Five ways to boost workplace safety with floor markings
Floor markings – any type of marking meant for a floor – are effective safety reminders in any workplace. They show people when to be careful, when to steer clear of certain areas, which direction to go, and where to find tools and emergency equipment.
In a warehouse or manufacturing environment, floor tape plays a pivotal role in ordering a vast and sometimes confusing setup. For example, a 5S floor marking supports your lean agenda.
These simple yet effective signage applications help boost efficiency and overall performance. Here are five ways floor tape can help boost the safety and functioning of your environment.
1. Safety borders
Floor tape can demarcate areas around equipment or hazardous materials. It enhances the effect and visibility of your safety signage, such as the need for PPE.
2. Indicate and designate locations
In keeping with lean strategies, floor marking shows people where they can store and find things. This streamlines emergency procedures where time is of the essence in locating emergency equipment, such as fire extinguishers and AEDs.
Floor tape also indicates where people can park warehouse vehicles, keep materials and mark the spots for trash containers. It therefore organises the flow of daily activities for a smooth-running, productive environment.
3. Routes for vehicles and foot traffic
Floor markings effectively regulate vehicle and foot traffic in busy areas such as large warehouses. They:
- Lay out routes for forklifts or other warehouse vehicles to minimise the chances of collisions.
- Establish a productive flow that helps with the implementation of lean principles.
- Clearly display emergency routes towards things such as eye-wash stations.
4. Highlight slip, trip and fall dangers
Most workplaces have uneven floor areas that can lead to a trip or fall. Marking these places with floor tape makes people aware of the potential hazard.
It’s the employer’s responsibility to ensure that floors are kept in good condition and any slip or trip risks are assessed and addressed. There are a wide range of anti-slip tapes, cleats, plates and treads to help you minimise slips and falls.
Floor tape also prompts people to be careful when using steps and ramps. Non-slip stair products add another layer of safety by improving a person’s foothold.
5. Illuminate the way when the lights go out
One of the first things to fail in an emergency, such as a fire or earthquake, is the power. When things go dark, people are more prone to panic and make a dire situation even worse.
Glow-in-the-dark or reflective floor tape, such as Seton’s expertly chosen photoluminescent floor marking range, illuminates exit routes and the location of safety devices when electricity and daylight fail. They’re a crucial part of emergency planning and can mean the difference between life and death.
Floor tape and the law
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 places a duty on employers to take all reasonable steps to ensure that workers and visitors are safe. This includes the use of safety signage and floor markings.
Additionally, the Health and Safety Regulations 1996 address safety signs and signals in detail. This legislation requires you to apply them wherever risks are present. Signs must be:
- Visible.
- Easy to understand.
They must also clearly identify prohibited actions, measures to follow, dangers and directions in case of an emergency. Strategically placed floor tape meets these criteria.
Different floor tape colours
Floor markings come in different colours, which generally mean different things. When choosing your floor tape, ensure that you stick to the universally acknowledged colours:.
- Keep an area clear: Red and white or black and white stripes.
- Dangerous area: Yellow and black stripes.
- Traffic flow: Yellow.
- Safety area or safety equipment: Green.
- 5S carts or shadow boards: White tape.
Head to the Seton website for all your floor tape and floor marking needs.