danger when it comes to the equipment or machinery this kind of a plate is attached to. The equipment these are on can present you with the danger of severe injuries and the possibility of death if you ignore this particular plate. Caution and Notice are often used for lesser dangers and are sometimes used for catching a person’s attention to get them to read the instructions for use of such a machine or piece of equipment.
With instructions that are written on these plates, these need to be laid out properly and in terms that can be understood by those who operate such machinery and equipment. Things not to do, things to do and step by step operating instructions are what you often find on these plates. These present people with a list of what is needed for the proper operation of such equipment, and this sometimes serves just as a reminder since more often than not, individuals who are tasked to handle such machinery are already trained to use these.