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mph  
#1 Posted : 03 January 2019 12:02:30(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
mph

And a very Happy New Year to all!

Just looking at some well known websites to get some new safety signage for our loading dock doors. One that is causing me some confusion is "HEAVY PLANTS MUST NOT BE REVERSED WITHOUT SUPERVISION"

Surely it should be 'plant' and not 'plants'?

Thank you for your thoughts and comments.

Mike

WatsonD  
#2 Posted : 03 January 2019 12:09:21(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
WatsonD

Unless its intended to be put up in an arboretum you are right. You should email them, they are wasting S's

thanks 5 users thanked WatsonD for this useful post.
A Kurdziel on 03/01/2019(UTC), jwk on 03/01/2019(UTC), Evans38004 on 04/01/2019(UTC), mph on 06/01/2019(UTC), Dave5705 on 10/01/2019(UTC)
mph  
#3 Posted : 03 January 2019 14:01:52(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
mph

Most definitely NOT an arboretum. The issue with the signs and the typo seems to be across many unlinked safety sign websites. Thanks for your input.

boblewis  
#4 Posted : 06 January 2019 10:42:12(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
boblewis

I have become over time quite cynical about the reading ability of sign manfacturers.  Over time they have degraded many standard meanings set set out in codes such as BS and ACOPs to the extent that original standard meanings ceased to be nderstood except in the sign makers interpretation.  A glaring example is the running man fire safety sign with a door and down arrow.  The standards say this is to indicate that the person has to go down immediately after going through the escape door, but it is now commonly used as meaning go thru the door below.  This then has spread to replacing even the up arrow marking escape routes along the level to a down arrow.  These changes become so fixed that many professionals ignore the useage.

thanks 1 user thanked boblewis for this useful post.
mph on 06/01/2019(UTC)
mph  
#5 Posted : 06 January 2019 10:54:14(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
mph

I actually phoned one of those sign companies on 3 January to query this and they too appeared to be confused as to why the sign was worded in this way. They promised to speak with their manager and ring me back. As at close of play on Friday 4 January, they had not done so. Is this perhaps a way for sign manufacturers to 'force' us to incur the cost of custom signs? Would be useful for one of the sign companies to comment methinks?

grim72  
#6 Posted : 07 January 2019 09:27:45(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
grim72

In response to mph and as a sign manufacturer (though we only supply to trade) I can only speak for ourselves -all of our 'heavy plant' related signage is without the s - I have no idea why anyone would make it plural - it doesn't make sense.

That said, I doubt it is to push for custom sales and suspect it is more to do with incompetence and/or lack of technical knowledge. The issue with many sign manufactures these days is that it is relatively easy for anyone to set up a business in their garden shed printing off signs. They have no idea about the Standards they should be supplying to - things such as the colourmetrics of the signs which have to fit within strict paramaters, and the actual substrates that they are being printed onto complying with guidelines - and don't get me started on the quality of photoluminescent material used by most (cheap imports being passed off as compliant).

As with most things in life you tend to get what you pay for - not just in terms of product quality but also the technical support and knowledge of the industry/Standards etc. In my opinion (I may be wrong) there are probably only 5 or 6 actual manufactures in the UK that I'd consider fully competent. We supply to hundreds of re-selling sign companies so thankfully that boosts the chances of finding a good one - feel free to message me if you want to know one near you. That said we don't offer the message you originally posted as a standard sign - sods law I know. 

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mph on 07/01/2019(UTC)
Hsquared14  
#7 Posted : 07 January 2019 13:39:44(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Hsquared14

When ever I see a sign that says "heavy plant crossing" I immediately think of John Wyndham's Day of the Triffids, perhaps that was on the sign maker's mind too?

achrn  
#8 Posted : 07 January 2019 14:44:16(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
achrn

Originally Posted by: grim72 Go to Quoted Post

That said, I doubt it is to push for custom sales and suspect it is more to do with incompetence and/or lack of technical knowledge.

i.e. Hanlon's razor applies - do not attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Or, slightly more colloquially, it's probably cock-up not conspiracy.

thanks 1 user thanked achrn for this useful post.
Dave5705 on 10/01/2019(UTC)
boblewis  
#9 Posted : 11 January 2019 17:10:16(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
boblewis

Originally Posted by: achrn Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: grim72 Go to Quoted Post

That said, I doubt it is to push for custom sales and suspect it is more to do with incompetence and/or lack of technical knowledge.

i.e. Hanlon's razor applies - do not attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Or, slightly more colloquially, it's probably cock-up not conspiracy.

The real problem is when that stupidity becomes the norm.  BS and others have failed to monitor the correct useage of the standards and as happens in companies with inadequate monitoring - systems degrade to the point of failure

mike52  
#10 Posted : 11 January 2019 20:48:11(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
mike52

Surely some of the blame rests with the client ordering signs with mistakes or non-standard finishes. If they are aware of these errors they should return the signs to the manufacturer and refuse to pay for them until the errors are fixed. May be in some cases they are unaware of what the signs should look like. Regards Mike
boblewis  
#11 Posted : 12 January 2019 12:42:45(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
boblewis

Ultimately it is the sign suppliers who should be most aware of the requirements of the standards as they are the "experts".  If you want to see the most common abuse you only have to look at disabled parking bays.  Because the standard shows a disabled bay as having a shaded area on one side this is what is used regardless of the fact that this often leads to a disabled bay abutting a standard bay with no clear area shaded for access between the two bays.  This is even shown in LA approved guidance.  They have failed to read the standard which talks of the need to set out bays so there is an access area each side that other vehicles cannot park on.

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