Increasing use of projected signs improving safety in workplaces across the UK

Yellow projected sign of a loading bay in a UK warehouse.

The adoption of projected safety signage by companies across the UK is helping to increase workplace safety, according to experts Projected Image.

Leading companies are increasingly choosing to replace traditional painted and printed signs, and floor markings, with safety signage projected onto surfaces using bright LED projector technology that is harder to ignore.

That’s according to Projected Image, one of the UK’s leading projected sign companies, who’ve been working with major manufacturers including Coca-Cola, Mercedes Benz and BAE Systems.

“We can all become a little blind to safety signs, but that’s far less likely when they are projected directly onto surfaces around us with consistently clear and colourful light” says Ian Spoors, Managing Director of Projected Image.

‘Sign blindness’ describes the tendency of people to overlook or ignore traditional signs, particularly if they are familiar with them. It can be particularly common in warehouses and factories, especially in busy areas without clear lines of sight for pedestrians and vehicles. 

According to the Health & Safety Executive, 135 people were killed in work-related accidents in 2022/23, close to the all-time low but up from 123 the previous year. Of these, 49 deaths were caused by someone being struck by a forklift or other moving vehicle or object.

Projected Image is working with an increasing number of manufacturers and logistics operations who are reporting improvements in sign adherence and a reduction in potential accidents.

“Maintaining health and safety is a real challenge for businesses. Forklifts and heavy footfall can soon damage or obscure floor signage in particular, but projected signs remain as bright and eye-catching as the day they are installed” adds Ian. 

Projected signage uses LED projectors to shine vivid health and safety signs onto almost any surface. The image is provided by a glass optical filter called a gobo, which can be customised to display any safety signage required.

Newcastle-based Projected Image have been involved in projection technology for several decades but have seen significant growth in its popularity as LED projectors have become much more affordable in recent years. 

“As well as the health and safety benefits, there is also now a significant cost benefit as projected signs provide low maintenance use for up to 50,000 hours. We’re increasingly asked to provide units throughout warehouses and factories as the safety benefits and savings are compelling” states Ian.

Projected Image reports that whilst larger businesses were first to embrace projected signs, the technology is increasingly being adopted by smaller businesses due to the falling costs and improved safety.

“Health and safety is one of the biggest concerns for many businesses as employers aim to keep staff safe and avoid the disruption and costs which accidents incur. More and more companies are identifying that projected safety signs are the long-term, low maintenance solution for a safer workspace” concludes Ian.

Projected Image is the UK’s only dedicated provider of both the LED projectors and the custom-made gobo used within them. The compact and low-energy LED projectors can be installed by qualified electricians in any commercial or industrial environment. 

More information about Projected Image can be found at https://www.projectedimage.com/