Today’s MSHA Fatality Report made me wonder how many LOTO programs require the SECONDARY SECUREMENT of large objects, even after the power source that normally moves the equipment has been locked out. For example, cooling towers and condenser fan blades.
I have experienced firsthand a piece of equipment two times involved were very large fan blades, and they caused serious injuries when they were caught in the wind and turned. Both times OSHA cited us – neither case was challenged; we fixed our program/procedures and LEARNED from the event. But we see this type of gap often in LOTO programs and training.
Wind and Gravity may be easier to recognize, but even suspended objects secured off to the side to keep them pulled out of the way can create the potential for hazardous movement should the securement be undone or broken. This was the third type of incident I experienced. We had to pull an internal valve inside a reactor, and of course, the agitator/mixing blades were set just above this valve. So the entrants finagled the shaft loose and pushed the blades over to the side. They use some everyday rope to tie the shaft off, hoping to keep it out of the way of their work. It was a successful plan until the knot gave way, and the two workers sitting at the bottom of the reactor were struck by mixing blades. The equipment only moved ~ 4′, but the tension it was under while being tied off to the side and its weight created enough energy to knock out one of the workers and cause a cut on the other worker needing 20+ stitches to close. Both workers were out of work for weeks in their recovery. Keep in mind, this practice was NOT done often, but when it was done, it had always been done this way and this was the first incident.
Personal Note: Sometimes, I think I jinx the facilities I worked at, as these “never happened before events” always seemed to happen on my watch. Maybe that is the reason I am so untrusting of hazards. I wholeheartedly believe ANYTHING can happen, and it is not a matter of “if it will happen,” but rather “when will it happen.”
But I encourage you to review your need for secondary securement within your LOTO practices. Most processing industries will need this practice due to the type of equipment involved. Traditional manufacturers may need to install cribbing under raised equipment but know that this cribbing becomes an “energy isolation device” that must be LOCKED or TAGGED to ensure it remains effective at controlling the hazardous energy.