| Signs,
Notices and Colour Codes |
| |
| General |
 Colours
and symbols appropriately used can provide ever-present
information and warnings of hazards which are essential
to safety at work, and in some instances may be
independent of language. The following provisions are
intended to institute a uniform system on ships to the
extent that it is practicable to do so, bearing in mind
that work is still being carried through in harmonizing
systems internationally. Those having vision in any way
deficient in colour perception should take appropriate
care where colour is used as a sole means of
identification. |
| |
| Signs and
Notices |
Signs of
prohibition should be based on a red circular band and
red diagonal bar running through the left upper quadrant
to the lower right quadrant, with white backing. The
symbol for the prohibited action should be shown in black
behind the red diagonal bar: for example, 'No Smoking'
with a cigarette depicted.
Signs
reminding of an essential precaution should comprise a
blue disc upon which is superimposed in white a symbol of
the precaution to be taken: for example, 'Goggles to be
Worn' with a man's head with goggles depicted. If,
exceptionally, no suitable symbol is available,
appropriate wording may be used instead: for example,
'Keep Clear'.
Warning
signs should be based on a yellow triangle bordered by a
black band. The symbol for the hazard is depicted in
black: for example, poisoning risk with black skull and
crossed bones on the yellow background.
Information
of a safety nature should be shown by words or a symbol
in white upon a green square or rectangle: for example, a
white arrow on a green background points to an emergency exit. The same
principle applies to fire-fighting equipment and its
location except that the background colour should be red.
If there is
need to amplify or clarify the meaning of any symbols
used in a safety sign or notice, then a supplementary
sign with text only (for example, 'Not Drinking Water')
should be given below the sign. The supplementary sign
should be oblong or square and should either (a) have
text in black on a white background or (b) have a
background colour which is the same as the safety colour
used on the sign it is supplementing, with the text in
the relevant contrasting colour. |
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| Portable Fire Extinguishers |
| The
colour of the extinguishers should not conflict with the
following recommended systems of colour coding by
medium:- |
| Water |
Signal Red |
| Foam |
Pale Cream |
| Powder (all types) |
French Blue |
| Carbon Dioxide |
Black |
| Halon |
Emerald Green |
|
The area so coded should be large enough to be
readily apparent. Where the coding does not cover the
whole surface of the extinguisher it is recommended that
the remaining area should be either
(a) predominantly signal red, or
(b) of self-coloured (i.e. natural) metal. |
| |
| Electrical
wiring |
The
cores of electrical cables should be identifiable
throughout their length by readily identifiable colours
or numbers. Although various standards (British, other
national and international) exist for colour coding of
cores, the colours specified in the standards differ. The
colours found on any ship will therefore depend on the
country of building or of manufacture of the cables. Care
should therefore always be taken to make a positive
identification of cable duty, and colours should be used
primarily as a means of conductor tracing.
Particular
care is required when connecting plugs to domestic
equipment which has been brought on to a ship, as a wrong
connection may prove fatal. New equipment should be
supplied with cable to the international standard, i.e.
brown for 'live', blue for 'neutral' and yellow / green
for 'earth', but older equipment and that purchased
abroad may have other colours. |
| |
| Gas Cylinders |
Gas
cylinders used on ships should be marked and colour
coded.
Each
cylinder should be clearly marked with the name of the
gas and its chemical formula or symbol. The cylinder body
should be coloured according to contents, with, where
necessary, a secondary colour band painted around the
neck of the cylinder to denote the particular hazards of
the gas (flammability, toxicity, etc.). Examples of such
colour coding on gas cylinders commonly used on board
ship are as follows: |
| |
| Name of Gas |
Chemical Formula or
Symbol |
Ground Colour of
Container |
Colour of Band |
| Oxygen |
O2 |
Black |
None |
| Carbon Dioxide |
CO2 |
Black |
None |
| Compressed Air |
None (mixed gases) |
French Grey |
None |
| Nitrogen |
N2 |
French Grey |
Grey Black |
| Acetylene |
C2H2 |
Maroon |
None |
| Propane |
None (mixed gases) |
Signal Red |
None |
| Butane |
None (mixed gases) |
None Specified |
Signal Red |
|
Note: Cylinders of
refrigerant gases are not allocated specified ground or
band colours.
