Floor Layout Tape Standards

Problem

• Floor layout tape typically is made of vinyl and colored to denote function. While government entities such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration dictate rules for all workplace issues, they remain silent on what colors should be used for taping out floors. No other industry standards, such as from national manufacturing organizations, exist. In those absences, many factories rely on American National Standards Institute color standards for identifying tape. These standards do not specifically apply to tape but are used on signs, containers and machinery to identify hazards.

ANSI Colors

• Red means danger or stop, and it normally is used on safety signs and emergency buttons. Fluorescent orange marks biosafety hazards such as blood and infectious waste. Yellow cautions against tripping hazards, flammable products and corrosive materials. Orange warns against machinery parts and energized equipment that can cut, crush or injure. Green denotes first aid and other safety equipment such as respirators and showers. Blue is informational. Black, white, yellow and their combinations mark boundaries for directions and traffic. And magenta or purple on yellow cautions against radiation such as X-rays and beta particles.

5S

• Other factories use the 5S philosophy to guide their tape color choices. This philosophy organizes and manages workplaces to minimize waste and increase efficiency. It comes from Toyota of Japan, with the five representing seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu and shitsuke. This translates in English to sorting, setting in order, sweeping, standardizing and sustaining. Roughly, 5S involves sorting to identify the useful and unnecessary, straightening and simplifying the workplace, systematically cleaning everything, setting standards for tasks and continuing the process.

5S Colors

• The 5S philosophy mandates as few colors as possible to make it easy for employees to remember the meaning of each color and to reduce the amount of vinyl tape that is stored in inventory. Yellow borders aisles, traffic lanes and work areas. White is for noncoded equipment. Blue, green, yellow or black identifies materials and components. Orange mandates inspection. Red eliminates defects or requires rework. Red and white areas must be kept clear for safety reasons, such as the areas in front of firefighting equipment. Black and white tape shows clearance for operations. And black and yellow tape warns workers against specific hazards such as combustible and poisonous materials.