safety

Sq08-Sq40 General Safety

The following procedures amount to minimum instructions for Lockout/Tagout. Any more stringent, current, or up-to-date requirements pursuant to OSHA or other regulations must be followed to the extent applicable.

Manufacturer’s Recommended Minimum Lockout/Tagout Energy Control Procedures

Purpose

» The procedures listed herein are intended to provide minimum instructions to operators and/or end users of products supplied by the Manufacturer. To the extent that applicable laws, regulations, and/or codes, (such as, without limitation, OSHA regulations and requirements), provide more stringent requirements, all erectors, installers, operators and/or end users of the products referenced in this manufacturer’s product manual, such applicable laws, regulations and/or codes MUST be followed. Whenever maintenance or servicing is completed to machines or equipment, all such maintenance and servicing shall be completed in accordance with the requirements of OSHA’s 1910.147, et seq., including any amendments thereto. Such requirements are designed to ensure that the machine or equipment is stopped, isolated from all potentially hazardous energy sources and locked out before employees or operators perform any maintenance or servicing where the unexpected energization or start-up of the machine or equipment or release of stored energy could cause injury.

Authorized and Affected Individuals

» Authorized operators and individuals who must be trained on these procedures include, without limitation, individuals who must lock out or tag out machines or equipment in order to perform servicing or maintenance on that machine or equipment. Affected individuals who must follow these procedures and be trained on the minimum requirements stated herein include individuals whose job responsibilities or operational responsibilities require him/her to operate or use a machine or equipment on which servicing or maintenance may be performed, or whose job responsibilities or operational responsibilities require him/her to work in an area in which such servicing or maintenance is being performed. An individual should not be authorized to perform such job responsibilities and/or operational responsibilities until he/she is properly trained on these procedures and is properly trained to complete such servicing or maintenance tasks.

Service and/or Maintenance

» Work place activities such as construction, installing, setting up, adjusting, inspecting, modifying and maintaining and/or servicing machines or equipment must be subject to the minimum procedures stated herein and any additional procedures required by applicable law, regulation or code. Additional activities, such as lubrication, cleaning or unjamming of machines or equipment, and making adjustments or tool changes, where the individual performing the activity may be exposed to the unexpected energization or start up of the equipment or release of hazardous energy must also be subject to the minimum procedures stated herein and any additional procedures required by applicable law, regulation or code.

» These minimum procedures must be followed by maintenance and setup personnel. Maintenance personnel must follow such minimum procedures in the event that any type of required repair, cleaning, maintenance, inspections, adjusting, or servicing (e.g., electrical, mechanical, or other such servicing that requires entrance into or close contact with the machinery).

Setup personnel must follow these minimum procedures in the event that any type of setup is required (e.g., replacing dies, adjusting guards, adjusting die components / tooling, removal of jammed parts, or other such activities that require entrance into or close contact with the machinery).

Machinery and Equipment

» Unlike small appliances or hand tools, industrial machinery requires more than turning off a switch and unplugging. The power for such equipment comes from multiple, interactive energy sources. If all energy sources are not isolated before service (setup and/or maintenance) is performed, an accidental release of energy could occur which could result in serious injury or even death. These forms of energy include: electrical, pneumatic, chemical, thermal, hydraulic, mechanical, or gravity. When machines or equipment need to be serviced, this energy must be isolated so authorized personnel can safely perform the work.

» Each individual fitting the above descriptions must be issued locks, with identifying tags, which must be used only by that person. Locks must not be transferable from person to person, and each individual must be held responsible for his/her own locks and keys. Each lock must be numbered and a master list showing the number, and the individual using it, must be under the supervision of the facilities or project site manager.

Lockout/Tagout Procedures

Lockout/Tagout is the preferred method of isolating machines, or equipment, from energy sources. Tagout is to be performed, instead of lockout, only when there is no way to lockout a machine. The authorized maintenance supervisor must be notified if there is no way to lockout a machine. The authorized maintenance supervisor must then evaluate equipment for future lockout capabilities.

Affected individuals must be notified when their machine is to be locked out according to the following method. All types of machinery and equipment mentioned above must be subject to these minimum shutdown, isolation, blocking and securing procedures for Lockout/Tagout.

