December 27, 2023 How Can Colour-coding Improve your Businesses Security

Colour coding can be used as a form of communication that does not need language.

Colours have been used to signify certain things since the beginning of time, and we are all conditioned to know that red means danger and green means go. Colour is something that is immediately recognisable to most people and so it slots in perfectly to most security efforts as something that even the youngest child can understand.

Many businesses are now using colour coding for all sorts of things, and it is proving to be very successful. In this article, We Print Lanyards take a look at how colour-coding is being used in the security measures of many businesses, and how it has helped them.

The purpose of colour coding

Colour coding can be used as a form of communication that does not need language. It means that anyone can see it and understand it no matter what their age, what language the speak or whether they are able to read.

It becomes a universal language, which is very important in the world of security, which relies on people being able to react quickly. As it is so easy to understand, it can also help people to feel more comfortable and confident in their surroundings, as they know that there is an easily recognisable measure in place.

When implementing colour coding, you need to ensure that the colours are bright and distinctive. In a security situation, you do not want anybody to have to decide if a badge is bright blue or dark blue, so make sure that there is a very clear difference between them.

Colour coding can be used in a variety of ways to great effect, and so we have put together a list of some of the most popular and most effective.

Lanyards

One area where colour coding has been used a lot is in the case of wristbands, lanyards and their associated identity cards. These are items that can be worn by any member of staff or any visitor, and make it possible to immediately identify someone or their position at a glance.

You might want to colour code your lanyards according to their role, such as being able to spot a doctor in a hospital, or by their department, such as knowing that doctor is from the cardiology department. This is something even the most vulnerable can understand and so they can feel more confident that they are talking to the right person.

Colour coding can also be used to identify visitors, and their categories. This means that people know that their credentials have been checked on arrival and that they have the right to be there.

A colour coded lanyard can also help to show what access someone is entitled to. Whether there are restricted areas, or simply things that visitors need to pay extra for, it is easy to spot that only people with a yellow lanyard, for example, are allowed in a particular area.

Colours could even be used to denote the day in which someone visited, to ensure that they cannot use the same ID card or wristband to get in again. Knowing that pink was only issued on Monday makes it much easier to spot people who are not meant to be there on Wednesday.

It is also important that as many people as possible know what each colour means. You should make sure that there are plenty of signs and reference materials dotted around to ensure that everyone has the chance to refer to a key. You can also help to tie things together by ensuring that the signs for a department are the same colour as the lanyards or wristbands of anyone working in that department or visiting it. This creates a natural and easier association in the mind when the colour is spotted.

Equipment

Colour coding equipment can be a way of helping to keep track of things, as it can make it much easier to tell where it has come from. This not only ensures that things do not get lost or go missing, but also reduces the risk of cross contamination by being able to spot that something is from a different or controlled area. This can mean that everything is traceable and accounted for, and can therefore greatly cut down on incidents of theft.

Food safety

Food safety is incredibly important, and colour coding can play a big role in this. Particular colours might denote that something contains a particular allergen, such as nuts, making it much easier for allergy sufferers to spot it and avoid it. In a kitchen or manufacturing space, this can help to avoid the contamination of other foods, ensuring it is much easier to label things correctly.

Colour coding also allows for quick inspection, cutting out the need to read security labels. This allows people to work quicker and be more productive whilst ensuring that speed does not lead to errors.

Emergency colour codes

Many businesses and organisations also use colour codes in the case of an emergency. This means that when communicating, they can be easily understood without causing widespread panic. For example, code red might refer to a fire, code yellow could be a bomb threat and code brown could simply be a clean up on aisle three. By assigning colours to situations, it is possible to use lights or even tannoys to inform those who need to know without informing the whole world. This makes it possible to keep control of a situation and deal with any issues in a professional and calm manner, which can play a big part in keeping people safe.

Colour coding is used in many different industries as it is not only very easy to understand, but also inexpensive to implement. It can be customised to suit each organisation and their own specific needs, and it takes relatively little to begin colour coding items, equipment or even people and so many businesses are now making use of the system to create a new level of security that it effective without being intimidating.

About the Author
Malcolm Humphreys is the Director of We Print Lanyards, a family business who specialise in recycled custom lanyards, ID cards, name badges & more.

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