Basics of Pipe Marking Safety Regulations

While the pipes in our homes are generally out of sight, out of mind, pipes in industrial settings are often in full display and even handled regularly by the facility's employees. It is for this reason that pipe marking is essential for workplace safety.

For instance, pipes at an industrial facility often contain hazardous materials. Just like any other container that stores hazardous materials, piping systems should be labeled to make people aware of the hazards.

While companies should provide the safest work environment possible without outside influence, there are centralized safety standards provided by The American National Standards Institute (ANSI/ASME). There have a voluntary standardization system in place that requires its constituency of private and public sector organizations to properly mark hazardous materials in piping systems.

Whether you are a worker just interested in what to expect in regards to pipe safety labeling or a upper level management responsible for implementing safety procedures, here is what is expected:

One of the purposes of having centralized regulations for pipe marking safety is that there is one set of safety rules that can be used if/when workers go from one facility to the next. In addition to worker safety, uniformity is also important for emergency response workers who need to know the nature of an injury which would correspond to the labeling features, since they are unique to each type of hazard (as you will see in the list below).

According to A13.1, the color should be used to identify the hazards contained in pipes. However, regulation does not apply to buried pipes or electrical conduits.

Pipe markers are assigned a color depending on the nature of the hazard:

• White text on a red background - Fire-quenching fluids

• Black text on an orange background - Toxic and corrosive fluids

• Black text on a yellow background - Flammable fluids

• White text on a brown background - Combustible fluids

• White text on a green background - Potable, cooling, boiler feed and other water

• White text on a blue background - Compressed air

Additional considerations in regards to pipe safety regulations include specific keywords related to the type of hazard in full or abbreviated form. The safety label must also be located in the optimal spot on the pipe to ensure easy visibility. There must also be arrows that indicate the direction the materials are flowing.

Untold numbers of workplace injuries and property damage have occurred due to worker error in turning valves or disconnecting pipes at the wrong time or place. The ANSI pipe marking safety standards help minimize these errors, prevent injuries and even save lives.