Pavement marking of streets, roads and highways

National Safety Council
Data Sheet 643 Rev. May 2005
Pavement marking of streets, roads
and highways
3. Basically there are two types of units
presently being used for center lining
streets, roads and highways. The machine
shown in Figure 1 straddles the centerline
and the paint guns are mounted under the
center of the machine. This striper is usually
smaller than the conventional truck-mounted unit, and is practical for use in municipalities where traffic is more congested than in
rural areas. Inasmuch as this machine also is
used in rural areas on two-lane roads with
horizontal and vertical curves, precautions
must be taken to protect the operation from
oncoming traffic. This can be done with a
lead truck in advance of the striper equipped
with warning lights as well as with signs
advising of the infringement of the centerline. The striper also should have warning
flasher lights to make vehicles approaching
from the rear aware of the operation. A follow-up vehicle also should be used to direct
traffic around the operation.
4. The striper unit in Figures 2 and 3 illustrates a truck-mounted unit that is primarily
used by state and county agencies. It is
equipped with the paint guns mounted on
a carriage on both right and left sides of the
truck. These carriages extend out to the
centerline, lane line or edge line, whichever is being painted. The operators on this
type of unit are in a much safer position
because they are higher on the truck bed
rather than low to the ground as on a selfpropelled machine.
5. The larger striping machines are usually
equipped with the capability of heating the
Figure 1. A paint striper straddling the centerline.
Figure 2. A striper unit on the job applying center
(Courtesy Redland Prismo Corp.)
and edge lines with a right-hand rigger.
aintaining pavement markings, such
as centerlines, edge lines and lane
lines on streets, roads and highways,
involves various hazards that could lead to
personal injury for the worker, or general
public, as well as property damage.
2. This data sheet will discuss the hazards
involved in applying pavement markings,
and what cautions should be taken to prevent any possible personal injuries.
M
Highway-marking units
(Courtesy Kelly-Cresswell Co. Inc.)
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National Safety Council
Data Sheet 643 Rev. May 2005
Figure 3. A striper with a left-hand rigger applying
center and edge lines.
(Courtesy Kelly-Cresswell Co. Inc.)
paints prior to their being applied to the pavement (see Figure 4). The purpose of this
operation is to reduce drying time and the
need to protect freshly painted lines. Heated
material also may be applied in colder weather, therefore extending the striping season in
northern states and Canada. The adoption of
heated paints tends to increase personnel
hazards because a furnace heats oil or other
medium, such as water/glycol, in a heat
exchanger, which transfers heat to the paint
flowing through tubes in the heat exchanger.
Because the transfer medium is heated to a
high temperature, up to 425° F, a cutoff
switch should be installed to shut the heater
down in the event of a malfunction.
Operating procedures should specify that all
lines are inspected daily and a sign-off sheet
should indicate the name of the inspector.
6. In addition to heating systems, the unit
also will be carrying solvent for flushing the
paint guns and gasoline or diesel fuel to
operate the truck and air compressor. The
solvents should be stored in UL/FM
marked containers. The proper “flammable” and/or “combustible” signs should be
displayed on the exterior of the truck along
with written information within the cab
indicating the types of material being trans-
Figure 4. A view of a thermostatically controlled
heat unit mounted beneath a truck.
(Courtesy Redland Prismo Corp.)
ported. In the event of a fire, this information could aid a department in using the
proper methods in putting out a chemical
fire. It is also very important that proper fire
extinguishers be mounted on the striper
and personnel be trained to extinguish a
small fire if it should ever start.
7. Another product used in the striping
operation is glass beads. The beads are
derived from glass that is formed to specifications and is sprayed by air pressure into
the wet paint line that has just been applied
to the pavement (see Figure 5 top). The
markings are then more visible by the vehicle operator during night-time driving when
the headlights strike the glass beads, and
the tight beam reflects back to the driver
off the glass. All pavement markings to be
seen at night should be impregnated with
these beads. The glass beads are usually
packaged to 50-pound waterproof paper
bags and are manually transferred into a
steel tank on the deck of the striper.
8. The transferring of glass beads to the bead
tank requires the person performing the task
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National Safety Council
Data Sheet 643 Rev. May 2005
to wear adequate eye protection such as full
goggles, because the beads are abrasive and
could cause serious injuries. Glass beads
spilled on the steel bed of the truck will cause
a very slippery condition; therefore, care
should be taken to keep the truck bed clean.
Any spill should be cleaned up immediately.
Personnel should also be trained on proper lifting methods to prevent any back injuries when
lifting the 50-pound bags of glass beads.
