Who develops and enforces valve tag regulations?

Valve tags are a simple, yet effective, way to make sure that employees working in an area know exactly what a given valve is going to do. This helps to reduce the risk of an accident caused by the wrong valve being opened or closed, resulting in problems.

Developing Standards & Regulations

Valve safety and valve tag regulations typically aren’t developed by government agencies themselves. Instead, private safety and standards groups come up with the best practices first. These best practices are often adopted by facilities around the world because they are proven so effective. Once these practices are proven, governmental agencies will often incorporate them into their regulations to ensure all businesses take advantage of them. Some of the most significant groups that develop valve tag and other related standards are:

• American Petroleum Institute (API)
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
• American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
• Manufacturers Standardization Society (MSS)
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
• European Committee for Standardization (CEN)

There are, of course, other groups that also contribute to the effort of improving workplace safety. While not all of them focus specifically on valve tag standards, their overall goal has a positive impact on pipe safety and many other areas. Keeping up with the latest recommendations from these companies will not only help ensure you are up to date with the latest best practices, but also help to understand what type of regulations may be coming in future years.

Enforcing Valve Tags Regulations

While most of the best practices surrounding valve tags are voluntary, there are some that are mandatory in some industries. When this is the case, they will be enforced by major governmental agencies such as OSHA or the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). Understanding when valve tag standards are required is an important part of any safety manager’s job. When done correctly, they will be able to not only ensure they are in compliance, but also maximize the safety in the facility.