A bit like the industry 4.0, which refers to how AI, real-time data and IoT has caused another wave of industrialisation, risk management 2.0 shares a similar evolution. It’s the departure from treating workplace safety as a box-ticking, static set of obligations, but rather a dynamic and data-focused discipline. Baseline standards are no longer the objective, but instead becoming far more proactive and forward-looking in how risk can be actively managed.
Integrating advanced signage into your strategy
Under a Risk Management 2.0 model, signage has become more dynamic in its quest for operational improvements. So instead of basic placements, they may now integrate with digital systems and a broader strategy. For example, including QR codes that link to digital Safety Data Sheets can make referencing those materials easier and frictionless. The signs may also be part of a smart system that updates warnings based on real-time environmental conditions.
Of course, just because risk management is becoming digitalised, it doesn’t mean signage can or should – sometimes, avoiding batteries and electricity is more reliable. But, it doesn’t mean these traditional signs can’t be enhanced with a smart camera, that detects obstruction and alerts management.
The goal is then to use signage in actively managing interactions between personnel and hazards, be it guiding traffic flow or dictating behaviours, rather than just passive warnings. So a better strategy might be to create durable warning signs for toxic materials and floor markings.
Risk management 2.0 meets industry 4.0
Adhering to the BS EN ISO 7010 standard is still important – we shouldn’t chuck out the old rulebook. These visual instructions are universally understood. But we can look to see how they integrate with existing operations, and how digital transformation impacts signage.
For example, digital keycards and access control means we can better control personnel in certain spaces, and signage may reflect that (e.g., additional signage in areas with inexperienced personnel).
Or, digital signage can adapt to the situation, such as changing routes based on a fire or lockdown. IoT sensors could gather how much foot traffic a place has, and this can be paired with incident data to find patterns. If these patterns then help inform where your signage strategy might need to focus on, you’re seeing modern, forward-looking risk management. This is where AI (predictive analytics) and data integration pushes risk management from reactive, to proactive.
While traditional signage will never be replaced, digital signage can be incredibly fast at adapting to the types of risks around. For example, an LED display on each aisle of a shop floor may set the company back a few hundred pounds. But if it means it highlights a wet floor instantly (e.g. by pressing a button), it could save on the legal fees than incur when falls take place. Again, traditional wet floor signs may still be required, but it fills the delay, which can be the difference (not to mention the signs would have various other uses, too).
Upgraded compliance signage standards
Investing in modernised signage can very much yield material returns that quickly pay off its initial investment. In 1997, there were 287 worker fatalities. By 2019/20, that number had fallen to 111, the lowest on record. Due to the legislation and tightening of enforcement throughout that period, better signage has played a big role.
HSE investigations and increasing fines have also led to a more serious approach to signage. In the end, however, this forced hand has been to the benefit of companies, who are now seeing the positive returns from their improved signage – be it from saving on legal fees or a more efficient workforce who can spend less time lost or looking for things.
Workplace toxic material warnings
The evolution of chemical hazard communication is another interesting area of focus, particularly in the context of risk management 2.0. The UK’s transition from the domestic CHIP (Chemicals Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) system to the more globally harmonised CLP (Classification, Labelling and Packaging), it showed the importance of a more sophisticated, data-rich approach.
Under the umbrella of UK REACH, this was not a cosmetic update by any stretch. It replaced the familiar orange warning squares with a system of pictograms designed for universal comprehension, irrespective of language. This move reflects a core 2.0 principle: maximising the efficiency/accuracy of risk information transfer. The CLP pictograms convey specific, nuanced hazard information. This is the likes of acute toxicity, environmental danger and carcinogenicity, and is a lot more effective than the simpler text-based warnings which they replaced.
Signage as a vehicle of proactive risk management
Risk management 2.0 can come in many colours and forms. Of course, signage is just one. However, its broader and more holistic approach shows that all tools of workplace safety, even the most rudimentary, are important to transcending the older way of approaching risk – which was all too reactive.
