Graphic Products Offers Free Pipe Marking Best Practices

Jan. 20, 2008 - PRLog -- A new Best Practices Guide, available free from Graphic Products, details how to improve the effectiveness of visual communication using pipe markers to maximize safety and productivity and meet applicable codes and standards.

Both ANSI and ASME code requires that pipes be marked to show their contents, potential hazard level and the direction of flow.  In addition, having pipes properly labeled improves safety and productivity by providing employees and emergency responders with key information about the piping system and its contents.   For example, proper pipe marking helps employees, contractors and vendors to quickly see where they are in a system, and understand what is happening in the system, so they can make the correct decisions, saving time and preventing accidents.  

The Pipe Marking Best Practices Guide starts at the beginning, by describing how to conduct a facility inspection to identify pipe marking deficiencies.  “This new best practices guide describes what is required by the codes and for efficient operations,” said Steve Hudgik, Director of Internet Marketing for Graphic Products.  “As a result inspectors will be familiar with proper pipe marking and can identify locations where new pipe markers are needed or existing pipe markers need to be replaced."  Steve continued by noting that "An EPRI study found that 54% of errors in the power industry are a result of inadequate or missing labels.  A total facility inspection is a critical first step in bringing a facility into compliance with the code and for reducing errors.  To help with this, the best practices guide even provides a worksheet that can be used during inspections.”  

The guide then goes on to describe how to make pipe markers, where they should be applied, how to remove old pipe marker labels and what is required to ensure long label life.  As an addendum two one page summaries of pier marking requirements are provided.  One describes the ANSI/ASME requirements that apply to most piping systems.  The other shows the IIAR standards that apply ammonia piping systems.

The following is the Table of Contents for the Pipe Marking Best Practices Guide:

1. Required Tools
2. Evaluation of Facility
.....Which Pipes Should Be Labeled?
.....What Information Should Be On A Pipe Label?
.....Standard Abbreviations
3. Label Creation
.....Needed Equipment and Supplies
.....Label Creation Steps
4. Label Placement
.....Location Where Pipe Markers Should Be Placed
.....Special Conditions
.....Removing Old Labels
5. Label Maintenance
6. Addendum - Facility Inspection Form
7. One Page Pipe Marking Summary
8. One Page Ammonia Pipe Marking Summary

The Pipe Marking Best Practices Guide is available free from Graphic Products.  It may be downloaded from their web site at: http://www.graphicproducts.com/free-gifts/free-pm-best-pr..., or call Graphic Products at 1-800-788-5572 for more information.

# # #

About Graphic Products, Inc.

Graphic Products has been a leading label printer and supplies dealer since 1970. They are the manufacturer of the DuraLabel PRO label printer, and they carry a wide variety of labelers made by other manufacturers. They stock label printer brands such as Brady, Kroy, Brother, K-Sun, Dymo and Varitronics. They also stock a complete selection of labeling supplies, including specialized supplies such as glow-in-the-dark labels, chemical resistant labels and low temperature labels. They even stock supplies for discontinued label printers. Graphic Products specializes in fast, same-day shipping to meet their customers’ just-in-time delivery requirements.

The Graphic Products' web site is located at: http://www.graphicproducts.com/

Website: www.graphicproducts.com