Text For Citation: 03 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: LOCKOUT

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to: The hazard of electric shock, being caught in, crushing, amputations, and death when working to clear jams, perform inspections, adjustments, maintenance, clean-up, and set-up operations. Throughout the facility, on mixers, conveyors, motors and other equipment, on or about June 26, 1987 a lockout/tagout program was not being utilized. Abatement of the hazard can be accomplished by the establishment of management controls over the work being performed, instructions of workers in the recognition and avoidance of hazards, safe shutdown of machines, blocking, stopping and reducing machines and equipment to Zero Thermal and Mechanical Energy State (ZTMS), documentation of maintenance performed. Specific elements of the abatement program shall be expected to include, but not necessarily be limited to: 1) Secure and maintain current operations and maintenance manuals on all machines to be serviced. Assure provision of appropriate manuals and/ or information contained to affected workers before work is begun. 2) Analyze all machines and determine the thermal, electrical, mechanical and nip point hazards which are present. Establish and document the procedures which will be used in performing maintenance, set-up, tear-down and operation of machines or equipment. 3) Establish and use a documented work order system for machine operation, maintenance and repairs. Document repairs made, both preventive and breakage, and use the information to improve preventive maintenance, reduce costs, increases on-line time, and reduce worker injuries. 4) At the start of work, switch off and use a worker's, individual lock on the electric control switch to prevent re-energizing the machine. After switch off, assure that the electric circuits are proven de- energized, a unique situation information tag shall be attached to the lock and machine energizing control. This lock provision shall be required on all equipment including those which are cord and plug connected. 5) All other fluid energy power sources which can produce movements of machine members shall be locked off. Pressurized lines (air or liquid) shall be closed off from the machine through the use of shut off valves, and the supply lines towards the machine reduced in pressure to atmosphere of the machine blocked against possible movementn. All possible temperature and pressure gauges shall be maintained to always provide an accurate status reading of the machine. 6) All mechanical gravity fall potential energy within the machine shall be reduced to zero, or as nearly so as possible, by lowering elevated machine parts to the floor, solid surfaces by cribbing and blocking them to prevent all the machine parts from falling. 7) All mechanical kinetic rotating machine energy within the machine shall be reduced to a zero, or as nearly as possible, by slowing the rotating parts to a stop. In the alternate, the worker shall be guarded from the rotating parts by installing temporary guards. Loose machine parts including machine parts, arms, kinives, blades, etc., shall be blocked or secured to prevent possible injury to workers. 8) Necessary work on the machine shall be performed. Upon completion, all guards, tie offs, valves, cribbing and blockages shall be removed from the machine in a manner to prevent working injuries. The machine shall be re-energized and run experimentally. The fully functional machine shall be formally returned to service and the operations manager shall counter-sign the safety machine out tag, and the work order. 9) The employer shall formally document his safe machine maintenance program. He shall develop a traiing program to instruct affected manintenance, operations workers and management. 10) The employer shall train his workers in the safe machine operation and maintenance program. The training shall be repeated as frequently as is necessary to maintain management and worker efficiency and compliance with the procedures. DISCLAIMERS: 1) You are not limited to the abatement methods suggested above. 2) The methods explained are general and may not be effective in all cases. 3) The employer is responsible for selecting and carrying out an appropriate abatement method.