Pipe Marking for Process

Safety Management (PSM)

Learn how to clearly communicate about highly hazardous
chemicals using ANSI and IIAR-compliant pipe markers
Contents
1 What Is Process Safety Management

2 Who Uses Process Safety Management

3 PSM and Visual Communication

4 General Pipe Marking Requirements

5 Ammonia Pipe Marking Requirements

6 Creating Pipe Marking Labels

7 Additional Resources

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What Is Process Safety
Management?
Process Safety Management (PSM) is an analytical tool used
to prevent the release of highly hazardous chemicals (HHCs).
According to OSHA, HHCs are chemicals that can pose physical or
health hazards to workers or the surrounding community. These
chemicals are usually toxic, reactive, flammable, and/or explosive.

OSHA standard CFR 1910.119, Process Safety Management of Highly

Hazardous Chemicals, covers the requirements for handling PSM in
the workplace. This standard was published in 1992. Businesses that
use, store, or transport HHCs must comply with this standard, which
includes 14 parts:

• Employee Participation
• Process Safety Information
• Process Hazard Analysis
• Operating Procedures
• Training
• Contractors
• Pre-startup Review
• Mechanical Integrity
• Hot Work Permit
• Management of Change
• Incident Investigation
• Emergency Planning & Response
• Compliance Audits
• Trade Secrets

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Process safety management programs take a close look at
processes that use HHCs, taking into consideration:

• The design of the process

• The technology used
• Maintenance activities
• Procedures for emergencies, etc.

By using such a comprehensive approach, PSM helps businesses

foresee problems and feel confident they can address problems if
they arise.

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Who uses Process Safety
Management?
Many facilities need to use PSM, and OSHA has focused its efforts
on this standard in recent years. A 2013 Executive Order (EO 13650
“Improving Chemical Facility Safety and Security”) also asked
government agencies such as OSHA and the EPA to make PSM
(and other related chemical safety standards) a priority and examine
how chemical accidents could better be prevented. This Order was
prompted by recent chemical accidents such as the explosion that
killed 15 people at a fertilizer facility in West, Texas, in 2013.

Industries that commonly use PSM include:

• Chemicals
• Gas/electricity/sanitation
• Fabricated metals
• Paint, adhesives, and sealants
• Pharmaceuticals
• Petrochemicals
• Pyrotechnics/explosives
• Paper mills
• Food processing

Whether a business needs to comply with the PSM standard in some

cases also depends on the quantity of a chemical present in the
workplace. For example, if a food processing facility uses anhydrous
ammonia for ammonia refrigeration and it has more than 10,000
pounds of ammonia on site, the facility would need to follow PSM.

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PSM and Visual Communication

An important part of process safety management is assessing

processes and making sure the people involved in those processes
understand the equipment they’re working with. They need to know
how equipment works, what daily operations and maintenance look
like, and how to respond when irregularities occur.

To facilitate this, effective PSM programs use visual communication

so it’s easy to understand what’s happening where. These visuals
could be warning signs, instructions, gauge markers, pipe marking
labels, and more. Posting clear visual cues also tends to increase
efficiency, since people can quickly get the information they need to
perform their jobs.

Posting visuals also improves a PSM program by translating your

documented program to the physical workplace. Training can be
forgotten over time, but visuals can reinforce procedures.

The signs and labels you post should be easy to understand

and follow standard formats. Consistency is key in a visual
communication system.

In particular, pipe marking labels should use specific formats. This

consistency will help your facility stay compliant and help workers
do their work. For example, if someone needs to trace a pipe in a
system, clear labels will make that process much faster.

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 General Pipe Marking
Requirements
The ANSI/ASME A13.1 Standard provides guidelines for marking
pipes in the workplace, and OSHA has accepted this standard as a
best practice. This standard includes guidelines for label size, text
size, color, and placement of labels on pipes.

COLOR GUIDELINES

Content Type Description Required Colors Example

Fluids which are a vapor or

FLAMMABLE produce vapors that can ignite Black on Yellow HYDROGEN
and continue to burn in air.

Fluids that may burn but are not ACETIC ACID

COMBUSTIBLE flammable.
White on Brown

Fluids which are corrosive or toxic

TOXIC/CORROSIVE or will produce corrosive or toxic Black on Orange NITRIC ACID
substances.
Water and other substances used
FIRE QUENCHING in sprinkler fire fighting piping White on Red HALON
systems.
Any other water except for water
OTHER WATER used in sprinkler & fire fighting White on Green BOILER WATER
piping systems.

Any vapor or gas under pressure

COMPRESSED AIR that does not fit a category above.
White on Blue COMPRESSED AIR

OTHER Definable by user. White on Purple OTHER

OTHER Definable by user. White on Black OTHER

OTHER Definable by user. Black on White OTHER

OTHER Definable by user. White on Gray OTHER

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PLACEMENT GUIDELINES

A
B

A. Every 25’ to 50’ along straight runs

B. At all changes in direction (on both sides of the turn)
C. At both sides of entry points through floors and walls
D. Next to all flanges and valves

SIZE GUIDELINES

Pipe Diameter Min. Label Size Min. Text Height

0.75” to 1.25” 1” x 8” 0.5”

(19 - 32 mm) (25 x 203 mm) (13 mm)

1.25” to 2.5” 1” x 8” 0.75”

(38 - 51 mm) (25 x 203 mm) (19 mm)

2.5” to 8” 2” x 12” 1.25”

(64 - 203 mm) (51 x 305 mm) (32 mm)

8” to 10” 3” x 24” 2.5”

(203 - 254 mm) (102 x 610 mm) (64 mm)

10”+ 4” x 32” 3.5”

(Over 254 mm) (153 x 813 mm) (89 mm)

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Ammonia Pipe Marking
Requirements
Anhydrous ammonia is a common chemical used for refrigeration.
Facilities that use it often need to comply with process safety
management requirements for ammonia refrigeration, including
requirements for pipe marking.

