Vaping has been touted as less harmful compared to smoking. This has made several people turn to it from smoking. Most organisations that had smoking signs have to change their signage to cater for the new reality. Let’s see how London workplaces are updating their health and safety signage to hit this reality.
Is Vaping Signage Covered in the Law?
You cannot smoke in enclosed public places and workplaces. The law does so to prevent the risks of burning tobacco. However, e-cigarettes are not covered, as they do not burn tobacco. So, employers have the final word on vaping in their workplaces. Since most organisations had the old ‘no smoking’ signs, they had to update them. This page has options available for those who would want to make this shift.
Visual Signage Changes
The familiar image of a burning cigarette with a red strike-through is universally understood. However, it doesn’t cover the modern e-cigarette that has no burning. The new health and safety signage specifically depicts electronic cigarettes besides traditional cigars. Without this visual distinction, employees who vape may argue that the sign does not apply to their device-and the argument would look legitimate.
So, what is the new visual signage for vaping? It may be a pen or an e-cigar image with a clear warning that you should not vape in the location. Keep in mind that vaping didn’t eliminate smoking. So, the new signage should also include the old ‘no smoking’ warning. Therefore, most firms are simply adding the ‘no vaping’ signage next to their old ‘no smoking’ one.
Placement of the Signage
The effectiveness of updated signage is heavily dependent on its strategic placement. The goal of any health and safety sign is to inform individuals before they act in non-compliance. Therefore, London businesses are reviewing where they currently place their signage and expanding its coverage to address key transition points:
Building Entrances
Signage is now clearly visible before individuals step inside the first enclosed space. Such areas include the gate and the reception area of the organisation. By doing this, the organisations establish the code of conduct immediately one gets in.
Designated Areas
If the business permits vaping in specific areas, it places clear signs directing vapers to these zones. So, you are likely to find one sign prohibiting vaping and smoking next to another that directs you to designated zones. Additionally, you may find signs marking the boundaries of adjacent areas where vaping is not permitted.
Restricted Zones
Some business places put ‘no smoking and vaping’ signs near sensitive areas such as server rooms, chemical storage areas, or anywhere that vapour could interfere with equipment or alarms. Organisations are adding this signage to the signs at entrances to reinforce the message that vaping should not be done in these zones.
Near Charging Points
You may also find signs near plug sockets or communal charging stations that ban the charging of Personal Vaping Devices (PVDs). This is to mitigate the fire risk associated with lithium-ion batteries. These signs are likely to be in hallways and in offices too.
Clear internal communication regarding designated zones for employees is also being supported by physical signage, and is a vital component of Maintenance and Compliance for London Offices. The placement of the right signage ensures the policy is communicated via a neutral enforcement mechanism, rather than relying on supervisors’ personal intervention.
Optimising Signage for Maximum Visibility and Impact
London businesses are treating the update to their vaping signage as an opportunity to enhance overall workplace communication, to ensure the message is immediately seen, understood, and acted upon.
Size and Scaling
Signs are being sized appropriately for their context. Large, prominent signs are used at building entrances and perimeter gates, while smaller, more discrete signs are used inside restrooms or near individual office doors. They are ensuring the main pictogram is recognisable from a distance.
Colour Contrast
While traditional H&S signs adhere to strict colour coding (red prohibition circles), the signs are using high-contrast backgrounds and symbols (often white symbols on a red or blue field) to maximise readability under various lighting conditions, common in London’s varied commercial architecture.
Photoluminescent Materials
In areas with poor or intermittent lighting, such as stairwells, corridors, or external smoking shelters, many organisations are investing in photoluminescent (glow-in-the-dark) signs. This ensures the prohibition message remains clearly visible, even during a power outage or in low-light conditions.
The entry of vaping into the picture is changing how organisations are handling their health and safety signage. It has not only added a new symbol and made London offices rethink message, placement and any other risks that can come with vaping. This has resulted in a restructuring of the messaging and signage.
