5 Common Ways to Use Flagging Tape
Non-adhesive flagging tapes are used in a variety of industries as an easy, temporary color-coding and safety marking solution. Its ease of use, bright colors, and ability to resist fading makes it ideal for increasing visibility of hazards and landmarks across a range of applications.
Here are 5 of the most common uses for flagging tapes:
Building and Construction: Contractors and construction workers use flagging tape to mark things such as sewers and drain lines, gas and oil lines, and electrical operations such as power lines and lighting cables. This makes it easy to recognize and locate potential hazards, reducing the risk of injury on the job site.
Forestry: Flagging tape is used in forestry to mark trees and trails, including indicating trees to be logged, unhealthy or hazardous trees, and trail paths. The brightly colored tape makes it easy for loggers to know which trees to target and allows hikers to easily know which way a trail leads, adding an extra measure of safety.
Surveying: Surveying is yet another job that relies on the help of flagging tape. In a surveying application, flagging tape is used to indicate property boundaries and landmarks that have been measured out by land surveyors. Being able to properly mark their findings would be nearly impossible without the help of flagging tape.
Mining: One of the top concerns in the mining industry is safety and flagging tape is used to keep miners as safe as possible. It can be used to mark many different areas, including reference points and drilling holes to reduce the chance of an accident caused by lack of preparedness or communication of dangers present on the job site.
Disasters and Emergencies: Flagging tape can be used in the event of emergencies and disasters to indicate patient status–critical condition, non-seriously injured, not injured, or deceased. This allows emergency responders to efficiently care for people based on the severity of their needs, especially in the event that a large number of people have been injured. Flagging tape can also be used to mark proposed evacuation routes or potable water locations – both vital in an emergency situation.
Whether you are a contractor or first responder in an emergency, flagging tape is a critical tool to have in your toolbox. To find a flagging tape for your application, visit Shurtape.com.
Six Great Ways To Use Flagging Tape
Both highly visible and weather resistant, flagging tape is one of the most widely used products in construction and many other industries. It's bright colors often have a universal code in each industry creating a "visual shorthand" that saves time, money, and lives. Here are six of the most essential ways to use flagging tape:
Surveying. Flagging tape is used by surveyors to designate boundaries of land intended for a specific purpose. Because these markers often remain in place for months and even years while a project is in development, it is important that the color of the tape remains bright through the duration of the job. This is one of the hallmarks of flagging tape - it's color won't fade over time regardless of sun, wind, rain or other weather conditions.
Forestry. Flagging tape is widely used in forestry to mark trees for various purposes. One color can indicate trees designated for logging and another to mark an unhealthy tree or one that may pose a potential hazard. Other colors are used to mark trails or other points of interest for visitors. Foresters can also use the tape to highlight animal habitats or alert people to hidden dangers.
Disasters. Emergency crews and first responders use flagging tape to relay information to crew members during a disaster. Red is used to indicate patients with serious injuries in need of immediate attention. Yellow denotes persons with serious, but non life-threatening conditions. Green conveys non-serious injuries that can wait for attention. And black is used to mark the deceased. The use of flagging tape for these types of emergency situations can truly save lives.
Mining. In mining and other industries where safety is a primary factor, flagging tape is extremely useful in almost every step of the operation. It can marking reference points as well as identify drill holes to name just a few.
Hospitals. Flagging tape has multiple uses in a hospital environment. Hospital equipment is often color coded with flagging tape so that if is transported to another area of the hospital, it can be returned to the proper place. Medications are also tagged with different colored flagging tape to avoid patients receiving medication that may potentially be dangerous.
Wildland Fire Suppression. Firefighters often lay flagging tape while walking to a wildfire - the purpose is twofold: it aids other firefighters in quickly locating the site and also helps them safely and easily find their way back.
What is Flagging Tape and How is it Used?
Flagging tape is popular for many reasons, but there is one primary reason why it’s a mainstay in numerous industries: ease-of-use.
Tape can be set up as a quick method of safety marking or to colour-code key areas. Most flagging tape is designed to resist fading and natural wear-and-tear, making it ideal for marking hazards and points of interest. However, it needs to be used properly in order to function well.
Below, we discuss what flagging tape is, what its colour code means, how to use it and the industries that use it the most.
What is Flagging Tape?
So, what makes flagging tape different compared to other types of tape? Primarily, it’s the colour and non-adhesive nature.
Flagging tape, by design, “flags” and highlights things. This means it tends to be brighter than other types of tape, as well as using more eye-catching PVC, vinyl or cellulose-based materials.
Its purpose varies on an industry-by-industry basis, but if you need to highlight something, then flagging tape will help.
In total, flagging tape is regularly used in the following industries:
Forestry – for marking unhealthy trees, logging, invasive species, saplings or wildlife fire suppression.
Construction – for marking numerous hazards such as drains, electrical lines, gas pipes and cables. Wherever there is a hazard on a construction site, flagging tape will be around it.
Surveying – signposting landmark and property boundaries.
Outdoor recreation – it helps to mark walking paths and other methods of navigation for activities like orienteering, hunting, biking, paintballing and caving.
Disaster response – whenever a natural disaster occurs, flagging tape is used to set up medical triages and safety zones.
Overall, the resilience and multi-faceted nature of flagging tape is why it’s useful in numerous industries.
What Do The Flagging Tape Colours Mean
The tapes’ colours can vary slightly by industry, but there is a loose colour code they follow. Each colour represents a different level of danger:
Pink – temporary survey markers.
Red – electrical cables, lighting cables, etc.
Orange – communication lines, cables, etc.
Yellow – gas, oil, steam, petroleum and gaseous pipes.
Green – sewers and drains.
Blue – water pipes.
Purple – irrigation, reclaimed water and slurry lines.
White – proposed excavation routes.
The above may not be relevant to other industries such as forestry or outdoor recreation, but it is relevant for any safety-related discipline. Otherwise, the type of tape used will follow that industry’s internal colour code.
How to Use Flagging Tape
The primary aspect of good flagging tape practice is ensuring it is visible to everyone.
This means leaving plenty of space between the flagging tape and what it is marking, correctly tying it to postings, assembling postings so they stay upright in troublesome conditions and using the correct colour.
If you follow common sense, figuring out how to use flagging tape should be rather easy. Always try to assemble it with long-term use in mind.
Get High-Quality, Dependable Flagging Tape Today
If you’re looking for high-quality tape in a variety of colours and patterns, then try our range of flagging tapes today.
