There's a Color For That!

So which colors work best when identifying borders for non-movable equipment, movable equipment, item storage areas, walkways, etc.? Well, the choice is up to you. You can use as many colors as you wish. To help you get started, both OSHA and ANSI produce reference guides which standardize workplace colors and their meaning. For example, OSHA recommends the following (29 CFR 1910.145(f) App B) -

While the standard does not specifically mandate colors to be used on accident prevention tags, the following color scheme is recommended by OSHA for meeting the requirements of this section:

"DANGER" - Red, or predominantly red.

"CAUTION" - Yellow, or predominantly yellow.

"WARNING" - Orange, or predominantly orange.

"BIOLOGICAL HAZARD" - Fluorescent orange.

The full OSHA standard can be found at this link. The ANSI standard (ANSI Z535.1-2006) is available for purchase from ANSI and a number of other sources.

In addition, a variety of vendors offer luminescent border tapes, as well as tapes in checkerboard and zebra striped patterns. And remember to consider color-contrast when creating signs with text or numbers. Black on yellow is the most readable color combination, followed by yellow on black. Studies have shown that in a field of color, the human eye is first drawn to yellow.