Visibility or reflective strips are great for making things visible, particularly at night. The majority of these strips are reflective and brightly colored, so they live up to their name. You see them most often in yellow, red, and white, but other colors are available. They are useful to both businesses and individuals and improve the safety of workers, clients, and customers.
It is important to understand how and where to use visibility strips to reduce the risk of a dangerous fall or other accident.
On Mailboxes
Paramedics and firefighters often mention their inability to get to a house or business quickly because they cannot see the numbers or names on mailboxes. Some have even passed the address and had to turn back because no numbers were visible. You can use visibility strips along with reflective numbers on both sides of your mailbox or its post to highlight the mailbox. This also can stop motorists from accidentally clipping your mailbox if it is close to the road.
On Poles, Fences, and Gates
Farmers and people who live on large unlit tracts of land can use these strips to mark their fences, gates, and poles. This keeps livestock and people from accidentally walking, driving, or running into them.
On Small Steps
Have you ever noticed how certain times of pavement, carpet, concrete, and flooring make a single or small step blend in? With the age of sunken living rooms came the age of people tripping over a single small step. Entry steps and unexpected steps also present a hazard for guests and customers. Visibility strips can help prevent accidental falls over these small steps.
On Stair Cases
Although not as vital in homes, businesses with a second story need to have some sort of sight aid for their staircases. Many antique shops, small businesses, and other retail outlets are built-in older homes. Although these are not the only places you find staircases, they are places where you find narrow or uneven stairs. A quick application of a 12-inch visibility strip can help save you a costly customer fall.
There are also numerous court cases cited where a single smaller step in a staircase causes a very bad accident. Your brain automatically records the depth of the first few stairs in a staircase. When one step is different than the others, the person can very easily fall. A visibility marker on the uneven step can prevent this from happening and save you a lawsuit.
On Uneven Flooring
Again not as important in homes, but a must for businesses is marking uneven concrete or flooring. These strips come in both nail down and stick down types. Factory floors are notorious for being uneven or cracked. A business can reduce its liability by clearly marking the uneven spots that may cause a fall hazard.
On Your Vehicles or Bicycle
Reflective strips come in aluminum mounted or adhesive-backed. The adhesive-backed strips are perfect for those who need a bit of visibility on their vehicles. This works particularly well for motorcyclists and bicyclists ride at night. These strips can be used on helmets, crossbars, tanks, and other surfaces to improve your chances of being seen clearly on the road. This may be especially helpful for bicyclists or those who ride the quieter sportbikes because they are difficult to hear and almost unnoticeable at night.
Some companies that have fleet cars use these strips as an added safety measure. They are easily attached to bumpers, equipment, and company vehicles.
No matter what you use them for, these strips are an excellent way to make sure that hazards are clearly marked. This increases safety and decreases overall liability. Their bright colors are great for warning people in daylight, and because they are reflective, they also work well at night.
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