Utilities require critical safety signs, markers, and tags that are readable decades later, despite punishing environmental exposure
Whether at substations or in the field, electric utility transmission and distribution identification products such as safety signs, tags, and markers are critical to safe, efficient operation, maintenance, and repair.
Unfortunately, too many in the industry believe that their current identification products are “good enough” even as legibility becomes compromised. Traditional painted and laminated identification products frequently fade or delaminate when continually exposed to outdoor weather or punishing conditions. Even supposedly durable products can become unreadable in 5-10 years.
Given what is at stake, utilities are now increasingly shifting to identification products that are designed to withstand decades of abuse without becoming unreadable.
So, how can safety signage be designed and constructed to ensure readability after decades?
• For applications with the longest lasting requirements, impermanent paints and laminates should be avoided in favor of much more durable solutions.
• The signage should be constructed using robust substrate. One example is the EVERLAST product line from Tech Products, Inc., a leader in the manufacture of industrial identification products for 75 years. The product is made of thick, high impact polyolefin plastic with copy and pictograms that are permanently embedded through the entire thickness of the substrate. The polyolefin plastic is impervious to weather and even acid or alkali solutions. The signage can be cut, scratched, even shot through with little or no effect to the embedded characters, which helps to ensure readability decades later.
• Another effective method of creating permanent signage is to utilize embossing. Embossing creates raised characters in metal materials to improve legibility even when covered in dust, dirt, or even paint.
• In tight, confined spaces where close up reading is required, miniature markers with raised, 3D characters, called FastTags are ideal. The raised, 3D characters are hot stamped with high quality UV stable foil and are nonconductive and non-corroding, which is ideal for environments exposed to water.
Even when not strictly mandated, utilities that opt to use innovative products designed to last for many decades can significantly improve safety and uptime, while reducing potential liability and litigation risk.
For more information, call 1-800-221-1311; email info@techproducts.com; or visit www.techproducts.com.