Keep your parking lot safe and lower the risk of accidents

The #1 place to get into an auto accident is in a parking lot.  What are some best practices you implement to reduce accidents?

1. Reduce speed
2. Use more signage
3. Develop a way to enforce your policies

Reduce Speed

An easy, affordable way to reduce speed are to add speed bumps to the entrance/exit of your parking lot, and anywhere else faster driving is implied. Speed bumps force drivers to consciously watch their speed or risk damaging their vehicles.

Signage

Display your parking lot safety policy by posting bold, eye-catching signs throughout your grounds. Effective signs are speed limit signs, stop signs, yield signs, and speed bump signs that will warn drivers of an upcoming bump.

Enforcement

In order for speed to be reduced and signs to be followed, you must figure out a way to enforce your safety policy. A committee of in-house “safety personnel” to issue warnings to fast drivers or distracted drivers. This doesn’t need to continue forever, just until employees get the point. This committee could hold meetings and use statistics on parking lot safety and then reward employees with a lunch when they feel parking lot safety has improved.

By reducing your speed, increasing your important signage and fully enforcing these changes, there is no doubt that vehicles and pedestrians will be safer in your parking lot.

National Work Zone Awareness Week, 2010

The purpose of National Work Zone Awareness Week is to draw attention to the dangers associated with working near busy traffic or hazardous sites.  This year’s official theme is “Work Zones Need Your Undivided Attention”. Please use the exclusive offer at the end of this blog to stock up on life-saving Work Zone products.

Reflective Speed Limit Signs

ANSI-Compliant SafetyVests

Two-Sided Traffic Control Paddles

Standard PVC Traffic Cones

Barricade Tapes

Visit emedco.com and use Keycode WB0011 at checkout for 25% off your order of Traffic & Parking Signs and Traffic Control products. No minimum!

Hurry! Offer expires 4/25/10.  Prior sales excluded. Offer cannot be combined with any other promotion.

Spring Clean-up… in your parking lot!

Do pesky potholes have your workers whining?  Faded lines leading to crooked cars?  Time to give your parking lot a much needed makeover!

• Fill in potholes
• Repaint the lines for faded parking spaces
• Slow traffic by adding speed bumps or humps
• Get rid of unsightly cigarette butts by adding receptacles
• Make handicap parking symbols easier to read by using a stencil
• Add a stop sign to halt traffic at busy areas
• Identify handicap and reserved parking spaces with signs
• Post your parking lot speed limit and show you’re enforcing it.

Follow these steps to create an updated parking lot with a re-vamped appearance.  Remember – your parking lot is the first thing seen by customers!

The difference between bumps, humps, and curbs

• Speed bumps slow traffic to a halt in your parking lot.
• Speed humps cause traffic to slow but without the jarring impact of a speed bump.
• Parking curbs create specific parking spaces and keep vehicles organized.

Emedco has several options to fit the specific needs of your facility, regardless of the size or condition of the space.

Rubber speed bumps and parking curbs are best in parking lots or driveways where roads are uneven.  The flexible rubber will easily conform to pavement that is cracked, bumpy, or on a hill.  Plastic speed bumps and parking curbs are perfect for parking lots and roadways that are very flat with fresh blacktop.

If you’re from the wintery northern U.S. like Emedco, I’m sure you removed your speed bumps/humps for snow plows this winter.  When you re-install them, be sure to make sure each edge is on the ground to avoid damage to vehicles. Emedco supplies epoxy and hardware for easy installation.

If you’re company is looking for the “green” alternative, Emedco offers our Bumps and Curbs in recycled plastic and recycled rubber.

Messages on floors may have greater impact

As human beings, we’re exposed to messages everywhere we go – safety signs at work, billboards on the highway, posters at the mall advertising sales – after a while they become less effective.  Most messages are at eye-level to get your attention, however, it becomes easier to ignore them or read them without internalizing their main point. As a business owner, safety inspector, or team leader, how do you get your employees to really see the messages you’re trying get across? Put them on the floor! A sign on a wall that says “Caution watch for forklifts” may not be as effective as a brightly colored floor decal directly in your path. Emedco has a wide variety of options to get your message where its sure to be noticed – on the floor. Choose from Floor Stencils, Floor Stencil Paint, Anti-Slip Floor Decals for added protection in wet areas, Ant-Slip Floor Message Signs, Anti-Slip Floor Markers, Custom Anti-Slip Floor Markers, Lexan® Heavy-Duty Floor Markers, Glow in the Dark Floor Decal, and even Custom Message Entrance Mats.  By placing these messages on your warehouse floor, cafeteria floor, exit routes and entrances, employees may be more likely to notice them because they’re not in conventional spots. Emedco has the solutions you need to get your message noticed!

