Safety Belt Barrier Stanchions

What The Color Yellow Says About Risk

Most of us recognize that bright yellow means extra caution is required. But where does this association come from? As it turns out, yellow is the brightest of the visible colors and is therefore literally the most noticeable to our eyes. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that both the American National Standards Institute and OSHA assign special importance to the color yellow, or that our safety retractable belt barrier stanchion collection emphasizes this safety color.

ANSI advises the use of safety yellow for “Caution”. For instance, yellow should be used for the following scenarios:

-Messages about safety-wear recommendations for operating certain machinery
-Day-to-day hazards such as wet floors
-Notification of construction or employee-only zones
-Warnings for exposed ledges
-Warnings for moving equipment or other potential physical hazards

OSHA too considers yellow the appropriate color for communicating hazard warnings. Think of yellow as the universal warning of potential injury.

What Other Colors Say About Risk

Bright and noticeable as it may be, yellow is not the only warm-tone color used for cautionary messaging. ANSI suggests orange for situations where the risk potential is even higher. If yellow indicates the risk of injury, orange indicates the risk of serious injury or death.

According to Ansi, orange should be used for “Warning” type messages like the following:

-High voltage areas with electrical hazards
-Work sites, especially where exposed, moving machinery may be present
-Road construction

Red on the other hand should be used for “Danger” cautions and fire hazards, according to ANSI. For instance red might be used for the following situations:

-Fire extinguishers and alarms
-Emergency buttons, switches, and levers
-Flammable materials

Our safety retractable belt barriers accommodate each of these precautionary colors by offering red safety belt barriers or posts, orange safety belt barriers or posts, or the most common yellow safety belt barriers and posts.

When To Use Safety Stanchions

Safety stanchions with yellow belts and posts can be useful tools for workplace safety plans and, when used properly and with the guidance of an OSHA professional, an integral part of OSHA compliance. Most loading docks are 48 inches or more above the ground and therefore require sturdy, physical guards or barriers strong enough for fall protection, sustaining the weight of a person or even a forklift. However, OSHA sometimes allows visual barriers when physical barriers would significantly interrupt the flow of work, (and if the local state regulations allow). In such cases yellow retractable belt barrier safety stanchions might be useful as visual barriers. These safety stanchions should have yellow posts, and even include yellow in the belt barrier as well. They are useful for their ability to be easily extended and clipped into place or retracted again. Since many loading docks have metal frames, magnetic belt barriers may be useful as well. Regardless of your plan, make sure to consult your OSHA specialist and bear in mind these stanchions do not suffice as “fall protection”. These stanchions are instead useful for communicating caution with their high-visibility yellow cautionary colors.