Some businesses and research institutions (non-profit or otherwise) post signs that state something along the lines of ‘safety is job number 1’ or ‘safety is as safety does’ but they do not always mean it. One place where the meaning of such safety signs can universally be taken as honest and heartfelt is in the lab. The simple fact is that lab safety signs are simply good for business, even if that business is non-profit in nature.

Anyone who has not worked in a lab may not be aware of lab safety signs, though it would certainly make sense to anyone who has even seen a lab why lab safety signs exist: labs are not only dangerous places, but the potential exists to lose a significant amount of time and work in any number of ways that can all be distilled and defined as being careless or unaware.

From the management point of view, lab safety signs are designed to protect an investment in research and materials as much as they are to protect researchers and other highly paid staff members. While the concept of initial investment in materials is easy to understand and fully grasp, the potential for loss becomes more complex when considering the implications of carelessness.

Even if an injury does not happen due to being unaware or careless, it is still possible to accidentally alter an experiment in some way. This in turn can lead to not only wasted hours of research and planning but also to statements, often made publicly or within a certain professional circle, regarding findings that alter need to be retracted in a most embarrassing manner. Since most labs value their prestige greatly, such statements are very expensive in terms of mindshare.

Employees are also highly valued, even if management does not always show it with warm hugs and love letters. The research community is fairly competitive by nature and any firm that attracts decent talent does not want to lose them due to mindshare related issues. The same is also true for safety related issues as many of the most valuable researchers will have less experienced (and lower paid) staff assisting them. The lab safety signs are usually for the benefit of these people as much as they are for the laboratory or research center.

A serious injury or a death on staff can not only derail a project, it can cause investors an other supporters to withhold their support for fear of being caught up in a catastrophic backlash that occasionally results from law suits and/or publicity.

It is also worth nothing that complex safety laws and regulations may necessitate certain lab safety signs be present around certain chemicals or tools, though wise managers would opt to consider these requirements as a starting point rather than a finish line for creating a safe work environment.