Floor marking tape has many functions in the workplace. Businesses use it to increase safety, assist with Lean or 5S efforts, and comply with OSHA regulations for things like aisle marking.
Specifically, floor marking tape can be used to:
- Mark aisles in warehouses
- Mark the locations of pallets, bins, boxes, and other storage containers
- Mark the locations of equipment
- Mark where trash and recycling bins belong
- Create parking spaces for forklifts and other vehicles
- Create pathways for pedestrians
- Point people toward exits, emergency eyewash stations, and other locations
- Outline special workspaces
- Highlight areas where hazards exist (e.g. electrical hazards, tripping hazards, noise hazards, mechanical hazards, etc.)
These types of floor markings can serve several purposes including:
- Increasing safety (e.g. keeping pedestrians out of the paths of forklifts)
- Assisting with housekeeping and organization (e.g. people can see where recyclables should be placed)
- Providing instructions and directional information (e.g. pointing people toward an exit)
Floor marking tape is a visual tool that makes it easier for people to navigate through a space. When they see markings on the floor, they can often get the information they need without asking questions.
Using a specific color scheme for floor markings can help facilitate this process so your workplace gets the most out of these markings.
Here are some suggestions for color assignments:
- Yellow – aisles and traffic lanes
- Red – red tag area (for 5S workplaces); scrap area
- Orange – energized equipment; inspection area
- White – racks, machines, carts, equipment, etc.
- Red/white striped – areas that should be kept clear for safety reasons
- Yellow/black striped – physical or health hazards
Select colors that make sense for your operations and that are noticeable, especially when they’re used to highlight a safety issue. Businesses can also choose tapes of varying widths to serve different functions, too.
Additional Resources
- Industrial Floor Marking Guidelines– creativesafetysupply.com
- Floor Marking Guidelines– safetyblognews.com
- Line Marking & Floor Tape– aislemarking.com
- Aisle Marking Tape Improves Safety– realsafety.org
- Floor Marking Applications– floor-tape.com
- Floor Marking Tape Color Standards– blog.creativesafetysupply.com
- How To Maximize Site Space Using Floor Tape– heavydutyfloortape.com
- Using Floor Tape for Facility Safety– facilityfloormarking.com
- Floor Tapes for Safety– blog.safetytac.com