It’s a new year and there’s a light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccine that’s being administer now. That doesn’t mean that we can let our guard down just yet. Physical distancing and the use of masks are still essential to keeping people safe and healthy.
Physical distancing at 2 metres apart, at the least, is often not an easy thing to measure for people. Signs and stickers are an excellent way of helping to remind people of the requirement to keep a safe distance from each other. They provide clear visual reminders to people, and more importantly help provide clarity regarding safe distances, particularly in enclosed areas such as shops and factories.
No matter your situation or environment, from businesses and manufacturing to shopping and offices, it’s vital for organisations to have a strategy for how they can implement sufficient physical distancing, and that they have sourced materials to help facilitate this.
From social distancing floor stickers to awareness signs, to hazard tape and directional flow arrows, there are a range of solutions that can be used. When developing your strategy, you need to be aware of who your audience will be, and how large it is. For example, it’s likely that far fewer signs and labels will be needed for an office in which most people are able to work from home, compared to a public shop, or manufacturing facility.
Prioritise using stickers in areas where people are most likely to pass through or be in, such as kitchens, reception areas, and hallways near exits, entrances and toilets etc. You could put stickers and signs in other locations, but there’s a risk of increased frequency causing them to become less noticeable and just part of ‘background noise’ for people. Try changing designs or using different colours to help ensure people stay alert to the reminders. However, you shouldn’t compromise on essential placements – if people could benefit, then use signs and stickers!
Use stickers, signs and labels to help ensure awareness of your policies and practices. This prevents confusion and helps keep your staff safer, reducing instances of non-compliance. They should be placed at key entrances, and near where people are most likely to interact with staff such as at checkouts. For example, you could have a sticker on or near a checkout to encourage customers to use a contactless payment method.
So that customers feel safe shopping at your store, you should also use stickers to help guide them throughout the store and maintain their distance from other shoppers. This can be in a variety or combination of formats, for example using single-direction arrows and movement flows around a store. You can also use stickers for queuing areas, and across aisles to keep people two metres apart, or as information to help people find efficient routes to essential items and avoid coming into contact with others.
