WHS Legends Line Marking

Both serve important functions but floor legends have distinct advantages in industrial environments. Wall signs work well for general information and directional wayfinding. But floor legends appear exactly where the hazard exists, at ground level where workers naturally look while performing tasks. A logistics centre in Truganina had wall signs warning about forklift traffic at crossings. Workers still walked into vehicle zones without looking because they were focused on their scanners or paperwork. We painted "STOP - FORKLIFT CROSSING - LOOK BOTH WAYS" on the floor at each crossing point. Incidents dropped from 6-8 near-misses per month to less than 1. The facility manager said workers can't ignore warnings painted directly in their walking path.

AS 1319:1994 specifies exactly which colours communicate which messages. Red indicates danger, prohibition, or stop (use for "NO PEDESTRIANS", "DANGER - OVERHEAD LOAD", "STOP"). Yellow indicates caution or physical hazard (use for "CAUTION - FORKLIFT TRAFFIC", "TRIP HAZARD", "MIND YOUR HEAD"). Blue indicates mandatory actions required (use for "WEAR HARD HAT", "EYE PROTECTION REQUIRED", "STOP AT THIS LINE"). Green indicates safety equipment, emergency routes, or safe conditions (use for "EMERGENCY EXIT", "FIRST AID", "SAFE ZONE"). Orange indicates warning or attention needed. These colour codes must be consistent across your facility for instant recognition.

Yes, if you use appropriate materials. Standard acrylic paint wears through quickly under forklift traffic. We learned this at a cold storage facility in Laverton North where "STOP" legends at doorways wore through in four months. We switched to two-pack epoxy for all floor legends in forklift zones. Five years later those same legends still look excellent despite constant traffic. For extremely high-traffic areas (main aisle intersections with 100+ daily forklift movements), thermoplastic provides even better durability. The material costs more but eliminates constant repainting and ensures safety warnings remain visible when workers need them most.

Symbols alone work well for standard warnings covered by AS 1319. The "no pedestrians" symbol (person in red circle with slash), "wear hard hat" symbol (hard hat in blue circle), and "forklift traffic" symbol (forklift in yellow triangle) communicate universally without text. But complex or site-specific warnings benefit from text in relevant languages. A warehouse in Somerton employed workers speaking Vietnamese, Mandarin, and limited English. We painted "STOP" in English, Vietnamese, and Mandarin at forklift crossings, plus the standard stop hand symbol. The operations manager said it eliminated confusion and demonstrated genuine care for worker safety regardless of language barriers.

Point-of-hazard is the golden rule. "FORKLIFT CROSSING" goes at the intersection itself, not 3 metres before it. "WEAR HEARING PROTECTION" goes at the entry to noisy zones, painted across the threshold so workers step over it. "EMERGENCY EXIT" arrows should appear every 10-15 metres along evacuation routes. "STOP" legends need to be positioned where workers can actually stop safely, not so close to the hazard that stopping is impossible. Size matters too. Small 300mm legends disappear in large warehouses. We typically use 600mm-1200mm legends for main warnings depending on viewing distances and traffic speeds. A distribution centre in Dandenong South had tiny floor warnings that workers couldn't see until they were already past them. We enlarged all safety legends to 800mm minimum. Visibility improved dramatically.

Absolutely. Standard AS 1319 symbols cover common hazards, but every facility has unique risks. We've created custom legends for: "CONFINED SPACE - PERMIT REQUIRED", "EXPLOSIVE ATMOSPHERE - NO MOBILE PHONES", "FRAGILE ROOF - FALL RISK", "BATTERY CHARGING - NO SPARKS", "OVERHEAD CRANE OPERATING", "AUTOMATED GUIDED VEHICLE ZONE". We design these using appropriate AS 1319 colour coding (yellow for caution, red for danger, blue for mandatory actions) combined with clear text and relevant graphics. A manufacturing facility in Scoresby had specialized chemical processes requiring custom warnings. We designed six unique floor legends specific to their operations, received approval from their safety manager, and installed them using durable epoxy. WorkSafe inspector commended them during their audit for clear, specific hazard identification.