A Comprehensive Guide to Inspection Tags

Inspection tags are essential tools used to keep work environments safe, efficient, and accident-free. These tags are a way to visually communicate workplace hazards and which equipment has been inspected, keeping your equipment running correctly while also meeting compliance regulations. When work personnel use inspection tags to record these inspections, it allows other employees to see when the next service should take place, the results of the equipment inspected, and the time the last inspection took place. Without these tags, workers would be at risk of injury or accidents.

In this article, we explore a complete guide to inspection tags, what they are used for, and why they play an important role in keeping your workplace safe.

What processes are inspection tags used for?

Inspection tags should be used for any piece of equipment that has been through an inspection process. 

According to PUWER regulation 6, an inspection of equipment is required in these cases:

• Where the safety of work equipment depends on the installation conditions, it should be inspected after installation and before first use, and after reassembly at any new site or location.
• At suitable intervals, where work equipment is exposed to conditions causing deterioration that are likely to result in dangerous situations.
• Each time, exceptional circumstances (e.g., major modifications, known or suspected serious damage, substantial change in the nature of use) are likely to jeopardise the safety of the work equipment.

What types of inspection tags are there?

Lifting inspection tags

Lifting equipment such as cranes, hoists, and various types of lifts, as well as accessories like slings, hooks, and shackles, must all be regularly inspected and recorded for the safety of employees. According to LOLER, all lifting equipment must be thoroughly examined to detect any defects that might pose a risk. To keep employees informed, the use of lifting inspection tags is required. Reliable and visible markings are an essential part of maintaining the process to ensure no equipment is missed or presents a danger to the user.

Scaffolding tags

Working with scaffolding can pose serious potential risks if regular maintenance and inspections are not carried out. In accordance with the Work at Height Regulations 2005, scaffolding must be inspected at least every seven days or following adverse weather or major modifications. Using a visible scaffold inspection tag system is a useful supplement to inspection reports. It ensures those who need access to the scaffold know that it has been inspected and is safe to use.

Ladder inspection tags

When operating with ladders or step ladders at work, businesses have a legal duty to ensure they are suitable and safe for use in order to avoid accidents or serious injuries. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 state that all employers must apply thorough and regular inspections to any ladders being used by employees. After each inspection, a ladder inspection tag must be attached to the equipment to keep workers informed about which ladders are safe to use.

Gas cylinder tags

Gas cylinders contain large amounts of stored energy. It is vital that they are in line with appropriate standards and are regularly inspected to ensure the safety of those who transport, fill, and use them. Gas Cylinder Tags ensure quick and reliable identification of gas cylinders, indicating if the cylinders are full, in use, or empty.

Harness tags

Harnesses form an integral part of fall protection systems, so ensuring a harness is safe to use and fitted correctly is vital to ensure personnel aren’t put at risk of serious injury if the harness fails. Harness Inspection Tags provide visual identification and evidence that inspections of harness equipment have taken place and are safe for use. These Harness Tags make routine assessments simple to carry out and remove the need for holders, which can become damaged or detached.

Hand-arm vibration tags

Hand-arm vibrations can lead to potential long-term damage. Therefore, employers are responsible for protecting workers from this risk through regular equipment inspections. HAVS Tags provide a simple and clear way to show current inspection data and safe working guidance such as maximum usage durations to mitigate the risk and maximise the safety of work personnel.

Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) Tags

Portable electrical appliances and equipment can deteriorate and become damaged, defective, or faulty over time, leading to potential serious injuries or accidents in the workplace. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require that any portable electrical equipment that has the potential to cause injury should be inspected regularly and maintained in a safe condition. PAT tags provide visual evidence that inspections of the portable electrical equipment have taken place and that they are safe to use.

Hire tags

Incorporating Hire Tags into your inspection procedures enables workers to identify at what stage the equipment is in the inspection process. Multi-part or traffic light hire tags can give employees the assurance that every piece of equipment is safe and ready for use, plus full traceability back to responsible personnel.

ATEX/ EX Inspection tags

A workforce that operates in explosive atmospheres, where chemicals and hazardous substances are present, can be at an increased risk of injury and death. To mitigate the risk and ensure the safety of workers, ATEX (Atmosphères Explosives) inspections must be carried out. If inspections are not carried out, there is a huge risk of explosions and potential fatalities. Implementing ATEX inspection tags helps workers identify the EX inspection status of all equipment in ATEX environments. These tags show details of what degree of inspection has been carried out, whether it be ‘visual’, ‘close’ or 'detailed'—to ensure all work personnel are kept informed and safe.

What information should inspection tags show?

Inspection tags are designed for tracking inspection activities, providing equipment users with security, and reducing the risk of serious injuries caused by equipment failure. Inspection tags should contain the following information:

• A description of the equipment or part, including the make and model number, if applicable.
• Space for listing the inspections performed along with the date each inspection was performed.
• Any hazard or warning communications that are relevant
• The type of inspection record.

Improve assessments and safety with REGALTAGS inspection tags

Our range of equipment inspection tags provides comprehensive tagging solutions for all. Used to identify valves, drains, gas cylinder tanks, flanges, shackles, scaffolding, and other equipment or machinery, our inspection tags are ideal for safeguarding personnel where inspection regimes are maintained.

Inspection tags from REGALTAGS can be fully customised to meet the needs of your equipment inspections and are designed to be long-lasting for extreme reliability. 

Browse our Inspection Tag range and get in touch to discuss customising the ideal tags for your business.