How is warning tape used?

There are many colours and designs of warning tapes available on the market, which can be adapted to their intended use. What are the possible applications of warning tapes and what should guide your choice?

Application of warning tapes - what colour?

The name warning tape itself indicates its scope of application - tapes warn against a given factor, serve to mark a given area and inform people nearby about it. In the current pandemic and in times of many restrictions, warning tapes are often also used to mark lines in queues to maintain social distance or to block entrances to shops where there is a limit of people. The use of different colours and prints on tapes through their colouring allows for quick identification of a place as potentially threatened or inaccessible. The appropriate choice of colours is very important, especially for law enforcement agencies, who often use them. Tapes are colour-matched to the reason for their use. We can list, among others:

• red and white warning tapes - one of the most commonly used tapes, widely used for cordoning off areas, on construction sites or surfaces where earthworks are underway, as well as by the police to separate investigation areas;
• yellow warning tapes - most often used for gas, usually equipped with a special acid-resistant steel insert;
• blue warning tapes - used to mark and designate water supply networks;
• brown warning tapes - usually found near sewage networks;
• red warning tapes - used to separate power grid areas;
• black and yellow warning tapes - most often found mounted on the floor. It usually serves as a warning tape for stairs or to mark various obstacles. Due to its high tear resistance, it can be used as a road warning tape.

Properties of warning tapes

Warning tapes are made of polyethylene film, which is:

• flexible and elastic,
• thermoplastic,
• waxy,
• transparent,

however, under the influence of moisture and sunlight, it loses its properties and elasticity. Polyethylene itself is obtained by radical polymerization, called polyethylene synthesis, and the film is obtained from ready-made regranulate or original polyethylene granulate. The film shows low water vapour permeability and low resistance to hydrocarbons and their chlorinated derivatives, while its advantages include:

• easy permeability of organic substance vapours,
• low abrasion,
• excellent electrostatics,
• excellent sliding properties,
• low water absorption,
• the possibility of colouring, which enables the production of warning tapes.

Equally noteworthy is the yellow and black vinyl tape, which shows high resistance to weather conditions and will be perfect for many different surfaces.