The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have developed a comprehensive collection of standards to guide the use of “safety” colors, signs, and symbols in industrial environments.

How to Apply Color Coding Standards in Industrial Settings

Painting your equipment, including machines, water lines and chemical lines, according to color coding standards allows you not only to protect your valuable assets against environmental factors but also to standardize the visual communication for statuses, cautions, hazards, etc., eliminate guesswork, simplify tasks, and improve safety and productivity by minimizing the risk of errors and workplace accidents. Below is the color coding guide for industrial applications.

SAFETY COLOR CODING

Color

Description

Red

Used for the identification of fire protection equipment (e.g. sprinkler system) and dangerous/hazardous areas.

Orange

Designates the dangerous parts of machines and equipment.

Yellow

Used to mark physical hazards (e.g. risk of slipping, tripping, falling, etc.) and materials (e.g. toxic or corrosive substances, poisonous gases, etc.) potentially hazardous to life/property.

Green

Indicates First Aid equipment and materials/areas that involve no hazard to life/property.

Blue

Indicates safety information on signs and bulletin boards.

Purple

In industrial settings, purple indicates radiation hazards.

Black and White

Combinations of black and white are used to indicate trafficked areas.

WATER LINES

Color

Description

Aqua

Used to paint clarified or settled water pipes.

Olive Green

Designates raw water pipes.

Dark Blue

Indicates potable water pipe systems.

Blue with Black Band

Combination used to mark non-potable water.

Blue with Red Band

Combination that indicates water for heating buildings.

Light and Medium Blue

Used in pump stations, for pressure and section lines.

Red

Used for fire sprinkler systems.

WASTEWATER LINES

Color

Description

Brown

Indicates backwash waste and sludge.

Dark Gray

Designates the sewer system.

Clay

Used for the effluent sewage system.

Brown/Black, Brown/Yellow, Brown/Orange, Brown, Orange/Red

Color combinations used for different sludge lines.

Orange/Red with Black Band

This combination is used to indicate gas lines.

CHEMICAL LINES

Color

Description

White

Used to indicate ammonia.

Black

Designates carbon slurry systems.

Yellow

Indicates chlorine gas/solution.

Yellow with Red Band

A color combination used to designate sulfuric acid.

Yellow with Orange Band

Used to indicate ozone.

Orange

Designates alum or primary coagulants.

Orange with Green Band

Indicates coagulant aids and polymers.

Yellow with Green Band

Used to indicate caustic substances.

Light Green

Designates lime slurry systems.

Light Green with Yellow Band

Combination that indicates sulfur dioxide.

Light Green with Red Band

Indicates phosphate compounds.

Light Green with Orange Band

Used for soda ash.

Light Blue with Red Band

Designates fluoride pipe systems in industrial applications.

Violet

Used to indicate potassium permanganate lines.

OTHER LINES

Color

Description

Red

Used to paint gas pipes.

Dark Green

Indicates compressed air pipe system.

Orange

Used for steam pipes.

Ivory

Designates oil pipes.

Yellow

Used for hoists/trolleys.

Light Grey

Used to paint other pipe systems.

In industrial environments, all pipe systems should be painted as indicated above. In addition, flow arrows must be provided on the pipes passing through the walls. In projects where just one part of the pipe system is replaced, the entire system should be painted in accordance with color coding standards. It’s also important to provide system identification labels and color bands, as required by industry regulations.

By incorporating the right colors in your industrial environment, you can enhance the appearance of your facility while increasing employee productivity and safety. To find out more about industrial painting, get in touch with our professional painters at Performance Painting by calling (904)-641-4800 or emailing [email protected].

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