How Safety Cones Improve Workplace Safety & Compliance

Safety cones are frequently used to delineate specific zones in the workplace, which can reduce stress on workers and prevent costly accidents. Safety cones are also essential instruments for ensuring regulatory adherence, whether completing work indoors or in high-traffic areas. Below, we will explore common hazards in the workplace and how these visual barriers function to prevent workplace injuries while helping facilities meet OSHA compliance requirements.

Common Workplace Hazards

Safety cones can be used with other safety measures to provide guidance and protection in hazardous working environments or busy, high-traffic areas where injuries are more likely to occur. Some common examples include:

• Wet, slippery, or uneven floors. Wet and slippery floors could present a slip and fall hazard without proper markings, often following cleaning or when leaks occur. Uneven surfaces could also lead to slips or falls, making it important to mark debris, potholes, and other hazards.
• Construction, maintenance, or other work. If personnel are performing any type of work in a particular location, they can quickly block off the area to vehicles and pedestrians until the job is completed.
• Low visibility. In dark spaces with low lighting, reflective safety devices can help guide vehicle and foot traffic to keep them from veering off a safe pathway.

Safety Cone Applications

Safety cones are used in a range of operating environments to protect workers and other individuals in the surrounding area, with specific applications including:

• Indicating slip and fall zones and other workplace hazards
• Marking areas where general maintenance and utility work take place
• Marking traffic hazards or directing pedestrian traffic
• Surveying activities and providing additional guidance in areas with low visibility

To maximize their effectiveness, cones should be placed at regular intervals to create a continuous visual barrier well before the hazard is reached. They can also be deployed with other safety measures, such as barriers or gates, to help direct pedestrian traffic or to protect workers in warehouse environments.

Meeting Safety and Compliance Standards

When choosing safety cones for the workplace, it’s important to match your selection to the work environment while adhering to any relevant guidelines, including standard regulations and state or local laws. The following are some important considerations for choosing compliant safety cones.

Size and Height Requirements

In low-speed traffic areas, the MUTCD advises implementing safety cones that are at least 18 inches tall. Meanwhile, cones on highways need to be a minimum of 28 inches.

Color Requirements

Bright orange cones (with reflective collars for night work or dim conditions) effectively caution personnel and motorists while helping the cones stand apart from the surrounding environment.

Material Requirements

Materials like flexible PVC and heavy-duty rubber contribute to durability and weather resistance, which are essential for maintaining safety standards in changing environments.

Why Choose NASP for Safety Cones

When looking for high-quality safety cones for your workplace, it’s important to find the right products that maximize safety while maintaining regulatory compliance. At North American Safety Products, we offer safety cones for nearly any workplace safety application, helping you locate the ideal solutions based on your needs. In addition to safety cones, NASP carries a variety of safety products to protect workers, pedestrians, and equipment, including our Original Versa-Guard® barricade.

Want to learn more about our offerings and find what you need for your application? Explore our safety cone options today or request a free quote on our website.

OSHA & ANSI Safety Standards: What You Need to Know

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) establish safety standards designed to protect workers from a wide range of hazards in commercial, industrial, and municipal facilities, including falls, collisions with moving objects, and machine-related injuries. These standards address both active and passive safety measures, from personal fall protection gear to permanent guardrails, safety gates, machine-guarding barriers, and retractable or portable barricades used during maintenance or facility layout changes.

Organizations benefit from having personnel who understand these regulations and can select compliant safety solutions that protect employees, visitors, and equipment. Learn more about OSHA and ANSI requirements and how our safety products support full-facility compliance.

What Are OSHA and ANSI?

OSHA establishes mandatory workplace safety requirements that apply to different categories of safety, including fall protection, machinery safety, and more. ANSI is a non-profit organization that develops best practices for various products and processes, including workplace safety. Adherence to ANSI safety standards is voluntary, though it’s often part of the requirements for some certifications.

As a government agency, OSHA can legally enforce its requirements by having compliance safety and health officers (CSHOs) make unannounced inspections. Noncompliance (especially repeated noncompliance) leads to hefty penalties and fines.

Due to the benefits of ANSI compliance and the need for OSHA compliance, safety product manufacturers create products and services that directly align with the relevant safety standards. These solutions help organizations make purchases that they can trust to adhere to safety protocols and reduce the risk of noncompliance penalties.

Safety Equipment Standards Explained

OSHA’s 29 CFR 1910 and 29 CFR 1926 standards define the requirements for machine guarding and fall protection, including proper signage, training, and reporting. Much of the guidance, however, specifies the minimum design and performance attributes of safety equipment. For example, OSHA defines the required heights for mid-rails and top rails on perimeter barriers, as well as the types of barricades needed for guarding different machines, the perimeter coverage they must provide, and the acceptable construction materials.

While ANSI compliance isn’t required, many OSHA requirements reference ANSI safety standards, and maintaining both standards provides better results for overall worker safety and organizational standing.

How North American Safety Products Helps You Stay Compliant

North American Safety Products (NASP) specializes in facility safety, starting with our flagship Versa-Guard^® system—an OSHA-compliant, 25-pound expanding barricade designed to create safe, clearly defined barriers down aisles, around hazardous machinery, and throughout warehouse environments. Beyond Versa-Guard^®, we offer a full range of OSHA- and ANSI-compliant safety solutions to help your facility meet regulatory requirements, including:

All our OSHA safety equipment is customizable to meet the size and configuration needs of your facility.

Request a Compliance Consultation

The first step to complying with safety standards is identifying potential gaps in your facility and processes so you can provide targeted training and physical resources. Since 1995, North American Safety Products has provided facilities with Versa-Guard^® and other retractable OSHA safety equipment guarding solutions. Talk to our safety experts to find out where our solutions can protect your staff and help your business maintain OSHA compliance.