Step One: Preparation for shutdown

Before an authorized or affected individual turns off a machine or equipment, the authorized individual shall have a working knowledge of the specific equipment, the type and magnitude of the energy, the hazards of the energy to be controlled, and the method or means to control the energy.

Step Two: Machine or equipment shutdown

The machine or equipment shall be turned off or shut down using the procedures established for that specific machine or piece of equipment. An orderly shutdown must be utilized to avoid any additional, or increased, hazard(s) to individuals as a result of equipment stoppage.

Step Three: Machine or equipment isolation

All energy isolating devices that are needed to control the energy to the machine or equipment shall be physically located and operated, in such a manner, as to isolate the machine or equipment from the energy source(s).

Step Four:

Lockout/Tagout device application

All types of machinery and equipment listed above fall under these lockout placement, removal, transfer, and responsibility minimum procedures. Lockout/Tagout devices shall be affixed to each energy isolating device by authorized individuals. Lockout devices, where used, shall be affixed in a manner that will hold the energy isolating devices in a “safe” or “off” position. Tagout devices, where used, shall be affixed in such a manner as will clearly indicate that the operation or movement of energy isolating devices from the “safe” or “off” position is prohibited. Where a tag cannot be affixed directly to the energy isolating device, the tag shall be located as close as safely possible to the device, in a position that will be immediately obvious to anyone attempting to operate the device.

Step Five: Stored energy

Following the application of Lockout/Tagout devices to energy isolating devices, all potentially hazardous stored or residual energy must be relieved, disconnected, restrained, and otherwise rendered safe. If there is a possibility of reaccumulation of stored energy to a hazardous level, verification of isolation shall be continued until the servicing or maintenance is completed, or until the possibility of such accumulation no longer exists.

Step Six: Verification of isolation

Prior to starting work on machines or equipment that have been locked out or tagged out, the authorized individual shall verify that isolation and deenergization of the machine or equipment have been accomplished, even though isolation is performed prior to shutdown and is checked at that point. Verify the isolation of the equipment by operating the push button or other normal operating or startup control(s) to make certain the equipment will not operate. Return the operating control(s) to neutral or off position after verifying that the equipment is isolated. The machine or equipment is now locked out and servicing or maintenance may safely begin.

Step Seven: Release from Lockout/Tagout.

Before Lockout/Tagout devices are removed and energy is restored to the machine or equipment, procedures shall be followed and actions taken by the authorized individual(s) to ensure the following:

The machine or equipment: The work area shall be inspected to ensure that nonessential items have been removed and to ensure that machine or equipment components are operationally intact.

Individuals Present: The work area shall be checked to ensure that all individuals have been safely positioned or removed. After Lockout/Tagout devices have been removed and before a machine or equipment is started, affected individuals shall be notified that the Lockout/Tagout device(s) have been removed.

Step Eight: Lockout/tagout devices removal

Each Lockout/Tagout device shall be removed from each energy isolating device by the individual who applied the device. Exception: When the authorized individual who applied the Lockout/Tagout device is not available to remove it, that device may be removed under the direction of the authorized supervisor, provided that specific procedures and training for such removal have been developed, documented and incorporated into the owner’s control program. The owner shall demonstrate that the specific procedure provides equivalent safety to the removal of the device by the authorized individual who applied it. The specific procedure shall include at least the following elements:

a. Verification by the owner (supervisor / manager) that the authorized individual who applied the device is not at the facility / project site.

b. Making all the reasonable efforts to contact the authorized individual to inform him/her that his/her Lockout/Tagout device has been removed.

c. Ensuring that the authorized individual has the knowledge before he/she resumes work at that facility / project site.

Shift or Personnel Changes

» When a shift or personnel change occurs, a designated individual shall ensure the continuity of Lockout/Tagout protection.

The designated individual shall provide for the orderly transfer of Lockout/Tagout devices between off-going and on-coming individuals to minimize risk from stored energy.

