We all have seen people working on roads and train tracks wearing fluorescent-coloured vest jackets, and these also have reflective strips and shapes. The reflective material is there for the safety of the people working in such an environment that can turn hostile at any minute.
The road safety department and authorities have also mandated that workers wear such reflective clothing. There are also helmets used for the same purpose; the reflective material can be used to increase visibility. The reflective material provides additional safety to cycle riders from unseen activities on roads and freeways.
How Can We Increase Visibility at Worksites?
One of the best ways to increase visibility at worksites is to use reflective tape. People were already fluorescent vests in such areas as maintenance people on roads and train tracks. Our eyes are well known to be attracted to bright and shiny colours more than other colours.
One of the top-rated safety reflective tapes is from 3M, and it comes in colours like red, yellow, blue, white, and many other neon colours are also available. The colours are the main feature here as it catches the eyes quickly and makes it safe for working people.
Then some of the colours are specifically used on certain types of vehicles like heavy-duty commercial trucks. These can be dangerous at night on highways.
Why Are Reflective Gears Like Helmets Gaining Popularity?
Top-rated safety reflective tapes are being used in gear like helmets, and motorbikes are gaining popularity as these increase the visibility of others and make the wearer of such gear visible in dim light and even in the dark. This is done to prevent accidents and keep people safe. The engineers and workers wear these gear and clothes to avoid accidents due to poor lighting.
What Are The Applications of Reflective Tape?
The reflective tapes are not limited to their versatility and performance. Some of its limitless applications are:
Clothing
We are talking about the clothing people wear when working outside or on construction sites, like neon-coloured vests. Traffic police and patrol police wear such clothing, the reflective material sewn into the jackets, pants, and shirts. The reflective material is also sewn into the children’s clothing to make them more visible on the roads when coming or going to school.
Transport Vehicles
Some big and commercial vehicles like buses and trucks need to have reflective material as they can be a more significant threat during collisions and accidents. These types of vehicles come with some reflectors on them. You can add some more to make them more visible. Pay attention to the colour of reflective materials as some specific colours are reserved for a particular type of vehicle. Visit your local transport authority’s website to know more about that.
Parking Areas
There might be some places in parking areas which are difficult to notice. Similarly, on roads, if there is a low-hanging sign board or hoarding, fences or some other type of barrier which people can miss, then these items or places should have reflectors.
The reflective tape will make these hidden hurdles more visible, and minor injuries and accidents can be prevented.
Enforcing Protection on Road
Various hurdles are placed on the roadsides, like post boxes and direction signs. Some areas can get dark than others. The low visibility and dim lights make them not appear clearly for everyone to see them.
If the handrails, fences, signposts, and other similar barriers and items are closer to the road, they should have reflective tapes.
Why Are Authorities Encouraging To Use Reflective Materials?
The transport safety department and authorities are encouraging and raising awareness to maximize the use of reflective materials on vehicles and other low-hanging objects. Also, it is advised to commercial and industrial facilities to mark steps and floors or any other hazardous area that can cause accidents.
The recommended safety reflective tape can mark and highlight the steps and other areas in shaded light areas like warehouses. The purpose to use safety reflective tape is to provide the employees and others with a safe working and travelling environment. This will improve visibility and help in avoiding and reducing accidents.
Some other purposes are:
- Managing the traffic flow in a particular area during the upkeep and maintenance period.
- These help in managing the emergency exits during fires and accidents.
- The reflective materials can easily guide people toward the exit sign in emergencies like fire and electricity loss.
- It will increase the visibility of people working in poor visibility areas.
How To Find The Right Tape?
One should be aware of the various types available in the market and places from where you can buy online safety reflective tape. However, specific points should be considered before selecting the tape, and these points can change due to the application area and process. The key points are:
Reflectivity: The tapes come in various colours with different intensities of reflection. The brightness is also affected due to the angles and time of the day so make sure the process where you are going to use that tape will have low light or nighttime.
Adhesion: The next point that should be considered is adhesion strength. We do not want the tape to peel away mid-way. The adhesion strength will keep the tape for a long time in its place, and the life cycle will be more significant.
Durability: The material used to make the reflective tapes should be durable and can withstand harsh working conditions and weather.
Conclusion
The reflective tapes are used for marking different surfaces for safety reasons. It increases visibility that draws people’s attention and helps avoid accidents due to hurdles and barriers.
The reflective tapes also lay out the emergency exit plans and emergency signs. The authorities also encourage people and facilities to use the recommended safety reflective tape.