Hand-propelled stripers
9. A small hand-propelled paint striper (see
Figure 5) or a hot thermoplastic hand liner
(see Figure 6) is used primarily to install
pavement markings, such as stop lines, railroad markings, crosswalks, left-turn markings and the like. The thermoplastic material
is extruded or sprayed onto the pavement in
a hot molten form, and dries much quicker
than paint, and is more durable because it is
applied at a heavier thickness than paint. It is
quite rare today for an agency to use a hand
striper for any centerline operation that
extends a significant distance because of
the difficulty in applying a straight line.
10. The safety aspects of this operation are
a prime consideration, but may vary somewhat depending on the line striping operation. The crews, including the flag persons,
should be well trained and equipped with the
proper protective equipment, such as safety
vests or high-visibility clothing, hard hats,
safety glasses or goggles, safety shoes, etc.
If there is a lane closure at the work site, it is
imperative that the proper channelization
devices be used, such as traffic cones or
Type I barricades to assure the safety of both
the workers and traveling public.
Wet paint protection
11. The most common method of protecting wet paint is to set traffic cones on the
line until the paint is dry. This may be done
by someone sitting low to the ground on a
Figure 5. Striper units that are used in industry and
for small jobs by some city/county organizations.
(Courtesy: Redland Prismo Corp.)
pick-up truck. The same procedure is used
by another vehicle picking up the cones.
The workers on the back of the pick-up
truck should be strapped in with a seat
belt, so they will not fall when leaning over
to set out or pick up the traffic cones.
12. The ideal method is to use fast-dry
paint which would require only a back-up
truck to follow and protect the wet line for
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National Safety Council
Data Sheet 643 Rev. May 2005
intercom system between the driver in the
cab and the operator on the rear deck to
enhance the safety of the overall operation.
19. When working with white or yellow
centerline paint, care should be taken to
avoid contact with open cuts or abrasions
of the skin, because it could cause serious
poisoning in the system due to the lead
chromate ingredients in the paint.
Acknowledgment
This data sheet was prepared by the Public Employee
Section of the Industrial Department, National Safety
Council, 1121 Spring Lake Drive, Itasca, IL 60143.
Figure 6. Worker applying a thermoplastic centerline. Material dries in seconds and does not require
wetline protection.
(Courtesy: Redland Prismo Corporation.)
Sources of information
Florida Department of Transportation, 605 Suwannee
Street, Tallahassee. FL 32399.
Illinois Department of Transportation, 2300 South
Dirksen Parkway, Springfield, IL 62764.
a short duration, eliminating the need for
the traffic cone crews.
Kelly-Creswell, 261 S. Collier St., Xenia, OH 45385.
Additional recommendations
Redland Prismo Corp., 79 Montgomery St.,
Montgomery, PA 17752.
13. All equipment should be painted with
high-visibility paint and have adequate
flasher warning lights.
14. Hoists used to lift 55-gallon drums of
paint onto the striper should be designed
to lift no less than 1,000 pounds as a drum
of paint could weigh up to 850 pounds. If
the hoist is part of the striper, it should be
used only when the truck is on level
ground, otherwise the hoist boom could
swing around, causing an accident.
15. At no time should gasoline be used for
cleaning of parts or equipment. Only the use
of recommended solvents should be used.
16. Solvents arc volatile, therefore, smoking should not be allowed within 20 feet of
the vehicle.
17. Ladders installed for mounting and dismounting the units should be provided with
skid-proof tread materials.
18. The striper should be equipped with an
Lake County Highway Department, Winchester Rd.,
Libertyville, IL 60048.
Stonehouse Signs Inc., P.O. Box 546-T, Arvada, CO
80001.
State of Washington, Department of Transportation,
Highway Administration Building, 310 Maple Park
Ave., SE, PO Box 47300, Olympia, WA 98504-7300.
Virginia Department of Transportation, 1221 East
Broad St., Richmond, VA 23219.
American National Standards Institute Inc., 1819 L
St., NW, 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20036.
Olishifski, Julian B., ed. Fundamentals of Industrial
Hygiene, 2nd ed., Itasca, IL. National Safety Council.
Copyright ©2007 National Safety Council.
All rights reserved.
Although the information and recommendations contained in this publication have been compiled from
sources believed to be reliable, the National Safety
Council makes no guarantee as to, and assumes no
responsibility for, the correctness, sufficiency or
completeness of such information or recommendations. Other or additional safety measures may be
required under particular circumstances.
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