Ammonia pipe markers are more detailed than regular pipe marking
labels. These labels must meet the requirements of the International
Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) Standards Bulletin 114.
These requirements state that an ammonia pipe marker should have
five parts:

• Abbreviations for ammonia system components

• Physical state(s) (liquid, vapor, or both)
• Marker body (“AMMONIA”)
• Pressure level (high or low)
• Arrow indicating flow direction

These labels must also use specific colors, as seen in the sample
label on the next page. The majority of the label is orange with black
text. The smaller label components are yellow, blue, or green.

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 AMMONIA LABEL GUIDELINES

1 2 3 4 5

1 ABBREVIATIONS 2 PHYSICAL STATE(S) 3 MARKER BODY 4 PRESSURE LEVEL

• Abbreviations for Ammonia System Components • LIQ = Liquid (black printed on yellow) • Always “AMMONIA” Black or white text
• Printed in black on orange • VAP = Vapor (black or white printed on blue) • Printed in black on orange • HIGH (printed on red)
• LIQ/VAP - If both states exist, use both • LOW (printed on green)

BD = Booster Discharge VAP LOW

CD = Condenser LIQ HIGH
DC = Defrost Condensate LIQ HIGH
ES = Economizer Suction VAP LOW
HGD = Hot Gas Defrost VAP HIGH
HPL = High Pressure Liquid LIQ HIGH
HSD = High Stage Discharge VAP HIGH
HSS = High Stage Suction VAP LOW
HTRL = High Temp Recirculated Liquid LIQ AMMONIA LOW
HTRS = High Temp Recirculated Suction LIQ/VAP LOW
LIC = Liquid Injection Cooling LIQ HIGH
LSS = Low Stage Suction VAP LOW
LTRL = Low Temp Recirculated Liquid LIQ LOW
LTRS = Low Temp Recirculated Suction LIQ/VAP LOW
RV = Relief Vent VAP HIGH
TSR = Thermosyphon Return LIQ/VAP HIGH
TSS = Thermosyphon Supply LIQ HIGH

5 FLOW DIRECTION PIPE MARKER SIZE SPECIFICATIONS

• Indicates the direction of flow of the system contents
• Place arrows at one or both ends of the Pipe Marker
Outside Pipe Min. Length of Min. Height of
Commonly used arrow types Diameter Label Letters

Full Arrow Chevron Arrowhead .75” - 1.25”

8” (203mm) 0.5” (13mm)
(19mm - 32mm)

1.5” - 2”
8” (203mm) 0.75” (19mm)
(38mm - 51mm)

2.5" - 6”
12” (305mm) 1.25” (32mm)
(64mm - 152mm)

8” - 10”
24” (610mm) 2.5” (64mm)
(203mm - 254mm)

over 10”
32” (813mm) 3.5” (89mm)
(over 254mm)

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Create Pipe Marking Labels

If you need pipe labels, you can either order them from a supplier
or print them yourself using an industrial label printer. For facilities
that need lots of labels, creating them in-house is often the most
economical option.

For most pipes, labels made from vinyl work well and hold up to
industrial conditions. However, it’s important to note that standard
vinyl has a high halide content, which can damage stainless steel or
nickel pipes (typically found in food production), leading to corrosion.
Make sure to select labels made from low halide vinyl for this
application.

Once labels are applied to pipes, they will help people identify
pipe contents for a long time. This enhances your process safety
management plan by assisting people during both normal operations
and emergencies.

If any changes to processes occur, make sure to evaluate the new

process to determine whether any changes need to be made to your
pipe marking labels. Whenever you routinely evaluate your PSM
processes for PSM compliance*, it’s also a good practice to assess
your pipe marking labels at that time.

*OSHA states that a process hazard analysis must be evaluated and updated at least every five years.

Need to print pipe marking labels?

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 Labels for everything.™
Make labeling your pipes a simple task and tackle all your other
label and sign needs with versatile LabelTac® Printers.

 Pipe Marking  Safety & OSHA Labels

 GHS & Hazmat  Barcoding
 Equipment Labels  Wire & Cable Marking
 Rack & Shelf Labels  Tool & Asset Labeling
 Wayfinding Signs  Outdoor Labels ...& MORE

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Additional Resources
Related Products

LabelTac® Pipe Marking Printers

www.creativesafetysupply.com/labeltac

LabelTac® 4 Pro Pipe Marking Bundle

www.labeltac.com/labeltac-4-pro-pipe-marking-package/

Related Guides

• Pipe Marking Guide

• Pipe Marking Pocket Guide
• Ammonia Pipe Marking Quick Guide
• Facility Marking Workbook

Available at: www.creativesafetysupply.com/guides

Shop our full selection of pipe marking products (and more!) online at
creativesafetysupply.com

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