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Wayfinding Signage – Are we heading in the Right Direction Supporting Facilities Management and Maintenance Departments

We often take direction signs for granted, but let’s be honest, without the staff and visitors would be wandering around needing guiding direction at times. Usually, wayfinding forms part of a new building or updated premises but as it ages, it needs maintaining. This normally falls with the Facilities Management and Maintenance Departments, amongst the multitude of jobs and projects. Although maintenance and repair may be seen as a small part of the services carried out by Facilities Managers, it is essential, not only for practical reasons but forms part of health and safety legislation.

Signage – Helping to Keep the Public Safe

Health and Safety legislation recognised the need for all workplaces and public areas to have easily recognisable signs and symbols relating to safety. The Regulations cover various means of communicating health and safety information. These include the use of illuminated signs, these are in addition to traditional signboards such as prohibition and warning signs. Fire safety signs, i.e. signs for fire exits and fire-fighting equipment are also covered.

Employers have a legal duty to maintain safety signage in their buildings and campuses, explain unfamiliar signs to their employees and tell them what they need to do when they see a particular safety sign. This legal obligation usually falls to facilities managers or maintenance departments to ensure all signs are in place, but also well maintained.

There are various categories of signage, which all have different legal requirements. These include Prohibition Signs, “Do Not” commands, No Smoking for instance. These may be part of legal legislation but can also be used to help enforce building or company policy. Other types of signs include Warning, Mandatory, Fire and Supplementary. Safe Condition Signs indicate exit routes in the event of a fire or emergency and form part of the illuminated signage legislation. For full details of signage legislation, visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l64.htm to download HSE guide to Safety Sign and Signals.

Let’s Explore the Practical and Stylish Ways Wayfinding Signage Provides Solutions

You may not know it, but we all interact with building and wayfinding signage every day. You cannot enter an office block, hotel, campus, airport or gym these days without being signposted to areas or information. Many don’t notice, but at iSpi Trade we lose sleep over signage which doesn’t look the part, or worse still, is unsafe.

As the UK’s trusted sign industry support partner, we see regular orders coming from not only traditional sign installers, but also from Local Authorities, University Maintenance Departments, Hotels and Facilities Management Companies. The initial design and installation of the signage will usually fall to a sign company, but more and more the replacement, repair of sign fixings and additional signage will fall to an internal department – usually you guys!

Most products in the iSpi Trade online shop have been purchased by maintenance and FMs, these range from sign standoff fixings used for office, hotels and meeting room nameplates, LED sign fixings for low light hallways to sign clamps which are used for directions and fire exits. With our Aluminium sign fixings available in a range of colours and finishes, they also add some style and are easily changed to match a new colour scheme after a makeover. I’m sure you have been asked “Can we get them in gold to match the handles” Well you can at iSpi Trade. Our range of screw head covers is great for covering unsightly screws and add a nice finishing touch. These, along with many other products are available in a range of finishes and colours to help make your job easier. These can also help meet health and safety criteria by hiding ragged screws which could cause injury.

We love getting big orders, who doesn’t – but we are equally happy to help with small orders. Whether you are a university maintenance department who purchase a set of four screw covers, or a hotel chain facilities management company who purchased 4 boxes of black aluminium Sign fixings, iSpi Trade is here for you.

“You Need What for Your Sign?”

When it comes to unusual enquiries, we have our fair share. A concert venue maintenance contractor phoned us about a problem they had with posters advertising events being stolen by people unscrewing the sign bolts and removing the posters. Fans will go to many extremes to have that piece of memorabilia that others will envy! We suggested our lockable sign standoffs would be ideal to combat this issue. We had feedback from them that this achieved the desired objective and the venue owners were no longer on their case. As for the fans, well they’ll need to take to eBay to get that desired poster. Our friendly support team are available to help with any questions or problems you have, and we can usually offer a solution.

From Waiting Time to Sales, Delivering Solutions to Retail Sector, Receptions and LED Windows

Part of the iSpi Trade range of signage products offers a wide selection of signs and display systems used across the UK. I’m sure you will have noticed when you walk down your local high street at night, it seems a bit brighter. Estate agents, hairdressers, betting shops and restaurants have been illuminated by LED window displays. These are also being used in offices, universities and other locations where footfall is still high during the hours of darkness. You can explore our range of LED solutions and their uses in more detail by reading our blog “Illuminating the High Street.” You can shop our range of LED Window Display product here.

Letting out more office space and making information readily available is one of the main criteria for any business or organisation. Our cable and rod display systems are a common sight in reception areas of hotels and offices and are the ideal solution for displaying printed literature and sales collateral. In many office blocks, rod display systems are used to advertise which businesses are in the building, and also to promote floor space which is available to rent. The onus usually falls on FMs to find a source, repair and replace parts when they are damaged, so if you find yourself tasked with sourcing replacement parts, just get in touch with iSpi Trade and we’ll make sure you get the right product at the right price.

We know the range of works carried out by maintenance and facilities management are vast, but rest assured we are on hand to offer advice on our full range of high-quality wayfinding and signage related products and maintenance accessories. With our low, trade price solutions, we are seen as a cost-effective partner for Facilities Managers, as well as a knowledgeable support partner.

Explore our full range online and you will see the multitude of wayfinding and signage product solutions we provide. If you need any help or guidance, our advisers are always happy to take your call and queries, so please feel free get in touch.