How to Plan Line Markings Inside a Warehouse

In a warehouse environment, every inch of the building needs to be planned meticulously in order to comply with health and safety regulations. Your warehouse markings are key to this; they outline the structure and internal flow of traffic throughout the warehouse, and are also an effective method of outlining hazards, and communicating information clearly.

But which areas of your warehouse need line markings? And are particular markings needed in particular places? That’s what we’re looking at in this article.

Yellow lines – walkways and traffic flow

Clear routes for foot traffic — as well as routes for forklifts and small transit vehicles — need to be clearly marked so personnel can safely find their way through a busy working environment.

Paths for foot traffic and vehicle traffic should be separated, but yellow line markings should be used for any traffic lanes or aisleways. You can further customise markings to differentiate them — by using pedestrian iconography for footpaths, for example.

Yellow line markings should also be used for the following:

• Hatched areas – sections where equipment should not be left and personnel should keep clear of.
  
• Parking bays – for forklifts — these can also be numbered.

White lines – equipment storage zones and racking

Whether for specific zones — such as pallet storage areas — or general racking areas, white line markings are used to keep equipment stored in a safe and orderly manner. White lines can be used to segment individual storage bays, or larger storage areas for certain items. Mobile cages, for instance, need to be housed together in their own section. This is the same for tiered shelving and pallet storage — all of which can be clearly separated with white lines.

Black and yellow lines – caution and safety hazard markings

Stark, diagonal black and yellow lines are commonly used to point out hazardous areas in warehouses. Instantly eye-catching, this pattern can be used to flag a range of hazards throughout your warehouse. Use-cases include:

• Along the edge of raised platforms
• In-front and around electrical stations and cabling
• Fast moving equipment or machinery — such as conveyor belts, roller shutters/high speed doors
• In and around areas where volatile materials are stored

It should be noted here that red and white lines can also be used as safety markings. For consistency, you should only use one to ensure you don’t confuse your workers. A key principle of warehouse marking is to keep things simple and clear.

By using too many different types of marking, you risk making things too complicated, which undermines the entire goal. A professional line marking company — such as Road Marking Services – can help you plan a simple, effective warehouse marking layout to avoid any confusion.

Blue, green and black lines – raw materials, works in progress and finished goods

For these types of equipment, blue green and black lines can be used. Of course, you could choose to use all three colours for all three types of equipment, but this risks making the visual layout of your warehouse too confusing, watering down the impact of your floor markings. Instead, it’s best to be consistent and choose one colour for all of these, then complement each with iconography, signage or text.

Non-slip floor surfacing

When marking your warehouse floor, non-slip surfacing should also be installed to ensure the warehouse floor remains safe even when wet. This is particularly important for walkways and forklift traffic areas, but doesn’t have to be exclusive to these zones.

When marking your warehouse floor, the team at Road Marking Services will also install non-slip surfacing wherever it is needed, ensuring the highest standard of safety for your workers.

Arrows, signs, iconography

These line markings are used to express direction, convey important information or further clarify the application of certain areas. Usually it’s best to stick to one colour for these (often yellow), as workers will be able to differentiate them purely by design.

Markings like these can be complementary to other features — numbers across a parking bay — or larger, more stand alone — markings such as ‘STOP’ or ‘EXIT’. Either way, these are crucial markings which should be planned alongside the line markings we’ve talked about above.

Whether you’re designing your warehouse floor layout from scratch, or need to rework and update your existing layout, professional planning and execution is absolutely essential.

Road Marking Services provide comprehensive internal warehouse marking services, tailoring our work to your specific premises. We work with meticulous attention to detail to ensure your warehouse is marked efficiently, clearly and in a way that makes your work environment easier and far safer to use. To find out more about our warehouse marking services in Yorkshire and beyond — or to arrange a free site survey — contact us today.