With very few exceptions, what color should shipboard MHE always be painted?

Shipboard Material Handling Equipment (MHE) is conventionally painted yellow for several important reasons related to safety and visibility. Yellow is a highly visible color that stands out against most backgrounds found on ships, which helps in enhancing safety by making equipment easily recognizable. This can prevent accidents as personnel can quickly identify moving machinery and vehicles on a crowded and often chaotic deck.

The use of yellow also aligns with safety regulations and color codes established for industrial environments, emphasizing the importance of proper identification of equipment that operates in potentially hazardous areas. Such standards are crucial in ensuring that personnel are aware of their surroundings and can react appropriately to moving equipment, ultimately reducing the likelihood of accidents on deck.

In maritime operations, where space can be limited and visibility might be compromised, having a standardized color like yellow for MHE serves as a common language for safety across different ships and crews.