Warehouse Walkway Line Marking

Minimum 1.0m for single-direction walkways, but we recommend 1.2m-1.5m for warehouses with significant foot traffic. Two-way walkways need minimum 1.5m width, though 2.0m is better for busy facilities. A logistics centre in Truganina had 0.8m walkways that forced workers to step into forklift zones when passing each other. We widened them to 1.5m and incidents dropped immediately. The width also depends on clearance from racking. AS/NZS 1428.1 requires additional space if racking or equipment protrudes into the walkway zone.

Yellow indicates caution and pedestrian zones. It's the standard colour for warehouse walkways because it stands out against grey concrete and alerts forklift drivers to pedestrian areas. White lines indicate general traffic lanes or boundaries. We use white for forklift lanes and vehicle aisles. So a typical warehouse has yellow pedestrian walkways crossing white forklift lanes, with the intersection marked by yellow/black zebra hatching for maximum visibility. Some facilities use green for emergency evacuation routes to differentiate them from standard walkways.

Yes, if you use the right materials. Standard acrylic paint wears quickly where forklifts cross pedestrian walkways. We learned this at a warehouse in Campbellfield. Crossing points were worn through in six months because 40+ forklifts crossed them daily. We switched to two-pack epoxy or thermoplastic for all crossing zones. Five years later those high-traffic intersections still look excellent while the adjacent painted sections have been refreshed twice. The material costs more but eliminates constant maintenance.

Absolutely, and it's increasingly common in large warehouses. Directional arrows prevent workers and visitors taking shortcuts or creating chaotic traffic patterns. A distribution centre in Somerton had workers walking both directions in the same 1.2m walkway, causing congestion and near-misses. We marked one-way directional systems with large arrows every 5-10 metres and installed separate return walkways. Traffic flow improved immediately and the operations manager said worker complaints about congestion dropped by 80%.

High-visibility zebra crossings are standard. We paint yellow and black diagonal stripes (typically 300mm wide stripes) across the forklift lane where the pedestrian walkway crosses. These create an obvious visual alert for forklift drivers. Many facilities also want "STOP" or "LOOK" painted in the walkway approaching the crossing, similar to road crossings. Some warehouses add rumble strip textures or reflective materials for night operations. A cold storage facility in Laverton North added raised profile to crossing points so forklifts felt a bump, reminding drivers to check for pedestrians.

Yes, we section the work to maintain operations. Typical approach: mark half the warehouse Saturday night/Sunday while operations use the other half, then complete the remaining sections the following weekend. Paint cures in 2-4 hours depending on temperature, so areas can be reopened quickly. A 20,000m² warehouse in Dandenong South needed complete walkway systems installed. We worked four consecutive Sunday nights (8pm-6am shifts), completing different sections each week. Operations continued Monday-Saturday without disruption. The facility manager told us most workers didn't realize we'd marked 3,200 linear metres of walkways until the fourth week.