Even though most of us have seen colourful tapes laid down in warehouses, near swimming pools or even on high visibility vests, you might not have noticed exactly how prevalent they actually are. Not only do they come in multiple types, but they are also used virtually everywhere for many more tasks than people would even believe.
When a certain job requires people to often-times be in dangerous conditions adhesive safety tape can play a crucial role in ensuring the security and well-being of both workers and passers-by alike. Many of them also come with different backing material (the substance that holds the adhesive) that makes them capable of being applied to almost any surface, including metal, plastic or even cloth.
Reflective tape, as the name itself suggests, is a specific sort of tape that has a shiny reflective sheen that catches the eye easier. It is placed on objects in order to give them an element of light-reflecting visibility. Though reflective tape is the most commonly used, there are also a few other kinds of adhesive safety tapes that vary in utility.
– Barricade – These tapes are used to seal off certain still dangerous areas after there has been some sort of disaster like a traffic accident, chemical spill, or even as a warning to watch out for the heavy machinery.
– Hazard – Usually covering the floors, handrails and steps of nearly every factory, this particular type of tape is used to mark off more unsafe places while simultaneously acting as a guide to most people by forming differently coloured lines which all lead to a specified place.
– Non-skid – Rather than to get attention, this tape comes in varying width and length, and is used to cover surfaces that are frequently wet or slick in order to increase traction, but decrease the chances of anyone slipping.
– Phosphorescent – Much like with the reflective variety, phosphorescent tape is used primarily to attract attention by way of it’s brightness. Though while the qualities of reflective tape allow it to bounce back light more brightly, phosphorescent tape is purely made for weakly lit or dim places, since it can glow in the dark.
While they can have many uses based on the particular type that you find, the primary goals of all these types of adhesive safety tapes are to either attract the attention of anyone that sees them, in an attempt to warn of some sort of dangers up ahead, or to be used as an extra measure to reduce the risks of an accident occurring, which would make them very useful practically everywhere.
