🏷️ Standard & approval
Aramco Blue Sticker Inspection in Saudi Arabia
Contractors working for Saudi Aramco often talk about the blue sticker: the colour-coded inspection sticker or tag they associate with equipment that has passed third-party inspection for Aramco sites. The exact colour, format, validity period and issuing party follow the current Aramco and project scheme, which can change, so confirm them against your contract rather than relying on what another contractor told you. Equipment that arrives without valid inspection status can be turned away at the gate or stopped on site until it is inspected and tagged. This page explains the idea behind the sticker and how EES prepares cranes, lifting gear, MEWPs and heavy equipment, so that inspection, certification documents and tagging go smoothly.
Our work is aligned with these requirements
EES inspection, testing and training are aligned with the requirements of this standard.
Ask us for our current approval documentation and scope before you rely on it for a tender, contractor prequalification or site-access requirement.
What it means for contractors
- ✓The sticker is the visible end of an inspection record. Behind it sit the identification of the item (make, model, serial number, capacity), an inspection report or certificate, evidence of the inspector's competence and a due date. The tag is the quick check at the gate; the paperwork is what stands behind it.
- ✓Inspection status is time-limited. When it lapses, the equipment is treated as uninspected even if it was perfectly sound on the day it was tagged. Intervals follow the current scheme and the equipment type, so track due dates from the report, not from memory.
- ✓Who applies the sticker is part of the scheme. Some projects accept a tag applied by an inspection body that meets their criteria, others use their own colour, numbering or issuer. Colour, format and issuer follow the current Aramco and project scheme, and we confirm which applies before inspection.
- ✓Common reasons equipment is turned away: no tag or an expired tag, a tag or certificate that does not match the item's serial number, a missing load chart or safe working load marking, safety devices that fail a function test, or an inspection report that does not name a recognised standard and method. Any one of these can be enough for the gate team or site HSE to refuse it.
- ✓Each equipment type has its own scope. Cranes are examined against ASME B30 requirements (for example B30.5 for mobile cranes), MEWPs against ANSI/SAIA A92 and the manufacturer's manual, forklifts against ANSI/ITSDF B56.1, and wire rope against ISO 4309 discard criteria. Lifting accessories are normally identified and tagged item by item with their working load limit, while larger machines carry a tag linked to a full report.
- ✓A sticker does not replace operator competence, a lift plan or a work permit. Tagged equipment run by an operator without valid competence evidence is still non-compliant.
How EES supports compliance
- ✓Scheme check first: we ask which Aramco or project instruction applies, what colour, format and validity the current scheme specifies, and whether it requires a tag issued under that scheme or accepts the inspection body's own tag. If a requirement is outside what we can provide, we tell you before inspection, not after.
- ✓Pre-inspection review: we check identification plates, manufacturer documents, load charts, earlier reports and operator qualifications, so missing items surface before the inspector reaches your yard.
- ✓Inspection built around the instruction your project names and the relevant ASME B30 part: examination, function and safety-device tests, and load testing where the equipment type and requirement call for it. For lifting accessories, each item is thoroughly examined and its safe working load verified against the marking.
- ✓Documents tied to the serial number: a signed inspection report naming the standard and method, a certificate for passing equipment and a uniquely identified inspection tag, so tag and paperwork always match the machine in front of the checker.
- ✓Tags go on passing items only. A failed or conditional item gets a defect list instead and is re-inspected once the defects are closed, so nothing carries a tag while a known defect is open.
- ✓An equipment register showing inspection dates and due dates across your fleet, so renewals are booked before the tag expires. Inspection takes place at your yard, laydown area or project site in the Eastern Province and across the Kingdom, scheduled around your mobilisation dates.
Related services
Inspection, testing and training that support this requirement.
Third-Party Inspection (TPI) for Aramco Projects
Independent inspection of cranes, lifting gear and heavy equipment before mobilisation to Aramco sites, prepared for Saudi Aramco GI and client requirements.
Learn more →Heavy Equipment Testing & Inspection
Third-party inspection and load testing for cranes, excavators, bulldozers and forklifts.
Learn more →Crane Inspection & Certification
Mobile, tower, overhead and crawler crane inspection with certificates.
Learn more →Rigging and Lifting Gear Inspection
Thorough examination and certification of wire rope, chain and web slings, shackles, hooks, hoists and lifting beams, with colour-coding and registers.
Learn more →MEWP, Boom Lift and Manbasket Inspection
Inspection and function testing of boom lifts, scissor lifts, swing stages and crane manbaskets, with report, certificate and tag for Saudi sites.
Learn more →Third-Party Certifications
Independent inspection reports, Certificates of Conformity and competency cards.
Learn more →FAQs
What is the Aramco blue sticker?＋
It is contractor shorthand for the colour-coded inspection sticker or tag associated with equipment that has passed third-party inspection for Aramco sites. The exact colour, format, validity and issuer follow the current Aramco and project scheme, so confirm them with your Aramco project contact or main contractor before you book an inspection.
Can EES issue an Aramco blue sticker?＋
Who may issue a sticker is set by the current Aramco or project scheme, not by the inspection company. EES issues its own inspection report, certificate and inspection tag after inspection. Whether a project accepts that tag, or requires a sticker from a specific body, depends on the scheme and your contract. Ask us for our current approval status and its scope, and we confirm in writing, before inspection, what we can and cannot provide for your project.
Why was my equipment rejected at an Aramco gate?＋
The usual reasons are a missing or expired inspection tag, a certificate that does not match the serial number on the machine, a missing load chart or safe working load marking, a failed safety device, or a report that does not name the standard and method used. A pre-mobilisation inspection and document review catches these while there is still time to repair and re-inspect.
How early should I book inspection before mobilisation?＋
As early as the mobilisation plan allows. Any defect found needs time to be repaired and re-inspected, and fixing it in your yard is much easier than dealing with a rejection at the gate. Send us the equipment list with make, model, serial numbers and capacities, and we schedule the inspection at your yard or site.