Labels Communicate Compliance

You spend good money on the latest anti-virus software and network security software to ensure that your business stays up and running. And then the power goes out and all bets are off. By the time the new IT guy figures out where the power source is that leads to the receptacle the $800 PC is plugged into, two hours of productivity has been lost. Granted, this isn't an everyday occurrence, but then again neither was the latest worm that infiltrated networks all over America a few months ago. Just because your network is protected, don't overlook other security holes that can easily be prevented with proper labeling.

Handwritten Labels Receive Failing Grade
Electrical contractors understand the value of labels as much as anyone. Bill Fialkowski, owner of Carey Electric Company, Inc. (Mundelein, IL), provides electrical contracting services primarily for printing companies. Most modern printers use foreign machines with various electrical requirements. Carey Electric specializes in getting foreign and U.S. electrical systems to play nice together so that everything works safely and can pass inspection.

Electrical, fire, and federal codes require electrical equipment to be properly marked. Anyone from a print shop employee to a firefighter should be able to glance at a label and quickly determine the power feeder source for any particular component, and which breaker or switch will shut it down.

For years, electricians at Carey Electric hand-wrote on panel boards and switches with magic markers or used pre-made electrical labels. Poor penmanship and smeared labels created efficiency problems and compliance issues. Fialkowski says, "Today's professional inspectors won't tolerate inadequate labeling when it comes to electrical equipment."

In the electrical profession, labels are not a "one size fits all" prospect. "Everything about a label has meaning," says Fialkowski. "A label's color, size, and symbols all have significance." Besides requiring the proper color and symbols, labels require clear instructions on how to turn off the equipment.

Electronic Labels Are Key To Compliance
Fialkowski found the answer to his dilemma after being introduced to a P-touch labeler from Brother International Corp. (Bridgewater, NJ). He chose the PT-2300, which enabled him to carry it around work sites or connect it to a PC. The PT-2300's Windows-compatible software lets Fialkowski design his own customized templates and laminated labels — complete with graphics of electrical symbols. "The printer can be loaded with labels of various sizes and widths to print labels that meet all industry requirements," says Fialkowski.

Printing out labels before he and his crew arrive at the customer's site helps Fialkowski to be better prepared and more organized. "By preparing labels ahead of time, we're able to make sure that each electrical connection is described clearly and each electrician has a detailed description of how each piece of equipment is to be wired." For special labeling needs that arise on the job, Fialkowski keeps a P-touch labeler in his truck.

Poorly marked jobs require extra time spent tracing and re-labeling circuits. Fialkowski has heard horror stories about how an $800 PC shutdown caused a company thousands of dollars in lost productivity because the IT person or electrician couldn't readily trace the power failure back to its source. If he knows one thing for sure, however, it's that it is not one of his customers telling that story.

Written by Jay McCall, Integrated Solutions Magazine