» In general, if a piece of equipment is locked out at shift change, the person on the next shift must apply their lock before the individual who is leaving

can remove their lock. In the event that no authorized individual or supervisor is available to transfer the Lockout/Tagout device, a designated department lock can be used to lockout the equipment during this time frame. As soon as the next shift authorized individual is available, he/she must ensure the equipment is properly de-energized and then place their own Lockout/Tagout device on the equipment.

» At this point in time the department lock should be removed and returned to its designated storage location. The department lock is never to be used as an individual lockout protection device while servicing or repairing equipment.

Group Lockout/Tagout

» If more than one individual is servicing or setting up the machinery, each individual will use their own lock on the lockout. This prevents undue exposure to a potential hazard. The last individual working on the machinery will remove his/her lock and the tag indicating the work has been completed. The locks should remain on the switch until all work has been completed unless it is necessary for the machinery to be operable between servicing and/or maintenance and does not expose the worker or operator to any unnecessary danger.

Operator Training

» The owner must provide effective initial training and retraining as necessary and must certify that such training has been given to all workers and operators covered by these minimum procedures. The certification must contain each worker and/or operator’s name and dates of training.

» For the purposes of these minimum procedures, there are three types of individuals — authorized, affected, and other. The amount and kind of training that each individual should receive is based upon (1) the relationship of that individual’s responsibilities in relation to the machine or equipment being locked and tagged out, and (2) the degree of knowledge relevant to hazardous energy that he or she must possess.

» For example, the owner’s training program for authorized individuals (those who are charged with the responsibility for implementing the energy control procedures and performing the service and maintenance) must cover, at minimum, the following areas: (1) details about the type and magnitude of the hazardous energy sources present in the workplace; and (2) the methods and means necessary to isolate and control those energy sources (i.e., the elements of the energy control procedures). By contrast, affected individuals (usually the machine operators or users) and all other individuals who have access to such machines and/or equipment must be able to: (1) recognize when the control procedure is being implemented; and (2) understand the purpose of the procedure and the importance of not attempting to start up or use the machinery and/or equipment that has been locked or tagged out.

» Because an ìaffectedî individual is not one who is performing the service or maintenance, that individual’s responsibilities under these minimum procedures are more simple (i.e., whenever there is a Lockout/Tagout device in place on an energy-isolating device, the affected individual must leave it alone and never attempt to operate the machinery and/or equipment).

» Every training program must ensure that all authorized and affected individuals understand the purpose, function and restrictions of these minimum energy control procedures and that authorized individuals possess the knowledge and skills necessary for the safe application, use, and removal of energy controls.

» Training programs used for compliance with these minimum procedures and/or other more stringent applicable procedures, which are performance-oriented, should deal with the equipment, type(s) of energy, and hazard(s) specific to the environment being covered.

» Retraining must be provided, as required, whenever there is a change in work and/or operational assignments, a change in machines, equipment or processes that present a new hazard, or a change in minimum energy control procedures. Additional retraining must be conducted whenever a periodic inspection reveals, or whenever the relevant authorized supervisor has reason to believe, that there are deviations from or inadequacies in the authorized individual’s knowledge or use of the minimum required energy control procedure.

Periodic Inspection

» A periodic inspection is done, looking at the minimum energy control procedures performed to ensure that such minimum procedures and requirements are being followed. The inspection should be performed monthly by the authorized supervisor with the intent of evaluating the authorized individu als at least once per year. This information should be recorded on a Lockout/Tagout Inspection Sheet / Log. All original copies should be maintained by the owner of the equipment and/or machinery.

Outside personnel (contractors, etc.)

» The owner and any third party contractor engaged to perform installation, maintenance or operation of the equipment and/or machinery must advise each other of their respective minimum Lockout/Tagout procedures. Each party must ensure that his or her personnel must understand and comply with all restrictions and / or prohibitions of the other party’s minimum energy control procedures.

Administrative Duties

» The authorized supervisors are responsible for the daily follow-through of the required minimum procedures for each applicable piece of equipment and/or machinery. Violation of the required minimum procedures set by the owner must be addressed appropriately by the owner and/or authorized supervisor. The owner of the applicable equipment and/or machinery must review and update the required minimum procedures as necessary.