When workers say to me, “that hardly ever happens” I just shake my head. It happens far more often than most people think. I mean, think about why did OSHA promulgate the LOTO standard – people were turning on machines with workers inside. But this case was exceptionally bad! A father found his son inside…...
The horrors of improper LOTO Read More »
A 48-year-old male employee was crushed inside a machine (COS) while adjusting the grippers that place lead cells into batteries. This employer is a battery manufacturer. On the day of the incident, the victim was called by the machine operator to troubleshoot the COS machine because the grippers were not working. It was determined that…...
LOTO Fatality (Interlocked Protected Area) Read More »
At 10:15 a.m. on February 16, 2022, Employee #1, 27, removed a flange from an overhead pipe as part of a multi-employer pipe replacement project. He was not aware that a different pipeline had been locked out. A heated slurry solution of boric acid and zinc oxide was released from the pipe he was working…...
Line Break gone bad (boric acid and zinc oxide) Read More »
If you have ever taught a LOTO course, you know that you will always get the questions… “Is ___ psi a hazardous energy source?”. Regardless of the gas’s inherent hazard(s), we should always answer by saying “Zero = Zero,” and in LOTO, we are required to achieve a zero energy state. So, any psi of…...
Hazardous Energy – visual display of PSI Read More »
How did you spend your Friday night and Saturday? Me? I spent mine helping a client manage a traumatic injury to a new employee with less than 3-weeks on the job. And like most employers, this company truly cares about their employees and honestly wants the best for their employees. This business may be the…...
Why being “Authorized” means something in LOTO Read More »
Why so many try to make such a simple safety process so difficult has puzzled me for years! Even in Group LOTO, each employee is protected by the LOTO MUST have EXCLUSIVE CONTROL of the devices protecting them. It is that simple. This organization should be embarrassed for asking these questions, especially when their scenarios…...
A supervisor’s LO lock and a roster do NOT meet 1910.147 Read More »
World-class safety can be summed up in this manner… The ability to recognize a serious hazard that can be controlled by an existing safe work practice that is in place for complying with a different OSHA standard. If you’re a process safety engineer/practitioner you have dealt with “line break/process opening” for your Highly Hazardous Chemicals…...
Cracking a flange with stored steam energy kills two maintenance techs (OSHRC) Read More »
At 6:05 p.m. on March 3, 2021, an employee, 27, was clearing jammed mulch from a mulch coloring machine. The employee disconnected the power from the machine, entered the hopper, and began removing mulch. The employee exited the hopper, restored power, and restarted the machine. The employee reentered the machine a second time WITHOUT DISCONNECTING…...
Fatality inside mulch coloring machine (LOTO) Read More »
Seriously, in the year 2021/2022, we still have these questions asked of OSHA about a standard that has been in place since the mid-1980s. Scenario 1: Three (3) authorized employees are working on a pump. Each energy source is de-energized and locked out by an employee in plant operations. Then, the plant operations employee places…...
Clarification on Group LOTO requirements Read More »
OSHA once again clarifies that locking out the air source to a pneumatically powered control valve is NOT locking the energy isolation device! When I taught at ASSP Seminarfest several years ago, the most disputed point was this very practice. I was very clear, which did not sit well with some attendees, that locking the…...
Energy isolation requirements for pneumatically powered control valves Read More »
Rotary valves/airlocks (rotary valves) are devices with close-fitting, revolving blades/vanes installed inside industrial equipment to control the flow of materials through a process (see Figure 1). Rotary valves are used in many industries and functions. A common example (Figure 2) is an airlock used in a pneumatic conveying system to dispense material while maintaining system…...
Rotary Valve/Airlock and Lock-Out/Tag-Out Hazards (OSHA SHIB 2021) Read More »
At 8:00 a.m. on March 15, 2021, Employee #1 removed, cleaned, prepared the surface and replaced the blow-in door gasket seals on the USS McFaul. The door was TAGGED OUT in the OPEN position; however, in this position, the pneumatic pressure and electric power could NOT be secured in its SAFE POSITION. While performing the…...
