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Pipelines Color Code For Medical Gas Pipeline System Htm 02-01 Standards
Pipelines Color Code For Medical Gas Pipeline System
The medical gas pipeline system(MGPS) provides medical gases and vacuum systems. For supplying all these gases to the ultimate point of use, a set of components and equipment is to be installed. This system starts right from the source of the gas till the outlet point on the patients bed. Combined all such system components are called MGPS systems.
Commonly used medical gases in hospitals are: Oxygen, Nitrous oxide, Medical air, Surgical air, Carbon dioxide, Oxygen/nitrous oxide mixture[50%/50%], Oxygen-enriched air, surgical nitrogen, Medical Vacuum, AGS System, Helium/oxygen mixture[79%/21%]
Each medical gas must be supplied from a separate system. All parts of each system must be gas specific to ensure that there is no possibility of cross-connection between systems. Source equipment systems are generally required to be monitored by alarm systems at the point of supply for abnormal(high or low) gas pressure in areas such as general wards, operating theatres, intensive care units, recovery rooms, or major treatment rooms.
13.47 Pipelines should be identified in accordance with BS 1710:1984, and colour banding for the pipelines should be used. Colour band identification (see Figure 35) should be applied near to valves, junctions, walls etc. A label applied every 3 m and bearing 6 mm size letters should identify each gas. Self-adhesive plastic labels of approved manufacture may be used for this purpose. A band 150 mm wide is usually adequate. All colour-coded tapes applied by the pipe manufacturers should be removed before the systems are identified, in accordance with this paragraph.
13.48 Care should be taken to maintain pipeline identification when periodical re-painting is undertaken. The direction of flow should be indicated.
Benefits of Color Coding Uniformity of color marking promotes greater safely, lessens the chances of error, and reduces hazards involved in the handling of material inside the pipelines. Easy identification of the particular contents of the pipelines is achieved by imposing suitable color bands on the ground colour. When colour hands are superimposed on the ground colour, the ground shall extend sufficiently on both sides of the colour bands to avoid confusion. Preferably colouring shall be all around the pipe wherever possible, if not, the extent of colouring along the circumferences is to be decided by the purchase engineer in charge depending upon the direction of visibility at the site.
Medical gases are nowadays being used for serveral diverse clinical applications and their piped delivery is a landmark achievement in the field of patient care. Patient safety is of paramount importance in the design, installation, commissioning, and operation of medical gas pipeline systems(MGPS). The system has to be operational round the clock, with practically zero downtime and its failure can be fatal if not restored at the earliest.