Vinyl Tapes
Vinyl tapes are simple safety tools for marking barriers or drawing attention to potential hazards. Tapes with rubber-based adhesives adhere to a wide variety of substrates, such as pipes, wiring, asphalt, and more. The vinyl material ensures that the tape will resist abrasion, weathering, and wear. This long-lasting tape makes dangerous areas safer and compliant with safety laws and guidelines. Vinyl tape provides reliable safety cues in dangerous exterior environments and interior workplaces. Businesses can use Vinyl tape to:
- Add traction to slippery walking and gripping surfaces
- Mark aisles, walkways, egress routes, and navigational routes
- Mark hazards that passers-by need to be aware of
- Indicate required social distancing in business establishments
NADCO provides a variety of safety tapes that can make any location safer and easier to navigate. Our products include:
- Hazard marking tape
- Traction tape
- Aisle and pathway marking tape for directional flow
- Glow-in-the-dark tape
Hazard Marking Tape
Many industries require that potential dangers be marked so workers and visitors can easily identify them. These hazards may include:
- High traffic areas
- Presence of dangerous or flammable chemicals
- Generally hazardous machinery
- Heavy noise areas
- Changes in height and edges, such as steps, shelves, and elevated pathways
This tape typically uses bright colors to alert people of dangers, even in low light or crowded conditions. Colors may be assigned to indicate specific dangers—such as red, white, or yellow striping along the edge of a step.
While yellow and red are the most commonly used hazard tape colors, multi-colored stripes are also very popular for catching attention. For facilities using a striped pattern, the color combinations of yellow and black, red and white, green and white, or orange and black typically indicate an approaching hazard or hazardous area.
To sufficiently mark a hazardous area, it’s important to tape the exterior perimeter of the area entirely. Hazard marking tape is available in a broad variety of widths and thicknesses to ensure an optimal fit is available for different applications. A solid outline on the floor warns against stepping into an area where a hazard is present.
Depending on the industry and the types of hazards present in a given facility, specific colors may be required rather than general warning colors. Our team can help customers find the right colors and patterns for specific hazards that need specialized or regulated markings.
Aisle & Pathway Marking Tape
Aisle marking tape defines safe spaces on open warehouse floors and in other commercial or industrial environments. Instead of marking specific hazards, aisle and pathway marking tape establishes navigational routes that people should take to navigate safely through a potentially dangerous work space.
Facilities managers can mark general foot traffic routes, aisles, and machinery paths so users can move safely. For example, these paths may be used in a warehouse or distribution center to keep people and moving forklifts from crossing paths or used in grocery and other retail stores to ensure customers adhere to required social distancing safety protocols
Even if the design of the space can’t completely stop these interactions, the colored pathways alert both parties to the potential for interaction. Facility managers can also introduce signs—both on the ground and at eye-level—to improve awareness of the path’s purpose and increase usage.
Marking tape may also be used to separate spaces that should be kept clear. OSHA establishes strict rules regarding clear walkways down aisles and in general workspaces so people can safely navigate in the event of an emergency. Marking aisles and pathways creates clear borders to indicate where workers can and cannot stack pallets or inventory or materials.
This helps employees adhere to regulations and shows internal audit teams at a glance where improvements need to be made.
Unlike the varied colors found with hazard tape, facilities generally use solid yellow tape to mark aisles and pathways. However, more complex facilities often assign specific colors to different types of paths or areas. For example, yellow safety tape may mark general routes for foot traffic, while red tape marks paths commonly reserved for forklifts, robots, or other machinery.
Traction Tape
As the name suggests, traction tape provides additional traction in workplaces where slips and falls pose a risk. This tape—also called anti-slip tape—has a textured surface that provides additional grip for footwear, hand wear, bare hands, and more. Common locations for traction tape include:
- Near entranceways and exit doors that may have damp surfaces following bad weather
- Around routinely wet or slippery locations, such as showers, locker rooms, or floor drains
- On steps that pose a large safety risk in the event of a slip or fall, even if these steps are not frequently wet or slippery
- Handrails or gripped surfaces in environments where workers wear gloves or potentially slick hand gear
Glow-in-the-Dark Tape
Glow-in-the-dark tape ensures that barriers and taped surfaces remain visible even in low-light conditions. Facility managers often use these tapes to mark safe paths and exits so occupants can find their way out of the building in the event of a power outage or other emergency. Glow-in-the-dark tape also helps markings stand out in generally dim conditions when fluorescent or neon tape is not sufficient, such as rooms that frequently have the lights turned off.
While glow-in-the-dark tape has the same wear-resistant properties of other safety tapes, it does need to be cleaned regularly so it can absorb light. The tape also needs access to light so it can charge with light energy when not in use.
Vinyl Tape for Your Next Project from NADCO
Vinyl tapes make every workplace environment safer, more organized, and more compliant with industry and safety regulations. To get the most use out your vinyl tape, it’s important to train all employees and visitors on the meaning of different colors and markings. It’s just as important to regularly inspect the tape to make sure it’s not dirty, obscured, torn, or missing.
NADCO is proud to provide long-lasting, vibrant safety tapes with colors, patterns, graphics, sizes, and text options for every industry. Contact our team to find the right tape for your facility or request a quote to place your order today.