Medical gas
cylinders carried on board should similarly be marked in
accordance with the relevant British Standard
Specification. The name of the gas or gas mixture
contained in the cylinder should be shown on a label
affixed to it. The chemical symbol of the gas should be
given on the shoulder of the cylinder. The cylinder
should also be colour-coded according to contents as
shown in the following examples: |
| |
| Name of Gas |
Symbol |
Colour of Body |
Colour of Valve end |
| Oxygen |
O2 |
Black |
White |
| Compressed Air (for breathing app) |
AIR |
Grey |
White and Black |
|
| |
| Pipelines |
| The
following colour coding system is recommended for
adoption for the main common pipeline services: |
| |
| Pipe Contents |
Basic Identification Colour |
BS Colour reference BS 4800 |
Colour Code Band |
BS Colour reference BS 4800 |
| Water (Fresh) |
Green |
12D 45 |
Blue |
18E 53 |
| Water (Salt) |
Green |
12D 45 |
None |
|
| Water (Fire
Extinguishing) |
Green |
12D 45 |
Safety Red |
04E 53 |
| Compressed Air |
Light Blue |
20E 51 |
None |
|
| Steam |
Silver Grey |
10A 03 |
None |
|
| Oil (Diesel Fuel) |
Brown |
06C 39 |
White |
|
| Oil (Furnace Fuel) |
Brown |
06C 39 |
None |
|
| Oil (Lubricating) |
Brown |
06C 39 |
Emerald Green |
14E 53 |
|
| |
The
basic identification colour should be applied on the pipe
either over its whole length or as a colour band at
regular intervals along the pipe. The colour should
similarly be applied at junctions, both sides of valves,
service appliances, bulkheads etc., or at any other place
where identification might be necessary. Valves on
pipelines used for fire fighting should be painted red.
Where
applicable, the colour code banding should be in
approximately 100 mm widths at regular intervals along
the length of the pipe on the basic identification colour
or painted between two basic identification colour bands
each of a width of about 150 mm as shown in the following
examples: |
| |
| Pipe Contents |
Basic Colour (150 mm approx.) |
Colour Code (100 mm approx.) |
Basic Colour (150 mm approx.) |
| Water (Fresh) |
Green |
Blue |
Green |
| Water (Fire Extinguishing) |
Green |
Safety Red |
Green |
| Diesel Fuel |
Brown |
White |
Brown |
|
| |
Care
should be taken to; ensure that when replacing or
repainting pipes, valves etc., the correct colour is
used.
When it is
necessary to know the direction of flow of the fluid,
this should be indicated by an arrow situated in the
proximity of the basic identification colour and painted
white or black in order to contrast clearly
with that colour.
Such a
system as recommended above would be useful, for
instance, in tracing a run of pipes but should not be
relied upon as a positive identification of the contents
of the pipe; a check should always be made before opening
up and precautions taken against the contingency that the
content is other than that expected.
Other
pipeline systems on ships, such as cargo pipelines, may
be colour-coded in a similar fashion but no specific
recommendations are made here because a comprehensive
system to cover the needs of all types of ship would
require so wide a range of colours that contrasts would
be small and easily obscured by fading or dirt.
Colour
coding of pipelines may vary from ship to ship and seamen
moving from one ship to another should ascertain from a
competent officer what the colours means on each
particular vessel. |
| |
| Dangerous goods |
All
dangerous goods and substances carried as cargo on ships
have to be classified, packed and labeled in accordance
with Merchant Shipping Regulations.
Examples of
the labels to be affixed to packages and containers of
dangerous goods, depicting by colour, name and 'hazard
diagram' the particular dangers of that substance
(flammability, toxicity, corrosiveness etc.) are given in
the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code.
Labels and other markings are required to be durable
enough to remain identifiable on packages surviving at
least three months immersion in the sea. Labels
manufactured to the relevant British Standard are
regarded as meeting the requirement. |
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| Ends |
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