Pipeline Marking Legislation

Overview of the Pipeline Markings legislation.

There are both UK and European legislation requirements with regard to the marking of pipes.

To help comply with these legal requirements there are also UK and European Standards which standardise the colour schemes used when marking pipes.

There is a British Standard (BS 1710) and a European Standard (RAL).

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998, state that the risks to people's health and safety, from the equipment they use at work, must be assessed, prevented or controlled. The risks associated with working with pipelines can be prevented and controlled (where necessary) by using Valve Lockout Devices.

Pipes should be assessed as part of a risk assessment, required to comply with The Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

Marking of Pipelines

Employers must mark pipes that convey dangerous substances in order to comply with the Health & Safety (Safety Signs & Signals) Regulations 1996. These regulations govern the shape, colour & pattern of signs for pipe marking.

Also employers must assess the risks derived from hazardous substances within pipe work to comply with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. At a glance it is not possible to see what substance is flowing through a pipe, what direction it is moving, or what pressure it is under and therefore identifying these factors by labelling the pipes makes a risk assessment much easier.

EC Directive 92/58/EEC requires that all visible pipes containing or conveying dangerous substances and preparations be labelled with a symbol or pictogram against a coloured background.

In 1927 RAL took over a colour chart for lacquer and paints by order of the state and industry. By creating a unification of delivery conditions, RAL intended to help the lacquer and pigment industries in the efficient development of their production, and to create harmony in the use of colours throughout the world.

RAL colour coding system is the widely accepted Standard in Germany and throughout Europe and offers a harmony in the use of colour for coding systems. European Standard Pipemarkers use RAL colours for coding.

BS 1710 is the British Standard that specifies the colours for identification of pipes conveying fluids in above ground installations and on board ships on a generic basis. The standard requires information to be displayed in one and/or a combination of the following systems:

• name in full;
• abbreviation of name;
• chemical symbol;
• refrigerant number as specified in BS 4580;
• appropriate code indication colour bands.

cpdirect carries a full range of pipeline markings tape