Lockout/Tagout and Your Concrete Plant

We’ve all had or heard about “close calls” when it comes to working in and around batch plants. Plant operations including; conveyor belts, aggregate gates and electrical panels are just of few of the everyday dangers faced by you and your employees when working in and around your concrete batch plant. Workers can be electrocuted or lose fingers, hands, arms, or suffer severe crushing injuries because machinery is inadvertently turned on while being serviced or maintained. These injuries can be prevented by establishing an effective lockout program. This article will deal with Lockout/Tagout or “LOTO” and why plant operations should include these easy to follow guide lines.

As defined by the US Department of Labor, “Lockout/Tagout (LOTO)” refers to specific practices and procedures to safeguard employees from the unexpected energization or startup of machinery and equipment, or the release of hazardous energy during service or maintenance activities. This requires that a designated individual turns off and disconnects the machinery or equipment from its energy source(s) before performing service or maintenance and that the authorized employee(s) either lock or tag the energy-isolating device(s) to prevent the release of hazardous energy and take steps to verify that the energy has been isolated effectively.

Failure to lock out and block out machinery before working on it is a major cause of injury and death in the United States. An effective lockout/tagout program should include the following:

• An inspection of equipment by a trained individual who is thoroughly familiar with the equipment operation and associated hazards
• Identification and labeling of lockout devices
• Purchase of locks, tags, and blocks
• A standard written operating procedure that is followed by all employees

If you have these safety procedures in place and are practicing them on a daily basis, you’re doing it right. If not, we can point you to some great web sites that can easily get you into compliance. Check out www.osha.gov for effective easy to follow safety processes that will keep your operation “safe” and compliant. If you have other questions or would like to learn more about this article, feel free to contact us by phone or info@maconcrete.com

Source; www.osha.gov