Tips for Using Flagging/Barricade Tape

Tips for Using Flagging/Barricade Tape

When it comes to embarking upon a construction project, safety is arguably the most important component both to those working on-site and others in the area that need to safely come and go. That’s why there is a range of different products to help you identify work areas and hazardous spaces, like flagging/barricade tape.

As one of the area’s leading painting accessories and construction supply companies, the team from Metro Sealant has collected some insightful tips for you here.

Why Use Flagging/Barricade Tape?

As mentioned above, flagging or barricade tape is used for safety precautions in work areas. They’re brightly colored tapes designed to illustrate hazards or triage areas to passersby. Although flagging tape is brightly colored, it doesn’t contain any lettering. Barricade tape, however, is brightly colored and contains lettering outlining a potential safety hazard.

How to Use Flagging or Barricade Tape

To determine which tape to use, it’s important to consider the scope of the construction project and the area you’re taping off. For areas where there aren’t any potential safety hazards that simply need to be marked off for work crews and passersby, use flagging tape; for potentially dangerous areas, use barricade tape.

Keep in mind that:

• Yellow Caution Tape: is often used for situations where the area being marked off holds minimal safety risks. It’s more often used for cases where there will be extensive noise, equipment use, or construction in a highly-trafficked area.
• Red Barricade Tape: Also known as “Do Not Enter” tape, red barricade tape is often used for scenarios where there are significant to high levels of safety or health hazards. It implies that no one should enter the taped-off area without a supervisor’s express permission. Often, the type of safety hazards this includes will be everything from oversized loads to risk of falling debris.

Make sure that every entrance to a hazardous area is marked off with the proper tape and ensure that, if using barricade tape, the label is clearly visible. Make certain the tape is secure and utilize poles, or cones for proper wrapping. Once the construction project is completed and there’s no longer a hazard or need to mark an area off, simply remove it.

Contact us for all of your safety and construction needs

If you’re beginning a new construction project, the team from Metro Sealant has all the supplies to help you make it a success. For more information, contact us online today or call (866) 695-6617.