In this blog is a link to an HSE report of a recent prosecution following a serious industrial accident in which a workers' arm was torn off by an industrial auger or 'corkscrew'.
The inspecting HSE officer stated "this was a terrible, preventable incident...with foreseeable risk".
The story also claims that the worker involved was an experienced fitter who had worked in the industry for 23 years.
Whilst attributing blame is a distasteful process, you have to look for the root cause in order to prevent recurrence. The writer of this blog is not in possession of all the facts however, as is so often the case, blame seems to lie with both employer and employee. And not only the employer of the company where the accident happened but the employer where the victim first started work, 23 years before.
One would hope that an experienced worker would be aware of the possible risks when undertaking work of this nature. We all have varying levels of 'risk assessment' in built. Most of us look both ways before we cross the road. If the employer(s) had provided training and equipment, then responsibility shifts towards the employee, who has a responsibility to use equipment provided for their safety and welfare (just like PPE).
To that end, employers have a duty to 'teach' risk awareness so that we all subconsciously ask ourselves "what's the worse that could happen" before taking on a task. If we don't perceive risk, we wont take preventative measures.
The report explains that inadequate and ineffective isolation measures contributed to the accident. The financial penalties handed down seem small, given the nature of the injury suffered but significantly more than the cost of training and and effective lockout tagout system.
Follow this link to read the report of an industrial accident that could have been avoided with lockout tagout.
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Thursday, 7 July 2011
How do I lock a plug?
There are several devices on the market for locking an electrical plug. But why would you need to lock an electrical plug?
Well there are a few reasons. Let’s look at them in turn and illustrate the different plug locking devices.
You might have a portable hand tool, for example power drill, circular saw or jack-hammer that you want to prevent people from using due to on-going maintenance activities either with the device itself or the environment in which the hand tool is being used. In these cases, locking the connection plug away in a plug lockout can render the tool inoperable.
Alternatively, the hand tool or electrical appliance may have failed a PAT test and is awaiting repair. This is another reason for locking the plug to prevent the equipment from being used.
You can also lock electrical sockets. An example of this application could be refrigeration equipment in a kitchen, hospital or laboratory. Imagine the cleaner comes in looking for somewhere the plug in their vacuum cleaner, unplugs the fridge and forgets to reconnect. This could have very serious consequences. A socket lock could be the ideal solution to prevent this from happening. There are two different types of socket lock. The first version is a large bright red device that alerts the person who is preparing to remove the plug. The second version actually locks the plug in the socket and can only be removed with a permit key. See the images below.
To conclude, if electrical disconnection or reconnection must be prevented, there are several product solutions available to solve this problem.
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