It might not sound plausible, but tape can be one of the most effective ways to make a place, like offices, schools, and factories,safer. It is also a good cheaper alternative. Surprisingly, though, it remains underutilized. Besides safety, tape markings can also improve efficiency and communication in a building.

Tape can also be used forfloor marking, marking corners, and barricades. Other uses involve marking an airtight containment during abatement to keep the mold and asbestos from spreading. Then tapes may also be used to protect electrical splices, so people won’t be electrocuted if they touched the wires accidentally. Creation of boundaries, so unconcerned or inexperienced people wouldn’t stray into danger zones is another way tape come in handy! But as you well know, even people who work in hazardous environments regularly may need reminders!

You can use tapes for other purposes too, such as identifying the area where the door swings open. People may get hurt when the door swings open, and they are standing in the way! For instructions on how to mark any area, it is best to follow OSHA guidelines on the subject.

If you are considering tape to make safe hazards, then here is what you need to know:

Tape color can be used as a code

Many facilities already do this, i.e., use different colored tapes to get a certain message across to the viewer. The most commonly used colors and what they mean are as follows:

• Vibrant colors like red, yellow, and orange can be spotted from a distance. That is another reason why they lend themselves to making safety hazards. Red tape, for instance, signals DANGER! Employees and work staff should know to take general precautions when they see red tape marking off an area.
• Yellowtape indicates thatcaution should be exercised since a danger may be present. This color can be used to mark a wide range of conditions, such as a moving vehicle in a loading dock that only arrives at specific hours of the day.
• Orange tape is usually used to indicate a potential chemical hazard. If you work in a factory or somewhere where dangerous chemicals are in frequent use, you may need orange tape to mark the area. We recommend that you don’t just mark the space where chemicals are stored/used, but also the doorways of the rooms where that happens. This can alert people to their presence from a distance.
• Blue tape signals that you have entered a steam vent area. That means you can mark hot water vents with blue tape. This can protect people from accidentally burning themselves from the steam, which is considered a very serious hazard.

Types of tape available

Besides the color of the tape used, the kind of tape also determines its usage. For instance:

When elements that aren’t clearly visible need to be marked off on a job site, flagging tape is used. Various industries, from construction to forestry require floor tape for exactly that reason. What dangers could a job site be hiding? Think in terms of an underground gas line that is not clearly visible to the workers of a commercial construction project. By inserting a stake with flagging tape tagged around it, the workers would realize when they have come closer to the gas line during excavating.

Floor marking tape is mainly used to differentiate between an ordinary walking path that anyone might use from a hazardous one. For instance, a space occupied by large machinery or the area around an electrical box so that workers would know when they are getting too close to it. A certain pattern like striped markings can be used to make the separation highly visible.Tape of this kind is usually required by manufacturing facilities.

If you want to communicate a warning about a hazardous area to others, you may want to do it with barricade tapes. Different industries use them to manage access to work and hazardous areas. These tapes usually come printed with words like, “Caution,” “Danger,” and “Lead Hazard,” on them. You can pick the one that suits the purpose. Like the other two types, this one too can catch the eye of an observer quickly.

Why use tape?

Your employees leave their safety in your hands when they come to work for you every day. That means you owe it to them to do whatever you can. There may be danger to your employees due to the nature of your job or because of a special project. Either way, tape can protect your employees from preventable injuries– and give you peace of mind when there is no hospital or legal bill to foot!

Make your facility safer and more efficient by using tapes to make safe hazards. With the kind of versatility that it has to offer, this precautionary safety measure doesn’t even cost you that much! So, why put the lives of your employees at risk?