(InSite Solutions: Wake Forest, NC) -- One of the key objectives of lean initiatives is to identify waste, or muda, and it can be found in almost any action that takes place in a facility. Every employee should be educated about identifying muda in their daily workflow, to maximize improvements in overall operational efficiency.

Every industrial facility that uses indoor vehicles such as forklifts are required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to mark aisles and passageways for the safety of pedestrians. OSHA requires the aisle marking to remain in place for the lifetime of the facility. Let’s take a look at how the method used for creating and maintaining highly visible floor markings could be causing wasted materials and wasted manpower, considering OSHA’s floor marking requirement is not likely to change.

Aisles and passageways are commonly marked with paint. Paint doesn’t adhere well to concrete, so the floor must usually be prepped by bead blasting or etching to rough up the surface so that the paint will have something to grab.

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