Description
Caution: Watch Your Step Safety Poster
Help alert employees, customers, visitors, and contractors to changes in walking surfaces with the Caution: Watch Your Step Safety Poster. This highly visible safety reminder can be placed near steps, changes in elevation, raised thresholds, uneven surfaces, and other areas where extra attention may help prevent trips and falls.
Changes in floor height can be easy to overlook, particularly in busy workplaces, entrances, warehouses, offices, retail environments, and other areas with frequent pedestrian traffic. Clearly identifying a potential trip hazard can help remind people to slow down, watch their footing, and use appropriate caution.
When Should a Watch Your Step Sign Be Used?
A Watch Your Step safety sign can be useful where employees or visitors may encounter a noticeable change in the walking surface or another condition requiring additional attention.
Potential locations can include:
- Steps and single-step elevation changes
- Raised thresholds
- Changes between floor levels
- Uneven walking surfaces
- Entrances and doorways
- Ramps and transition areas
- Warehouse and industrial walking areas
- Temporary walking-surface conditions
- Areas where a potential trip hazard is not immediately obvious
What Does a Caution Sign Mean?
Under 29 CFR 1910.145, OSHA uses Caution signs to warn against potential hazards or unsafe practices. Employees should understand that a Caution sign indicates a possible hazard for which appropriate precautions should be taken.
A Caution: Watch Your Step sign can therefore provide a useful visual warning where a walking-surface condition presents a potential hazard requiring additional attention.
OSHA Walking-Working Surface Requirements
OSHA addresses workplace walking-working surfaces under 29 CFR 1910.22. Employers must maintain walking-working surfaces in a clean, orderly, and sanitary condition and keep them free from hazards such as loose boards, leaks, spills, corrosion, and other unsafe conditions.
Walking-working surfaces must also be inspected regularly and as necessary and maintained in a safe condition. Hazardous conditions must be corrected or repaired before employees use the surface again. When an immediate correction cannot be made, the hazard must be guarded to prevent employee use until it is corrected or repaired.
Help Prevent Workplace Trips and Falls
Trips and falls can occur when a person's foot unexpectedly contacts a step, raised surface, obstacle, or change in elevation. Good housekeeping, adequate lighting, clear walking paths, properly maintained surfaces, and appropriate hazard warnings can all contribute to safer pedestrian areas.
Employees should remain alert while walking through the workplace and promptly report damaged flooring, loose materials, unexpected elevation changes, or other conditions that may create a trip hazard.
Safety Signs Do Not Replace Hazard Correction
A warning sign can help communicate the presence of a potential hazard, but signage should not be used as a substitute for correcting a hazardous walking surface when correction is required and reasonably possible.
Employers should evaluate the condition and determine whether repair, guarding, improved lighting, handrails, floor markings, restricted access, or other protective measures are necessary in addition to a warning sign.
Where Can a Watch Your Step Poster Be Displayed?
The Caution: Watch Your Step Safety Poster can be displayed in many workplace and public-facing environments, including:
- Warehouses and distribution centers
- Manufacturing facilities
- Offices and administrative workplaces
- Retail stores
- Restaurants and hospitality businesses
- Schools and educational facilities
- Healthcare facilities
- Maintenance and industrial workplaces
- Building entrances and exits
- Hallways and pedestrian traffic areas
Is a Watch Your Step Poster Required by OSHA?
OSHA requires employers to maintain safe walking-working surfaces and to protect employees from applicable workplace hazards. OSHA also establishes requirements for the design and use of certain accident-prevention signs.
However, this particular Caution: Watch Your Step Safety Poster should be used as a supplemental hazard-warning and employee-awareness resource and should not be represented as a universally required OSHA workplace poster.
The poster does not replace required repairs, guarding, employee training, housekeeping, inspections, lighting, access controls, or other measures necessary to maintain safe walking-working surfaces.
Caution: Watch Your Step Poster Specifications
- 8.5"W x 11"H
- Portrait orientation
- Printed in full color
- Laminated with high-quality laminate
Workplace Safety and Compliance Resources
Labor Law Compliance Center provides employers with labor law posters, workplace safety posters, specialty postings, and compliance resources for businesses throughout the United States. Browse our Workplace Safety Posters for additional slip and fall prevention, hazard warning, PPE, emergency response, and employee safety materials.
