The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

One of the fundamental rules of OSHA with regard to the marking of aisles is simply that they have to be marked. It doesn't matter if the method is with straight lines, broken segments or dots, so long as the aisle is clearly delineated. Thus, the aisle marking tape can be cut up to save tape, or simply laid out to avoid any hassle. The aisles themselves also have to meet a set of minimum widths, depending on what the aisle is supposed to be used for. In all cases, the width of a regular pathway is supposed to be at least 4 feet wide, or 3 feet wider than the width of the largest object that is expected to pass through it, whichever is wider. These are the guidelines for general access passages. Sub-aisles, or corridors within sections that are not meant for being traversed by human and mechanical traffic on a regular basis, have less stringent standards. For instance, emergency exit access routes ought to be at least 2 feet and 4 inches wide, while those that allow ingress and egress to rooms that contain objects likely to catch fire need to be at least 3 feet wide. It isn't the most comfortable or spacious of arrangements, but at least the risk of being trampled while trying to escape a section or the building itself is relatively low. While aisle measurements are regulations that demand compliance, the color coding schemes for the aisle marking tape are merely recommendatory in nature. Still, it doesn't hurt to consider adopting them, if only for the fact that the system has gained widespread acclaim and many companies use it to promote uniformity. A standard color legend makes communication and identification of what the marking tape is supposed to represent much easier, so that instead of having to read a whole bunch of words, a worker can simply cast his gaze for a few seconds at the color of the tape, and immediately be made aware of the situation at hand.