Asbestos Tag

Asbestos Tag for Flagging Asbestos-Containing Materials Onboard

An asbestos tag is hung directly on pipework, lagging, gaskets or equipment known or suspected to contain asbestos, warning crew and contractors not to disturb the material without following proper isolation and removal procedures. Many older vessels still carry legacy asbestos-containing insulation and gaskets in engine rooms and machinery spaces, and a tag at the point of risk is far more reliable than relying on crew memory or a reference in the ship’s hazardous materials inventory alone.

Referenced under IMPA 33.2503 and ISSA 47.525.03, the tag carries the standard yellow exclamation-triangle caution symbol together with printed ‘Authorised by’ and ‘Date’ fields, so whoever identifies or confirms the presence of asbestos-containing material can record their name and the date the tag was applied. This creates a simple, physical record that survives crew changes and can be checked against the vessel’s hazardous materials inventory during a survey.

Supplied at 150x75mm, this asbestos tag is sized to hang cleanly from pipe lagging, a valve, or an equipment panel without needing to disturb the material it is warning about.

Where Asbestos Tags Are Used

Asbestos tags are most commonly fitted to pipe lagging, boiler insulation, gaskets and older machinery components identified during a hazardous materials survey as containing or potentially containing asbestos fibres. Rather than relying on paperwork alone, the physical tag gives anyone working nearby, including contractors unfamiliar with the vessel’s history, an immediate warning before they cut, drill, sand or otherwise disturb the material.

This matters particularly during refit or repair work, when a contractor may not have full visibility of the vessel’s asbestos register. A clearly tagged item prompts the correct isolation and licensed-removal process to be followed rather than the material being disturbed inadvertently during routine maintenance.

Hang-Tag Format and Installation

This asbestos tag is supplied as a punched hang-tag rather than a self-adhesive label, since it needs to be fitted to pipework, lagging or irregular equipment shapes without disturbing the surface underneath. It attaches with a cable tie, wire loop or standard tagging cord threaded through the punched hole, making it straightforward to apply during a hazardous materials survey and to leave in place indefinitely until the material is professionally removed.

Material, Sizing and Compliance

The asbestos tag is produced on durable, fire-retardant, photoluminescent laminated card stock a long-duration afterglow, so the warning remains visible even in a dimly lit machinery space or during a power outage. The material is waterproof and resistant to the heat, humidity and general handling typical of engine room and boiler spaces where legacy asbestos materials are most often found.

Tags of this kind support the graphical symbol conventions set out in IMO Resolution A.1116(30) for shipboard use, and fit into the same broader hazardous materials management practice addressed in general workplace safety guidance published by Safe Work Australia, which covers asbestos identification and control procedures. See the complete Tie Tags range for the full set of matching hang-tags used to flag hazards and equipment status across a vessel.