Lockout/tagout standard work

The top priorities of press maintenance are Housekeeping and Safety for the protection of the maintenance personnel and the press operator. The proverbial loaded guns such as electrical, air/pneumatics, and flywheel energy can cause serious injury to the maintenance personnel or press operator. Before any press maintenance work is started, the slide must be placed on the bottom of the stroke (to protect personnel from the slide, gears, or any press parts rolling), and the press must be shut down per Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Lockout/Tagout standards (Fig. 1). 

A learned colleague has frequently reminded us that complying with the National Electrical Safety Code or the applicable OSHA lockout/tagout standard will not necessarily ensure that a non-error-provocative lockout/tagout system has been put in place. Neither of those standards requires that disconnects be placed close to where the work is being done and thereby be conducive to employee use. 

An accredited ANSI standards conunittee is working on a revision of ANSI Z244, titled Control of Hazardous Energy—Lockout/Tagout and Alternative Methods. Its June 2002 draft requires that a risk assessment be performed in the design of lockout/tagout systems to determine the... 

Before you work on electrical equipment, turn off the power to it. Use your standard lockout/tagout procedures before you begin working anywhere near the energized equipment. 

At Airgas, we offer Brady s complete line of lockout/tagout compliance solutions, and much more. With over 875 stores nationwide and thousands of sales reps, we can work with you one-on-one to make sure you have the lockout devices and safety tools to comply with OSHA s lockout standards. Brady Corp., wwwnirgas.com, (800) 541-1686. Circle 238... 

The three major OSHA standards most frequently cited to employers regarding contractor safety are Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemical (29 CFR 1910.110), Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) (29 CFR 1910.147), and Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200). These regulations pertain to the hiring of outside contractors and subcontractors to perform repair work, plant modification, equipment maintenance, etc. Many countries around the world have their comparable standards. 

---