The festive period is a natural break for many businesses. Customers wind down for the holidays, and orders dry up once delivery before the new year is no longer possible. Naturally, production demand is reduced as a result.
It’s the perfect time for some maintenance, right? Rather than interrupting a standard working week, why not choose the quietest period of the year?
Unfortunately, safety doesn’t take a break during the winter months. Maintenance still carries risk, and businesses need to understand this while ensuring the right processes and procedures are in place to minimise incidents.
Shutdown maintenance is often riskier than usual due to unfamiliar contractors, skeleton staff, and time pressure to restart before January.
The processes and procedures
Companies should implement strict processes and procedures so everyone in the business knows how to conduct maintenance safely.
Generally, procedures include things like:
- Responsibilities: who does what (managers, supervisors, workers, contractors)
- Hazards and assessments: what people need to be aware of
- Training and competence
- Equipment and PPE needed
- The steps: Numbered, in order, written as instructions
Lockout tagout tryout is a procedure that businesses should use during maintenance to ensure machinery and equipment are completely de-energised and safe before work begins.
The procedure should include things like:
- Who is authorised to operate the machine and conduct maintenance
- The machine’s energy source (electric, gas, pneumatic etc.)
- What lockout tagout equipment is needed
- The 10 steps of lockout tagout. Read more here
Why lockout tagout matters during shutdown
When winter maintenance is underway, lockout tagout procedures should be in place to ensure no one can accidentally switch on a machine and harm workers. Otherwise, someone may see a machine that’s normally running, assume it’s been left off by mistake, and restart it. This can cause serious injury or death.
The essentials that every engineer needs to lockout a machine are:
- A lockout device: This is the physical mechanism that fits over the energy-isolating device. This could be a valve, switch or circuit breaker lockout device.
- A padlock: The essential piece of equipment that every engineer should have. One padlock per person prevents someone from opening the lockout device unless they have the key. (Which should only be held by the person responsible for locking out the machine.)
- A tag: Used by the worker to record their name, the date the device was locked out, and the expected completion date.
- A hasp: This is used for group lockouts. If more than one person is working on a machine, each worker should apply their own padlock to the hasp. Only when every worker has removed their padlock and the machine is safely re-energised can the lockout device be removed.
For electrical lockouts, a lockout pouch kit is a great option for workers. These pouches feature all essential equipment needed to lockout circuit breakers. It’s a handy solution for workers to store in a van, toolbox, or on a belt. It’s also mobile and easy to carry around site.
For other lockout applications such as valves, it may be worth workers carrying their own lockout kit bag. While slightly larger than the lockout pouch kits, these bags feature pre-selected products for most common lockout needs. They keep all lockout equipment in one convenient place. The kits improve efficiency by preventing the need to return to a lockout station.
The different types of lockout devices
The isolation point you are locking out will determine which lockout device you need. Ultimately, lockout tagout tryout is the same process no matter what device you use. The device is the only thing that changes between isolations.
There are many different types of lockout devices, but the most common ones are:
- Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB) Lockout: MCBs are some of the most common isolation points. This is because electricity is one of the most common energy sources that require locking out.
- Ball Valve Lockout: Fits over the lever-style handle typical of ball valves, holding it in the closed position so it can't be rotated back open.
- Gate Valve Lockout: Fits over the wheel-style handle found on gate valves, preventing it from turning in either direction.
- Ladder Lockout: Ladder lockout devices are unique as they don’t physically lock out an energy source. They are ideal during winter shutdowns because they can prevent access to unauthorised areas or prevent contractors from using unsafe ladders they may not realise are faulty.
In Summary
When businesses shut down for winter maintenance, it’s important to implement procedures such as lockout tagout tryout to ensure everyone’s safety. It’s an ideal time to conduct maintenance, but there are still hazards present that can cause injury.
Implementing robust processes, procedures and correct equipment can help workers isolate machinery safely, ensuring they return home to their loved ones for the festive period.