Oops- your forklift bumped a corner! Protect corners, columns, and machinery

Even the most experienced forklift driver may occassionally have an ‘oops’ moment. Protect your facility from damage with Concrete Column Padding – round or square, Rack Protectors, Column Protectors, Steel Machine Guards,  and Bollard Posts from Emedco.  These products absorb impact from forklifts or other vehicles to eliminate costly repairs to both your facility and the vehicles that have struck it. There will be no need to constantly repaint walls, columns, or racks from accidental “dings”. Steel Machine Guards create a strong barrier between forklift traffic and your valuable assets. Bollard Posts are placed near cylinders or flammables and can be filled with concrete for added stability. Column Protectors and Rack Protectors are UV-guarded to prevent fading so the clean, professional appearance of your facility remains intact. All of these easy fixes will end up saving you money in the long run, not to mention the resources need to constantly repaint and repair your property.  Your forklift drivers can have an ‘oops’ without you even knowing!

Portable floor stands for fast, temporary warnings

Portable Floor Stands can be picked up and placed anywhere to restrict pedestrian traffic.  Place around spills, in front of manholes, elevators or restrooms.  Two-sided messages guarantee your message won’t be missed in either direction.  Portable Floor Stands are constructed of durable polyethylene and will not chip, crack or fade, regardless of the environment. They send a bright, bold message seen from far distances, then fold flat for easy stacking storage.  Emedco also sells Reversible Portable Floor Stands that have a different message on each side giving you two signs in one.  Choose from 54 options for every situation from wet floors to wet paint, slipping, tripping, testing and more.  Most Portable Floor Stands are 20″ x 12″ with a 32″ x 16″ option available for our most popular messages.

Adding Safety Mirrors eliminate blind spots

Minimize accidents at dangerous indoor intersections with 90-360 degree visibility Safety Mirrors.  The mirrors install easily for instant safety in warehouses, plants, and office spaces where blind spots exit around corners. My company uses these because large forklifts constantly travel through the warehouse in the same areas where workers and visitors walk, even along a path from the parking lot to our desks! Emedco carries Dome mirrors for all facilities: Quarter Dome, Half Dome, and several varieties of Full Dome Mirrors so you can choose the visibility you need. We also offer Flat or Convex Safety Mirrors for wide, full views of a indoor or outdoor areas.  Most are constructed of shatter-resistant plastic and are durable in harsh work conditions.  Adding Safety Mirrors to your facility means adding safety around every corner.

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Falls are still the #1 injury in the workplace

According to the National Safety Council’s newest report, workplace falls have increased by 2%, keeping them at the top of the list when it comes to workplace injuries.  How do you keep your workplace safe and free of workplace comp claims, lawsuits and lost time?  Stock these products at your facility throughout the year and reduce the risk.

1. Keep super-absorbing mats at all entrances.
2. Identify all wet areas with portable floor stands or safety cones.
3. Keep eye-catching signs near areas that generally collect water.
4. Place anti-slip grit tape on stairways and ramps that may be slick.
5. Ensure all fall protection PPE is up-to-date and undamaged.

Rely on Emedco for the products you need to be safe, productive, and under OSHA’s radar.

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Reduce pedestrian injury at and around your property

According to the National Safety Council’s 2008 Injury Facts report, 70,000 pedestrians were injured and 6,100 died in motor-vehicle accidents in 2006.  How could some of these injuries have been prevented?  By properly labeling and identifying of hazards on and around your property.

A great way to start controlling traffic flow on your grounds is to install speed bumps.  There are several varieties of speed bumps: Rubber Speed Bumps, Reflective Rubber Speed Bumps, 100% Recycled Plastic Speed Bumps, Recycled Rubber Speed Bumps. Barricades can also make an impact at your driveway’s entrance or exit. Keep pedestrians away from busy roadways or hazards due to wear and tear or construction by placing brightly colored barricades close to the hazardous spot.

Traffic cones are an instant and affordable way to move traffic away from potential dangers.  Pedestrians can avoid crossing your parking lot or surrounding streets near objects that may obstruct vision, like construction equipment or delivery trucks, by putting lightweight, easy-to-see, portable safety cones around the objects.  Barricade Tapes with pre-printed safety messages add safety and display your policy to employees, visitors, and pedestrians. Emedco offers Barricade Tapes in varying lengths, colors, materials and styles with dozens of safety messages and custom options, in addition to all of the products mentioned above.

Remember that pedestrian injuries can cost your business  millions of dollars  – prevent them before they happen.