One of the big challenges in safety is the inanimate machine, not the unpredictable animating physical asset called a human being.

While a human’s specific actions may be unpredictable, as safety officers we can safely predict that their actions will be unpredictable. And we can predict generally how a machine is going to act when a human comes in contact with it. But we cannot often predict that the human is going to interact with that machine in a safe way every time. This is where a lockout or tagout program for all of your machinery would come in very handy.

[Image courtesy of Flickr user Jason Eppink via a Creative Commons license]

[Image courtesy of Flickr user Jason Eppink via a Creative Commons license]

You see, it’s not about the machine; it’s about the people who operate it. Let’s face it, you could preview and review safety protocols until the cows come home, and you could place prominent signage or placards over or near all the machines that post a risk to workers, and still a single individual could do something completely unpredictable and cause a problem with a machine that is not locked down properly.

As was mentioned in my last post, a lockout program is just that – a program, and not just a manual and digital key that locks the machinery in place when not in use. Oh sure, some kind of lock can certainly stop the mechanism from working with the power on, but at the same time, an unpredictable human being could still turn the machine on by accident, or in some way affect the machinery adversely that can put himself and others around him at risk.

There are some important things to know about your machines before you can implement a complete lockout program. The foremost point is to understand all the workings of your machine, whatever it is. It is rarely, if ever, just about the electric power source. Many machines have hydraulics, heat, electricity, gears, and other implements that involve moving parts, excessive heat or vapors, as well as electric sources.  A lockout program isn’t just making sure that the electricity is shut off to the machine. You have to understand all the other aspects of the machine and know how they might affect a worker if the machine is turned on accidentally or a person may still get injured even if the machine is unplugged, perhaps by moving a couple of gears manually while trying to clean the machine, for example.

Lockouts are especially important when workers are assigned th tasks of cleaning or maintaining the equipment. That equipment should always be in a  full lockout mode when not being used, so that various mechanisms of the machine do not operate in any way while a worker’s hands, arms, face or other body part is in contact with the machine.

Once you understand the machine in and out and know how and why the different parts work when plugged in or turned off, it then becomes a little easier to develop a proper lockout protocol for all workers who use the machine.

There are some “hidden” dangers with various equipment that you need to be aware of in order to set up the right lockout protocol.

For example, here are some risks to watch out for with the various energy sources of a mchine:

Electrical – watch for capacitors or backup circuits; dangers include burns, shocks, electrocution, damage to the equipment.

Mechanical – rotating machinery; notice spin-down time, a release of torque or any shifting or movement of a load. Risks include amputation, cuts and scrapes, crushing injuries or fractures.

Hydraulic/Pneumatic – Look for any air or oil pressure that is captured inside the equipment. Understandably, this can cause risks of oil injection or air injection injuries consistent with the releases of high pressure.

Chemical –  Pay attention to the release of toxic or flammable liquids or vapors; risks here include skin and eye injuries, breathing problems or possible organ damage with high exposures.

Thermal – You will want to pay attention to the period of time it takes for the machine to warm up or cool down as necessary to be touched and handled safely; Risks include burns, frostbite, hypothermia, heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

Gravitational – Objects may tend to shift or fall with these machines, so pay attention to any movement caused by the release of power or linkage to other parts of the machine. Risks include being trapped or crushed, amputations, fractures or lacerations.

Now that you have an idea of what to expect and look for with your equipment, next time we’ll spell out the steps to take to ensure a proper lockout program that addresses any and all of these power sources.