Color Coding, Safety & Directional Markings

How Can Color Coding Help?

Color coding of machinery and equipment gives clear visual cues to identify the type of hazard, which helps workers identify the severity level and alert them to the dangers that exist at a facility or work site. The intent is to reduce the possibility of accidents and injuries.

The following are OSHA floor marking requirements concerning color coding:

• Red – Considered to be the color for severe or fire-related hazards. Red is the color for danger labels where an injury is sure to occur if the risk is not avoided. 
• Yellow – Indicates caution and is applied for physical hazards, such as falling, tripping, stumbling and striking against equipment.

Color coding of machinery and equipment and safety and directional markings make attaining the goal of adequately marked, well-maintained and safer workplaces possible.

OSHA Floor Marking Requirements

There are many standards concerning industrial safety marking, but the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guideline is the most common.

OSHA is a regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Labor that inspects and examines workplaces to secure the welfare of employees. The organization was created in 1971 to ensure healthy working conditions for workers by enforcing workplace standards. Since OSHA was established, the agency has cut the work-fatality rate in the United States by more than 50 percent.

OSHA decides the requirements that apply to the workplace environments and then enforces employer adherence to those standards.

The agency’s standards define the need for the proper setup of aisles and passageways to ensure workers’ safety. Floor safety and directional markings represent these designated areas. As per OSHA, aisles should be well-marked, with the proper width, and always unobstructed, well-lit and in good condition. Here are the requirements for the industrial floor marking guidelines:

• Floor safety marking lines must be at least two inches wide to ensure visibility.
• Aisles should be at least four inches wide or at least three inches wider than the largest piece of equipment used in the hall.
• Flags, traffic cones, barrels, and other similar methods must be used in facilities with unusual surfaces, like dirt floors. All employees must be trained on the system used.

Industrial Floor Safety Marking Applications

The markings are applied in places where passers-by and employees have access, such as car parks, service and storage areas, aisles, stairs and lobbies. These markings are beneficial in public places such as hospitals, malls, stadiums and other places where the general public’s safety cannot be compromised. In business and industrial areas, floor markings guarantee uninterrupted transit from one place to another, eliminating delays and accidents.

Epoxy and polyurethane coatings are the optimal choices to ensure longevity. These superior coatings offer high resistance against damages and friction and give excellent performance in outdoor marking applications because they are impervious to rain, UV and other environmental damage.

Marking applications vary from simple demarcation lines and instructional signs and symbols to words and phrases denoting information about the area or where to go from there. When applied correctly, it can provide the following benefits:

• Floor markings can designate paths to protect pedestrians from electrical panels, heavy machinery and other mechanical hazards.
• Let workers know where to stand or where to avoid standing when working with heavy machinery.
• Designate areas for personal protective equipment (PPE), inventory, forklifts and other materials.

Why Choose Raider Painting As Your Industrial Floor Marking Team?

The existence of industrial floor marking guidelines is to protect people’s lives. Business and industrial facility owners should choose seasoned experts for your floor safety marking applications.

The experts at Raider Painting are dedicated to providing the best color-coding safety services in the industry without using the shortcuts that would ultimately sacrifice quality. We are a safety marking company with decades of experience in handling commercial and industrial floor marking applications. We have worked on thousands of projects since our establishment in 1983, and Raider Painting is fully OSHA compliant, with “injury and illness” and “heat and illness” prevention plans that are reviewed and updated annually. This ensures that our processes align with OSHA’s safety standards. 

Raider Painting operates in our time-honored core values; honesty, integrity and hard work. We are committed to providing stellar services to all those we serve, and our work does not end unless you are 100 percent satisfied with the outcome. Our team of professional technicians will work closely with you, from initial consultation to project completion.

Aside from color coding, safety and directional markings, we also offer structural steel coatings, epoxy coatings and FDA/USDA approved coatings. Feel free to browse our website for more information about what we do and the industries we serve.

Contact Raider Painting today if you need a safety floor marking contractor. Call 877-724-3371 or fill out our online form to request an estimate from our professional team. We serve commercial, industrial and governmental entities across America.