Parking lot safety at work deserves regular attention. Clear markings, visible signs, and ongoing maintenance help create a safer environment for employees and visitors.
Your parking lot is also the first point of contact many people have with your business or organization. A poorly maintained or confusing lot can create a negative first impression.
During busy morning and evening hours, when employees arrive and leave, congestion can increase the risk of accidents. In the confined space of a parking lot, even a little confusion can lead to problems.
How to Improve Parking Lot Safety
The following steps can help make your parking lot safer, easier to navigate, and more organized for employees and visitors.
1. Refresh Your Parking Lot Striping
Parking lot striping fades over time and can eventually become difficult to see. Clearly marked parking spaces help drivers know where to park and keep the lot organized. Along with standard spaces, provide the required accessible parking spaces and markings. Blue paint and accessibility-symbol stencils are commonly used, but the layout, signs, and markings must meet applicable ADA, state, and local requirements.
For assigned parking, use number stencils to identify individual spaces or stencil the word “Reserved” in the appropriate stalls. Clear identification helps prevent confusion and conflicts between drivers.
Pavement markings also help direct traffic. If your lot has multiple entrances and exits, clearly identify the direction of travel. Large stenciled arrows help drivers understand which way to enter or leave the lot and move through each row.
2. Improve Parking Lot Signage
Clear parking lot signs help improve traffic flow and communicate your rules. Directional traffic signs show drivers where to go. Properly placed reflective stop signs help drivers identify where to stop and can reduce conflicts with pedestrians and other vehicles.
No parking and fire lane signs identify areas that must remain clear, including access routes for emergency vehicles. Reserved and accessible parking signs show drivers which spaces they may use. Tow Away Zone signs communicate the consequences of parking in restricted areas.
Choosing appropriate speed control measures is another important part of parking lot safety. Slower speeds give drivers more time to respond to hazards in confined areas. Post an appropriate speed limit where drivers can easily see it.
Sun exposure and weather gradually cause signs to fade. Inspect your parking lot signs annually to check that they remain readable and effective, and replace signs that have become difficult to see.
Also consider the reflectivity of your parking lot signs. Critical signs such as Stop and Do Not Enter signs need to remain visible at night. Choose sign materials that meet the applicable requirements for the sign and location. “High intensity” is not a universal requirement for every sign; the appropriate material depends on the relevant standards and local specifications. Poorly maintained or unsuitable signs can create safety and compliance concerns.
3. Use Surveillance Cameras and Signs
Even with clear rules and a well-maintained parking lot, accidents, disputes, and crimes can still occur. Security cameras can help protect your business and employees by recording incidents. Visible cameras may also discourage criminal activity.
Recorded footage can help you review an incident after it happens. Knowing that activity is recorded, and possibly monitored in real time, may also help employees feel more secure in the parking lot.
Make visitors aware of your camera system by posting video surveillance signs in the areas covered by cameras. Clear signs let employees and visitors know that recording is in use and can reinforce the system’s deterrent effect.
Maintain and Review Parking Lot Safety
Once your parking lot is organized and easier to navigate, continue reviewing its safety and effectiveness. Post parking lot rules where employees and visitors can see them to remind everyone of their role in keeping the area safe.
Parking lot striping paint and signs will eventually fade and need attention. Address new safety concerns as they arise, and make upkeep part of your regular maintenance routine.
Protecting employees and visitors is the priority, and a well-maintained parking lot also reflects positively on your organization. Browse our selection of parking lot signs to find options for your property.