Slip-Resistant Floor Marking and Safety Signage

Slip-resistant floor marking – marking tape, floor paint and symbols with a grippy surface – organises your operations without creating a new slip hazard: it separates walkways from vehicle routes, defines storage locations, highlights hazards and keeps escape routes and fire service access clear. Smooth painted lines on a smooth floor are an often overlooked risk, so good marking combines both: clear identification and a safe walking surface.

Floor marking tape or floor marking paint?

1. Self-adhesive floor marking tape: ready for traffic immediately, no drying and no closure time. Ideal for areas that need marking at short notice or whose layout changes regularly. Versions that remove with minimal residue are available for leased premises and temporary layouts.
2. Floor marking paint: a permanent solution for heavily trafficked areas that bonds firmly to the substrate. Requires preparation, drying time and closure of the area.
3. Gritted anti-slip marking tape: marks and increases grip at the same time – the right choice on ramps, steps and in wet areas.
4. Prefabricated symbols and shapes: arrows, corners, footprints, circles and pictograms as ready-made cut pieces – quicker and more consistent than painted shapes.
5. Reflective and photoluminescent versions: for dark areas of a building, outdoor areas and escape routes.

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Floor marking colours and their meaning

Marking only works if it is unambiguous. In Germany, colour coding follows the German workplace rule ASR A1.3 and the associated standards:

• Yellow and yellow/black: warning of hazards, edges, obstacles and fall hazards.
• Red: prohibitions and locations of fire-fighting equipment – these areas must be kept clear.
• Green: escape routes, emergency exits, first-aid facilities and safe areas.
• Blue: mandatory actions, such as marked areas where protective equipment must be worn.
• White: general area and route boundaries, parking spaces and housekeeping markings.
• Other colours can be defined internally for material flow and zones – what matters is that the allocation is documented and applied consistently.

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Floor marking as a tool for workplace organisation

In warehouses and production, marking is more than a safety measure: it is the visible form of how work is organised. If you work to the 5S principle, floor marking makes the target state recognisable at all times.

• Separating pedestrian and forklift traffic – the single most effective measure against workplace transport accidents
• Fixed locations for pallets, trolleys, containers and empties
• Keep-clear zones in front of fire extinguishers, control cabinets, emergency exits and first-aid points
• Marked waiting and handover zones at machines and doors
• Visible marking of door swing areas, doors and manoeuvring zones
• Marking of low clearances and pinch points in combination with impact protection

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Think about slip resistance

• On ramps, steps and in wet areas, the marking should achieve at least the slip resistance of the surrounding floor.
• Smooth film markings on an already smooth screed increase the risk – textured or gritted versions are preferable here.
• Slip resistance classes to DIN 51130 (R9 to R13) also apply to the marking itself.
• Large marked areas such as hatching and zebra crossings often lie right in the walking line – they need particular attention.
• Outdoors, also take frost, water and de-icing salt into account.

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Substrate and application

1. Clean and degrease the substrate and let it dry completely; dust is the most common reason for tapes lifting.
2. Mark out the line; straight lines and clean corners determine the effect more than the material does.
3. Unroll the tape in one go and press it down evenly; cut corners cleanly rather than folding.
4. Observe application and substrate temperatures; in the cold, adhesion builds up only slowly.
5. With paint, carry out the pretreatment according to the system specification and observe the closure time.
6. Release the area for use in a controlled way after application and keep an eye on the edges during the first few days.

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Regulations at a glance

• ASR A1.3 – German workplace rule on safety and health signs.
• ASR A1.8 – German workplace rule on traffic routes: widths, marking and separation of types of traffic.
• ASR A2.3 – German workplace rule on escape routes and emergency exits.
• DIN 4844 – safety marking, design and colours.
• DIN EN ISO 7010 – standardised safety signs.
• DGUV Regulation 68 and DGUV Rule 108-007 – German accident insurance rules on industrial trucks and storage equipment.
• DIN 51130 – slip resistance of walking surfaces.

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Conclusion

Good floor marking explains your site without words: who may walk where, what must be kept clear and where there is danger. Made slip-resistant, it does not create a new problem elsewhere. In most cases, self-adhesive tapes are the most cost-effective choice – ready for traffic immediately, changeable at any time and with no downtime.

FAQ: slip-resistant floor marking

Why should floor marking be slip-resistant?

Floor marking should be slip-resistant because smooth marking paints and tapes can be more slippery than the surrounding floor when wet. Slip-resistant versions avoid this effect on walkways, ramps and steps.

Is floor marking tape suitable for forklift traffic?

Yes, particularly hard-wearing floor marking tapes are available for forklift and vehicle traffic. Choose the tape to suit the loading and the substrate.

How long does it take to mark out a warehouse?

With self-adhesive tape, downtime stays short, because the tape can be used immediately after application. Paints, on the other hand, need drying time and closure of the area.

Related solutions and sectors

• Floor marking in warehouses and logistics
• Retrofitting anti-slip protection on industrial floors
• Making car parks non-slip and marking them
• Photoluminescent escape route marking
• Non-slip cable mats to prevent trip hazards

Further information (in German): DGUV Information 208-041: assessing slip hazards under operating conditions

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Mark areas clearly and safely

We match colours, materials and slip resistance to your buildings, walkways and outdoor areas.

• Free consultation – a marking concept for your hall, warehouse or outdoor area
• Ready for traffic immediately – self-adhesive solutions with no drying time
• Slip-resistant by design – marking that does not create a new hazard
• Custom symbols – arrows, pictograms and shapes as ready-made cut pieces

Enquire now – we will develop your slip-resistant floor marking from planning to installation.