Page 3 - Equipment Identification - CCPS Safe Work Practice

Fundamental Intent

This Safe Work Practice (SWP) is intended as a guideline to identify and manage hazards associated with Equipment
Identification. Equipment identification and labeling/tagging is a basic requirement that enables safe plant operation.
Equipment identification includes vessels, piping, valves and in-line piping components such as flow meters. Incorrect
identification of equipment may pose a significant hazard in day-to-day facility operations and in response to an
incident. The hazards of incorrect equipment identification include loss of containment leading to fire or explosion,
injuries to personnel, property damage, and environmental, community or business impacts.

This SWP recommends developing a program to identify equipment during the design stage of a facility, to label/tag
the equipment before plant commissioning, and to maintain the labels/tags for the lifecycle of the facility. Equipment
identification should be consistent with related design documents and operating procedures. Incorrect or missing
identification has resulted in incidents with severe consequences.

The following examples are typical activities in a process plant that cannot be safely completed without correct
equipment identification and would benefit from the use of an Equipment Identification SWP.
1. Normal Day-to-Day Plant Operations

2. Development and Use of Operating Procedures
3. Mechanical Integrity Inspections
4. Maintenance Activities
5. Permit to Work Activities, including:
A. Line Break
B. Hot Work
C. Confined Space Entry
E. Excavation
D. Energy Isolation - Lockout Tagout
6. Response to Loss of Primary Containment
7. Bypassing of Interlocks or Safety Systems
8. Emergency Shutdown (ESD) and Emergency Response (ER)

SAFE WORK PRACTICE, EQUIPMENT IDENTIFICATION 3