Deeply invested in the success of their company, business owners are concerned with every aspect of their company’s growth. And while they keep careful watch on sales figures and reputation, above all else they are concerned with the safety of their employees. Good business owners take all precautions to avoid on-the-job injuries.

One way in which they accomplish this involves the use of commercial striping. With commercial striping, painting companies are hired to paint stop signs, lines, and other markings to provide for worker safety as well as efficient workflow.

Don Wolfram, former facilities manager of Waukesha Dresser (now GE Energy), knows firsthand the importance of striping.

“We built big engines and it was about a million square feet under one roof,” he explained. “I couldn’t imagine having a facility that size without any line markings or direction.”

Before retiring, Wolfram worked 44 years for the company, starting on the ground floor as a hand trucker. Moving through various jobs up to management, he was able to experience the importance of safety from all positions. But how exactly did striping contribute so greatly to the facility’s safety?

Don explained that because so many activities were happening at once, it was necessary to clearly mark areas designated for these goings-on. For example, a marked aisle for foot traffic and a separately marked aisle for forklifts would keep walkers from stepping in front of a moving vehicle.

“If you’re not thinking and you step out in one of these forklifts it would be serious,” he said. “We always took safety as number one. I used to tell my employees that there isn’t an engine worth building if someone gets killed, hurt or maimed.”

While striping is obviously vital to maintain safety for workers, it’s also exceptionally important to ensure the safety of visitors. Unfamiliar with the day-to-day operations of the facility, tour groups and inspectors could easily wander into off-limits areas or near dangerous machinery. But with the bright and clearly marked striping lines, they are able to easily understand the facility’s safety procedures. As Don says, “It made it real straightforward.”

In addition to safety, striping also keeps a facility running smoothly and efficiently. Areas marked specifically for deliveries can be kept clear of other objects, allowing incoming materials to be quickly and easily placed and found.

“It was a lot of common sense type stuff. It seemed to work real well for us,” said Don, who regularly called on Lakeside’s commercial painters to check for paint wear and make adjustments when needed.

For more information about safety striping, contact Lakeside Painting online or at (262) 642-9445.