Application of color codes covers – piping markings, helmets, vests and reflective jackets, emergency notification visual alerts or strobes, fire extinguishers, safety and emergency signages.
NFPA 704 COLOR CODES
- Blue stands for ‘HEALTH HAZARDS’ whether ‘fatal, extreme danger, hazardous, slightly hazardous, and normal material.
- Red represents ‘FIRE’ for flashpoints below 73OF, or 100OF or 200OF; below 200OF, or will not burn.
- Yellow identifies ‘INSTABILITY HAZARD’ like ‘may detonate, shock and heat, violent chemical reaction, unstable if heated or stable’.
- White identifies ‘SPECIFIC HAZARD’ like acid (ACID), alkali (ALK), corrosive (COR), oxidizer (OX), radiation (RADIATION SYMBOL), and use no water (W).
ASME/ANSI A13.1 COLOR CODES
- Yellow with Black Lettering – This is labeling for any flammable and oxidizing liquids and gasses containing pipes. This may apply to gasoline, oils, and many others.
- Green with White Lettering – This label identifies any potable water containing pipe or pipes for cooling feeds, water feed boilers, and cold-water supply system to drinking fountains or sinks.
- Blue with White Lettering – This label color represents pipes for conveying compressed air.
- Red with White Lettering – This label is for all fire protection fluids. This could include water, or foam, and this is applicable, if a type of fire extinguishing fluid is used in the fire protection piping system.
- Orange with Black Lettering – This label identifies a piping system for toxic, poisonous, or corrosive fluids like acids and alkalis.
- Brown with White Lettering – This label option is for pipe containing combustible fluids.
- Purple is user defined.
- Black is user defined.
- White is user defined.
- Gray is user defined.
ISO 14726 COLOR CODES
- Yellow identifies flammable gasses.
- Green identifies sea water.
- Blue identifies fresh water.
- Red identifies firefighting.
- Orange identifies oils other than fuels.
- Brown identifies fuel.
- Black identifies waste.
- Gray identifies non-flammable gasses.
- Maroon identifies air and surrounding pipes.
- Silver identifies steam.
- Violet identifies acids and alkalis.
- White is for air in the ventilation system.
ISO 22324 COLOR CODES
This color convention guides in identifying the severity level of a risk or hazard.
Basic Colors:
- Red means ‘DANGER – take immediate appropriate safety action.’
- Yellow means ‘CAUTION – prepare to take safety action.’
- Green means ‘SAFE – No action required.’
Supplementary Colors:
- Black with White Text or Red, Black and White Checkerboard means ‘FATAL DANGER’.
- Purple with White or Red Text means ‘FATAL DANGER’.
- Blue with White Text means ‘INFORMAL PURPOSES’.
- Gray means ‘NO INFORMATION’.
FIRE EXTINGUISHER COLOR CODES
- Red is the color for Water (Spray and Mist).
- Cream is the color for Foam.
- Blue is the color for Dry Powder.
- Black color is for Carbon Dioxide (CO2).
- Yellow color is for Wet Chemical.
ISO 2925 AND CSCS HELMET OR HARD HAT COLOR CODE
- White is adopted for site managers, supervisors, engineers and competent operatives.
- Black is the helmet color for site supervisors in some areas.
- Orange is the color for hard hats for slingers and signalers.
- Blue helmet is for all other site visitors. Blue is for electricians and technical operators in some areas.
- Yellow is for laborers, workers and heavy-duty operators.
- Green hard hats are adopted for safety officers.
- Gray helmets were used for site visitors (there are some changes to this since the year 2017).
- Pink helmets are optionally used for female workers.
- Red hard hats are used for firefighters.
ANSI/ISEA 107 – 2020 SAFETY CLOTHING COLOR CODE
- Yellow / Yellow – Green Safety Vests are for recreational use, emergency responders, and crossing guards.
- Orange Safety Vests are for aviation workers, surveyors, hunters, highway and road traffic personnel.
- Red Safety Vests are used by workers of high hazard potential like firefighters and emergency responders, and in construction and manufacturing.
- Green Safety Vests are used by safety workers, security officers, first aid officers, outdoor guides and activities.
- Blue Safety Vests are used by pool attenders and coast guards as persons of authority rather than for high visibility. They are also used where there is no approved vest or unofficial capacity.
OSHA CAUTION / BARRICADE TAPE COLOR CODE
- Red-white for Fire Prevention and Protection Equipment
- Black-white for Housekeeping and Aisle Marking
- Magenta-yellow for Radiation Hazards
- Green-white for Safety and First Aid
- Blue-white for Defective Machinery
- Orange-white for Traffic and Caution Warning
- Black-yellow for Physical Hazards
Application of the various color codes is useful for – hazard type identification, level of hazard severity, fire extinguisher type identification, safety clothing, safety helmet, emergency and safety signage, and painting or marking for identifying of fluid type conveyed in a pipe. These are helpful in hazard identification, maintenance, safety management, systems process automation and control information so as to reduce life and fire risks to As-Low-As-Reasonably-Practicable.
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William Nwaogu, Technical Advisor
Safety Consultants & Solution Providers Limited
