Underground warning tapes have several key uses in multiple industries:

• Identifying electrical cables.
• Spotting potentially dangerous underground cables such as fire mains and gas pipelines.
• Establishing and highlighting fibre-optic cables and internet lines.
• Organising telephone wires and communication lines.
• Protecting cables during excavation. 

To keep their use standardised and recognisable across disciplines, a colour code must be followed. Below, we discuss what the underground warning tape colour code is and why it’s important.

The Underground Warning Tape Colour Code

In total, there are 8 colours in the underground warning tape specification:

• Red – electric power lines, conduits and cables.
• Green – sewage and drain lines.
• Purple – survey markings.
• Orange – telecommunications.
• Blue – drinking water.
• White – excavation limits.
• Yellow – gas, oil, steam and other flammables.
• Purple – reclaimed water and irrigation.

Why Do We Need An Underground Warning Tape Specification?

Simply put, a colour-coded system helps prevent accidents. Let’s say someone needed to perform maintenance on a drinking water line (blue). They would need to know if it was near any drainage systems (green), flammables (yellow) or reclaimed water (purple) before beginning maintenance.

To maintain safety further, pipes typically have different materials based on what they carry. For example, water pipes, telecommunications and electric cables are usually covered in black plastic, while gas pipes are usually in iron or steel pipes.

However, the colour-coding system isn’t infallible. Some of the work maintenance services undertake is on older infrastructure. As such, the HSE advises caution even in the presence of tapes, as:

• Older pipes may not conform to the current colour-coded system.
• Colours may have faded, or appear different under certain lighting.
• Pipes could be used by different services, so material may not be 100% accurate.

Underground warning tapes are there to complement the expertise of maintenance services. While they aren’t an infallible safety net, they do provide an extra layer of protection.

Get High-Quality Underground Warning Tapes

At Label Source, we stock a range of high-quality underground warning tape for a variety of industries. If you require assistance in maintaining underground cables, then our stock is here to help.

The Globally Harmonized System (GHS) is an agreed-upon set of rules managed by the United Nations. The system has several objectives:

• Classifying all health, environmental and chemical hazards.
• Ensuring presented information falls within international standards.
• Ensuring this system remains the same across UN nations.

However, as you can imagine, putting together such a comprehensive system across borders with separate laws, industries and cultures pose a challenge.

Below, we’ll breakdown what GHS labels are, as well explain its recent history.

What are GHS Labels?

GHS labels are simply labels which fall in line with the GHS’s requirements. They provide a brief overview of the hazard, how to deal with it and the steps to take afterwards.

We’ve discussed this in-depth with our blog: What Is A GHS Label and Why Is It Used?

When was GHS Introduced?

The Globally Harmonized System was officially introduced in 2003. However, this was the result of a long battle to get such a system introduced, which began in Rio in 1992.

In 1992, the Brazilian city hosted an event called the Earth Summit. There, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) – responsible for setting international labour standards – and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) – responsible for stimulating world trade - collaborated.

By taking aboard the concerns from multiple international governments and key stakeholders, they were able to put the foundation in place to create a “globally harmonized hazard classification and compatible labelling system”. The motivation for this was two-fold:

• To improve international safety standards.
• To remove safety hurdles in trade.

The aim was to get the system up and running by 2000, but organisers ran into issues and the need for expansion. In 1999, the GHS system was incorporated into the Committee of Experts on Transport of Dangerous Goods.

2002 saw the creation of an implementation plan after much back-and-forth. Then, after review, implementation was ready for 2003.  

Since then, modernisation of GHS has occurred in line with new standards and requirements from the market; it essentially exists as a living document, usually iterated upon every two years.

What was the Impact of GHS?

The GHS had a number of immediate benefits, including:

• Improving the consistency of information supplied to employees.
• Providing the first international standardised approach to chemicals, hazards and data.
• Making the use of datasheets to log accidents and risks the standard.
• Enabling workers to understand signs and labels across cultural and language barriers.

Underpinning this was a greater awareness of personal safety around chemicals and other hazards, which naturally weaved into the improvement we’ve seen in health and safety standards since the millennium.

Explore GHS-Approved Labels Today

If you’re searching for GHS-approved labels, we have you covered. Discover high-quality GHS labels today.

According to the HSE, employers must supply and address first aid provisions in the workplace. This includes:

• Management of direct first aid such as equipment, kits and rooms.
• Training first aiders.
• Setting up a first aid protocol.
• Making first aid arrangements.

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The quality assurance process is dependent upon having the right equipment in place. Without having the right balance of tracking, software and equipment, maintaining a high level of quality across the business becomes increasingly difficult. From wider-reaching technology to minute-level tools, each part of a quality control procedure is equally important.

Without quality control labels, stickers and tapes, it becomes difficult to begin the initial stage of quality assurance (QA). By highlighting problematic stock, businesses can more readily identify the qualities of their exports.

Quality control (QC) tapes, in particular, are excellent at communicating the qualities of stock, as well as highlighting them for inspection. Below, discover what quality control tapes are, what they do and how to use them.

What Are Quality Control Tapes

Quality control tapes communicate a simple message in a clear, legible fashion. They are self-adhesive tapes, usually in a red-and-white colourway. In total, they can communicate the following:

• Fragile goods
• QC and QA accepted goods
• Items awaiting inspection
• Damaged items

While this may seem small, identifying goods in this way helps QA departments to read the status of stock easier. This leads to a smoother process for everyone while reducing the probability that customers receive defected or damaged goods.

When and How to Use Quality Control Tapes

So, when should quality control tapes be used? Ideally, you should use tapes at key stages in an export’s journey:

• During inspection: tapes should be applied to boxes during an inspection if they are defective or damaged.
• During picking and packing: before export, tapes should be applied to goods which are seen as damaged or defective during the export process and stored away.
• During stock takes: it is easier to combine inspection with regular stock takes. Goods identified as faulty during this stage can be labelled with the tape.
• Following accidents: if an employee accidentally breaks or damages an item, then mark it with a quality control tape.

Overall, it depends on your organisation. By using them at these key stages, it can make the QA department’s job easier, especially when complemented by a proper recording procedure.

Upgrade Your Quality Control Tape Stock Today

At Label Source, we have a variety of self-adhesive quality control tapes for sale. We stock vinyl roles up to 66 metres in length, with all of our tapes having easy application via hand or tape applicator.

Discover our range of quality control tapes and upgrade your QA procedures today.