Equipment can be individually marked to identify the owner on equipment items or to simplify attribution to the product data-sheet. Since the transition between marking and manipulation is smooth, some examples of professional marking are shown below.

 

PPE MADE OF METAL 

Laser engraving, mechanical engraving with an electrical engraving pen or color marking with a touch-up pen have proven to be effective for the permanent marking of carabiners, safety devices or other PPE made of metal. The marking must not be deeper than 0.1 mm so as not to impair the strength of the component. The marking must be applied next to functional areas at a point with no or as little rope contact as possible so that it is permanent and does not increase rope wear. Ideally, the marking shall be applied close to the manufacturer's marking without concealing or impairing it.

Markings on the rope must be made directly at the end of a rope. They can be attached onto an adhesive tape and protected with a transparent shrinking tube. When attaching the shrinking tube, it is important to expose the rope only briefly to heat of maximum 200° C. Centre markings may only be applied with ink approved by the manufacturer.

TEXTILE PPE

Harnesses, shock absorbers, webbing slings and other textile PPE may be marked with plaques and cable ties on unloaded parts which are not functionally relevant, or on marking fields provided for this purpose. No ink, paint, adhesive tape or stickers may be applied to load-bearing structures or functional parts. This is because the chemical components contained therein may possibly damage the fibres and change the structure or strength of the textile products.

HELMETS

Markings can be applied to non-safety relevant areas of work or climbing helmets. Ink, adhesive tape or a plaque with cable tie can be used (see illustrations). Stickers may only be applied in the manner approved by the manufacturer.

MARKING WITH RFID

With the data transmission technology RFID (radio-frequency identification), PPE products can be marked with a transponder and identified and read out contactless with a reader. The transponders commonly used for PPE operate in the UHF frequency range at 860 - 960 MHz. They do not require their own power source but are activated by the reader. The unique serial number of the transponder is stored in the documentation as an individual identifier for the "marked" PPE and thus links the product with the documentation.

RFID is a very fast way to identify products and makes sense especially in combination with digital documentation tools to manage large quantities of PPE. Some manufacturers already offer their products with built-in RFID transponders.