Floor Demarcation Colour Reference for the Workplace

There are many guidelines for 5S and floor demarcation in the workplace, most of which provide little to no insight into the world of markings, size and colour. A widely used quote is “In lean manuf­ac­turing, the general rule of thumb is that anyone should be able to walk into a workplace and identify the flow of work being done within 60 seconds.” With this in mind, finding the ‘why’ information and implementing it is not the easiest task for a novice.

There is a range of options available in terms of floor marking and signage products, which allow you to gather the ‘what’, to begin to carry out a floor demarcation optimisation of such magnitude at the beginning, but the final question is…. How? There is always scope for considerable variation depending on how your workplace functions, or how you want it to function going forward, but we believe we can provide a solid starting point for defining colours to help you identify key workflow areas in your business.

We always manufacture products in colours that conform with these regulations, from our anti-slip products to our floor marking systems, all are manufactured for stock with colours that can be used to create a complete 5S optimised system from beginning to end.

The colours are as follows:

Yellow – To notify people to proceed with caution. Yellow is used for aisle ways and walkways, more often than not due to these paths will lead directly through or even used as part of a work process, as well as ensuring people are not only on alert for other people, but possibly vehicles such as forklifts too.

Red – Signalling danger, or to relate to fire. Red demarcation is used to alert people or vehicles that they need to stop, or in times of fire, if it can, of course, be tackled, then to notify where the equipment to do so is.

Blue – Commonly used to mark out information, or in many factories and warehouses, to zone equipment that is currently out of order.

Green – This always marks out safety, whether this is a first aid point or notice, or a safe walkway which is away from danger.

Orange – Warning of vehicles, this can mark out zones to store vehicles or to be used on aisle ways where vehicles operate. Combining orange demarcation with yellow and red can create a complete, safe and organised traffic demarcation system.

Black/Yellow – Marks health hazard or to proceed with extra caution. Black/yellow could mark zones where dangerous chemicals are kept or to proceed with extreme caution, presumably with additional safety measures.

Red/White – Areas that are to be kept clear, such as emergency access or electrical points. Keeping these areas clear of obstruction is vital in times of emergency.

White – Clear indication that production is ongoing in this area.

Black – Finished or sorted goods are placed in these areas, signalling the end of production.

Aside from these main colours, others are available such as fluorescent and photolu­min­escent for additional uses, for aesthetic and safety purposes.

You can view our colour reference by downloading the full document from us right here. Our colour reference guide refers to use in Europe.

Heskins can also produce any custom colour options, should they be required, matching Pantone or RAL references, dependent on order quantity.

Custom printing is also an option, allowing you to add custom notices or branding to your floor demarcation. You can learn more about our custom printing service here.

To view all of the products we manufacture and supply, plus the services we offer, visit the website or get in touch with us by phone, email, live chat or the contact us form.

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