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Work smarter, not harder goes the old saying. When you work smarter, your job gets easier, you work more effectively and you get more out of your signage budget. Creating a facility signage plan is key to making your job easier. Another way to make your job easier is to make inspections of your signage on a regular basis so you're ready when it comes time for regulatory agencies to inspect your facility signage. 

Inspections Matter
Many facility managers dread inspections. They feel intrusive, burdensome and unnecessary. However, inspections do matter. The key role of signage is to inform and to make use of your facilities easier for those who use them. 

To that end, they should be useful and intuitive. They must also meet local, state and federal guidelines and requirements. These requirements include:

• Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); 
• Proper notification regarding the storage of hazardous materials;
• Appropriate signage to remain in line with fire safety and evacuation procedures;
• And many, many more. 

Inspections help facility managers ensure they have the correct signage for the benefit and safety of all people who you use your facility. Great inspections work to build a partnership with buildings and facility managers rather than simply impose punitive damages.

Make Inspections Easier
Inspections do benefit your facility, but that doesn't make them any easier. You can make them easier, though by completing your own inspections, staying on top of current laws and regulations regarding signage, and working with a sign vendor who understands sign regulations. 

Completing your own regular inspections of your signs serves two purposes. First, it helps you regularly assess the quality and usefulness of your signs. You can inspect for damage, vandalism or obstructions that block your signs. Secondly, you can inspect your signs with a "cheat sheet" of sign regulations that inspectors will be on the lookout for and address issues before a formal inspection.

Staying on top of rules and regulations requires regular communication with regulatory bodies. You can do that by getting to know your inspectors, regularly check websites and other publications that govern signage, and creating a network of other facility managers. 

A key strategy to make inspections easier is by working with a vendor who understands regulations. These vendors can even do pre-inspections with you to evaluate your signs in relation to the regulations your local, state and federal impose on your facility.

This year, work smarter not harder by completing your own regular inspections before a formal inspection.