The Importance of Using Underground Warning Tapes and Mesh

Underground warning tapes are crucial for a variety of reasons in construction, maintenance, and safety. Warning tapes help prevent accidental damage to buried utilities (like water, gas, electricity, and telecommunications) during excavation and construction.

Some of the key reasons why they are important:

• Prevent Damage: Protects buried utilities from accidental damage during excavation.
• Enhance Safety: Alerts workers to the presence of underground utilities, reducing injury risks.
• Improve Efficiency: Helps plan work by clearly marking utility locations, avoiding delays.
• Regulatory Compliance: Meets legal and industry standards, avoiding penalties.
• Utility Management: Eases maintenance and repair by indicating utility locations.
• Reduce Costs: Minimises repair expenses from accidental utility strikes.
• Public Awareness: Informs the public about ongoing underground work.
• Future Planning: Assists in future projects by providing utility location information.

To keep their use standardised and recognisable across disciplines, a colour code must be followed.

The Underground Warning Tape Colour Code

In total, there are 8 colours in the underground warning tape specification:

Why Do We Need an Underground Warning Tape Specification?

Simply put, a colour-coded system helps prevent accidents. Let’s say someone needed to perform maintenance on a drinking water line (green). They would need to know if it was near any drainage systems (blue), flammables (yellow) or reclaimed water (lilac) before beginning maintenance.

To maintain safety further, pipes typically have different materials based on what they carry.  For example, plastic conduit, optic fibre, plastic or PVC pipes have no metal content; while buried power cables, copper or steel gas pipelines and ductile iron water pipes can be located due to their metal content.

However, the colour-coding system isn’t infallible. Some of the work maintenance services undertake is on older infrastructure. As such, caution is advised even in the presence of tapes, as:

• Older pipes may not conform to the current colour-coded system.
• Colours may have faded, or appear different under certain lighting.
• Pipes could be used by different services, so the material may not be 100% accurate.

Underground warning tapes are there to complement the expertise of maintenance services. While they aren’t an infallible safety net, they do provide an extra layer of protection.

■ Mains Marker™ Non-Detectable Tape

Tapex Mains Marker™ Non-Detectable Underground Warning Tapes are coloured polyethylene tapes that are printed with a warning message to identify underground pipes and cables, made to Australian and New Zealand Standards (AS/NZS 2648.1 1995 & AS/NZS 4275 Part 0 1995).
 
They can be manufactured to your specifications with any text, colour, and size. Standard underground warning tapes for common pipeline and cable services are available ex-stock.
 
Mains Marker™ tape should be laid over underground services halfway between the service and the surface in the trench so that a visual warning is given before any damage to the service is caused during an excavation. 

• Manufactured from low-density polyethylene.
• Lead-free pigments with virgin grade film.
• Soil tolerance from pH 2.5 to pH 11.0 inclusive.
• Customised manufacture of special text is available.
• The warning message is printed in black.

■ Wavelay® Detectable Tape

Wavelay® Detectable Tracer Tape is a polyethylene underground warning tape, incorporating one or two stainless steel tracer wires for marking and locating buried pipes and cables.  
 
Wavelay® Detectable Tape can be used in conjunction with cable avoidance tools to locate the position of non­-metallic pipes and un-energised cables. The detectable wires run in a sinusoidal pattern and are laminated between two layers of low-density, lead-free, virgin grade and rot-resistant polyethylene to maximise detectability. 

• Unique wave design stretches over 25% before breaking.
• Printed text and wires are protected by a clear, laminated film.
• Stainless steel joining crimps and crimping tools are available, with side flanges supplied if required.
• Available in various colours, texts, and sizes.
• Can be custom manufactured and supplied on wooden cable drums up to 3km.
• A warning message is printed in black.

■ Detectamesh® Detectable Mesh

Detectamesh® is a coloured plastic detectable mesh for marking and detecting buried underground pipes, cables, and services.

Detectamesh® detectable mesh is manufactured from high-strength coloured rot-resistant homopolymer polypropylene plastic mesh incorporating a traceable stainless steel wire and overprinted with a warning message in black. Available in green and yellow.

The warning message can be printed to suit the user’s requirement, subject to minimum order quantities. Texts can be printed for gas lines, electrical cables, water lines, sewer lines, and fibre optic cable lines or pipes offering cable protection for a range of different applications.

• Manufactured from high-strength coloured rot-resistant homopolymer polypropylene plastic mesh.
• Warning message printed in black.
• Has a traceable stainless steel wire.
• Custom orders manufactured in any colour, text, or logo, are subject to minimum order quantities.
• Widths: 200mm and 300mm.
• Lengths: 100m to 200m.

Need a customised safety warning tape?