What You Need To Know About OSHA Floor Marking Standards

Today, I would like to introduce a guest post by Mike Wilson from Creative Safety Supply. Mike enjoys blogging and reading about the lean manufacturing niche. He is invested in Creative Safety Supply, known for its safety products to help manufacturers with their 5S and Lean Projects. Mike is going to talk about the importance of 5S, specifically set-in order with floor marking to improve safety for employees.
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Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the government agency that is responsible in developing the rules and regulations to promote the safety of the employees working in various industrial facilities in the United States. One of their tasks is to ensure that these facilities are in compliance with the existing rules and regulations when it comes to marking floors and setting boundaries benefiting the workers.

About OSHA Floor Marking Standards
The major concerns of OSHA are the safety and welfare of the employees. These can be achieved by following osha floor marking standards that deal with the appropriate usage of floor marking tape and other materials when it comes to safety markings and setting boundaries. The organization also ensures that the aisles, hallways and other passages are built according to the standards.

In order to give you an idea, here are some of the guidelines being imposed by OSHA regarding floor safety markings:

• Broken lines should not be used as markings
• Icons, symbols dots, graphics and other elements can be used when necessary
• Line markings should be at least 2-6 inches long and 2 inches wider
• The markings should occupy the recommended space in the aisles and other areas
• The passages and aisles should not be less than four feet
• The passages and aisles should be at least three feet larger than the biggest equipment in the area

Materials to Use for Markings
The importance of having safety floor markings in the workplace is incontestable so you need to comply with the rules set by OSHA. Along with this, you also have to make sure that you are using the best material for markings. Essentially, there are various materials to use for floor markings but the most common are tapes and paints.

Paints for safety floor markings are incredible as they are long lasting, tough and resistant to moisture, water and other environmental elements. These can be used if you are looking for floor marking materials that can withstand heavy environment traffics.

Paints are available in many colors so you can have plenty to choose from. There are also glow in the dark marking paints and those that have anti-slip features making it a great tool to use in floor markings. However, using this can be time consuming and involves more hassle than using the other kinds of material like floor marking tape.

Floor marking tapes are growing in popularity when it comes to marking floors for safety due to a great number of reasons. Primarily, floor marking tapes are fast and easy to use. There is no hassle involved in using this product because you can just cut and stick and you are done. There is no need to set period for drying line when using paints.

Also, it comes in various forms like the vinyl tape which is the most common type. It can be purchased in different colors as well and glow in the dark. Lastly, they can also last for long if most especially if you choose the best kind.