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Potential Hazards:
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Workers may be
crushed at the point of operation, drawn into rotating parts, instantly electrocuted, or
mangled by other moving parts.
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Possible Solutions:
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Shut off and
lockout/tagout
all power sources—electrical, mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic—during machine maintenance. This includes power that is stored in a machine, such as
compressed air in a cylinder, after the machine is turned off. To achieve this, you must have a written
lockout/tagout plan that, for each machine, describes all power sources and the correct procedure
for shutting down, testing, and re-energizing the equipment. A plan should describe how
employees will be notified when a lockout/tagout is necessary, and shall require
employees to always
lock out or tag out equipment, using the appropriate procedures, before performing work on the
equipment.
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Develop your energy control program by inventorying your equipment and
identifying all power sources. Identify the lockout devices that you will need for
your particular machines. There are many commercially available devices for locking out electrical
switches, circuit breakers, valves, compressed-air lines, hydraulic equipment, and other power
sources. When feasible, affected employees must be given their own lock to use during lockout
procedures. If tagout devices are used in place of lockout devices, the tagout program must be as effective as
the lockout program. Train all affected employees about the company’s
plan. The program
will work only if employees understand how to implement the correct
lockout/tagout procedures. OSHA’s standard, 1910.147, establishes specific requirements for lockout/tagout programs.
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Each year, more than 100 workers are killed and many more are
injured while repairing or maintaining machines. A coworker may start a
machine that another employee is repairing. Sometimes the injured
worker is the one who accidentally knocks a
switch and energizes the machine while clearing a jam or cleaning the equipment.