Electrical safety equipment lockout procedures

Processing equipment has standard procedures to operate and meet safety requirements. Safety information and standards are available from various sources that include the equipment suppliers. Society of Plastics Industry (SPI), and American National Standards Institute (ANSI). For the past century we have observed increasing activity on the part of manufacturers to upgrade safety in fabricating plants. Examples of safety features are many and differ for the different equipment in the lines. Safety interlocks ensure that equipment will not operate until certain precautions have been taken. Safety machine lockout procedures are set up for action to be taken in proper lockout of the machine s operation such as electrical and mechanical circuits. There are preloaded pressure bolts around dies, pressure rupture disks on barrels, and so on. The operating environment is continuously upgraded with reduced sound and noise in the operating areas. 

This section smnmarizes several MSHA-recommended safe job procedures as they relate to electrical safety. Note that these descriptions are not intended to provide detailed instruction, rather, they are intended to serve as representative examples and to familiarize the reader with the most common electrical hazards and basic recommended safe job procedures for several common job functions. The first section describes basic procedures that apply to most pieces of electric equipment. The second section smnmarizes procedmes for a coal mine shuttle car operator. FinaUy, equipment lockout procedures are smnmarized. See MSHA s On-The-Job Training Modules for additional details (MSHA 1985a MSHA 1985b MSHA 1986a MSHA 1988a MSHA 1988b). 

The development and implementation of safety procedures for non-routine work are required by OSHA and EPA. These specifically include hot work (such as welding), lockout or tagout, line-breaking, and confined-space entry. Other examples of non-routine work for which procedures should be developed would be excavation, electrical hot work (on energized conductors), hot-tapping (on pressurized piping), and, in some instances, personal protective equipment. 

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