Modern warehouses experience a wide variety of traffic ranging from forklifts and pedestrians to large tractor-trailer rigs, pickup trucks, and cars. It may even include bicycles, "gators," and golf carts. With so many moving parts, implementing floor marking for traffic control is vital for workplace safety.

In 2021, the National Safety Council was given forklift injury statistics from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. It was reported that there were:

• 805 deaths
• 64,000 injuries
• Powered industrial truck violations are one of the most common OSHA citations

3 Steps to Improve Workplace Safety

Take these simple steps to improve workplace safety, including traffic security. 

1. Establish Engineering Controls to separate heavy vehicles from lighter ones, and separate pedestrians from all types of vehicles.

2. Lay Out Administrative Rules and train your employees to eliminate exposure hazards during day-to-day operations.

3. Provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as high-visibility vests, to all workers involved in warehouse operations.

Utilize Floor Marking and Safety Signs

The best approach to warehouse traffic safety is the use of floor marking and safety signs. When it is not practical to keep pedestrians and vehicles in separate areas, floor and pavement wayfinding signage directs movement within the warehouse such that everyone remains safe. Use warehouse floor marking products — like DuraLabel PathFinder RIGID Floor Marking Tape — to identify hazardous areas, such as the edges of loading docks, and prevent costly accidents.

Take Safety to the Floor with Floor Marking

Safe pathways and walkway lines for pedestrian and vehicular traffic are critical for day-to-day operation, especially in emergencies. The high number of deaths resulting from forklift collisions indicates that it is vital to mark traffic routes with the appropriate floor signs and markers. Effective wayfinding must be easy to understand at a glance, so everyone can navigate safely.

Apply safety floor tape to:

• Distinguish separate lanes for vehicle and pedestrian traffic
• Identify intersections and blind spots around corners
• Highlight safe pathways to exits, stairwells, aisles, and emergency equipment, even in the dark
• Mark off designated areas used for forklift parking and re-charging
• Highlight the edges of loading docks to create a warning track for drivers
• Identify areas where hazardous materials are located or stored
• Warn about pedestrian and vehicle traffic lane intersections
• Keep traffic away from areas where there are overhead hazards
• Indicate safe clearances for making turns at ends of aisles
• Call out the edges of holes, depressions, or bumps in the floor

Use diverse colors of floor marking tape to control warehouse workflows and keep pedestrians separate from motorized traffic. Color-coded safety floor tape has the added benefit of effectively organizing a warehouse and improving productivity.

Find the Right Tape for Floor Marking

  Always have the right floor marking tape for the job. PathFinder provides all the following:

• RIGID floor marking tape is designed to provide long life even in high-traffic locations
• TREAD anti-slip floor tapes prevent the most common workplace injury-slips and falls by adding traction entryways or stairs
• REFLECT high-visibility floor tapes and stick-on signs are ideal for any situation requiring increased visibility, including low-light conditions
• Glow-in-the-dark floor tapes highlight the way to safety exits in emergency power outage situations

DuraLabel Floor Marking Resources

Accidents in high-traffic areas are unfortunately common, but preventable. With the right visual tools, such as DuraLabel safety floor tape and floor signs, worker injury can be prevented.

DuraLabel's free Floor Instant Action Guide can assist you will all of your industrial label needs. Download a free copy of the Floor Marking Instant Action Guide. Give us a call today at 1-888-695-5670 and one of our experts will guide you through the process.

Want to learn how to create OSHA and ANSI-compliant safety signs? DuraLabel's free OSHA Safety Signs Instant Action Guide helps readers understand the regulations and standards and improve safety and efficiency. Request your free OSHA Safety Signs Instant Action Guide.

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