4.

8 Safe Working Procedures

The safe working procedures are defined by International standards, classi-
fication society’s rules, flag state administration rules and laws as well as
company policy and rules. The person carrying out the work needs to check
which procedure is valid in each working place. [Academy, ] The most com-
mon reasons for electrical hazards are mechanical failure, lack of communi-
cation, personnel carelessness and person taking known risk. That’s why by
following up safety precautions and procedures many electrical hazards can
be avoided.

4.8.1 Seven steps that save lives

As an example of safety procedures we will discuss the safe working proce-
dures used by ABB HV field technicians these procedures are known under
the name Seven steps that save lives. These steps are in a line with com-
mon standards for safe working procedures. It is recommended to do risk
assessment throughout the work. The step order can vary according to the
procedure used (for example issuing permit to work).

1. Identification of the work location

2. Disconnection and securing against reconnection

3. Protection against any other live parts

4. Special precautions close to bare conductors

5. Proving the installation dead

6. Carrying out earthing and short-circuiting

7. Issuing a permit to work

Identification of the work location

Identify the right work location and mark it clearly. The work location
should have appropriate acces and lighting. Non-authorised persons shall be
restricted from entering the work location.

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Disconnect and secure against reconnection
Disconnect all possible points of power supply. Secure the reconnection by
means of a lock out and tag out procedure to ensure that electric equipment
does not accidentally come alive. Take special care with tranformers of which
the secundary may be alive.

Protection against any other live parts

Put formal warning notices on panels or cabins you are not working on.
Additional physical barriers must be applied (locks etc.) when live equipment
is exposed. Recheck that you have the correct point of work. (When multiple
cabinets are open you might by accident start working on the wrong cabinet)

Special precautions when close to bare conductors

There might arise a situation where you are working near potentialy live
parts, or there might be a situation where you can accidently touch live parts
when putting safety barriers. Take special precautions (insulation gloves and
or safety mats), especially if you are in a meter of a live connection. Take
very special care on a moving vessel as the ship may be suddenly start rolling,
so never use a safety stool as is a standard practice ashore.

Proving the installation is dead

The installation needs to be checked with appropriate testing gear. Test
the instrument as for proper functioning first. Then verify with the test
instrument that the installation is dead. Recheck the test instrument, only
then you are sure your installation is dead.

Carrying out earthing and short circuiting

Earthing makes the installation free of residual charges and short-circuits
the system in case of a fault current. Use only equipment designed for this
purpose.

Issue a permit to work

A permit to work is formalizing the safe working procedure. With writing
there signature all personnel involved in the work are confirming they know
the safety procedures and the correct working area. There might be small
differences in the procedure, as who is to sign the work permit. This step
could also be considered as the first step of a safe working procedure.

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4.8.2 Aim and Scope
1. All high risk tasks should be controlled as part of the Company’s Safety
Management System.

2. High risk tasks should be controlled trough a permit to work system.

4.8.3 RISK ASSESMENT AND CONTROL

Identify high risk task which require strict control using a permit to work.
Purely verbal instructions are not a safe alternative to a permit
system

4.8.4 Use of Permits

Permits should be used for the following activities:

• Entry into confined spaces/closed vessels/tanks, etc.

• Work involving demolition of pipelines containing steam, ammonia,

chlorine, hazardous chemicals, vapors.

• Work on certain electrical systems.

• Welding and cutting work (other than in workshops).

• Work in isolated locations,locations where acces is difficult, or at heights.

• Work near or with highly flammable/explosive/toxic substances.

• Work causing atmosferic pollution.

• Fumigation operations using gases.

• Any activities involving on-site contractors.

The permit should specify at least:

• Details of the work to be done.

• Details of all the controls/ precautions required.

• Emergency procedures.

• Any limits on the work, work area or equipment.

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 • Written acceptance by the person who will do the work.

• Written signed confirmation that the work has been completed and the
area restored to safety.

• Any permitted time extension to the work.

• How the permit is cancelled.

4.8.5 Lock out - Tag out

Lock out tag out is a procedure wich can be used as part of a safety procedure.
See the second step of ABB’s seven steps for safety Disconnect and secure
against reconnection Lock out - Tag out is the safety procedure where the
work area is marked properly and secured against the power reconnection
with locks. The purpose of this is to prevent injury due to unexpected
energizing or startup of machines and equipment, or the release of stored
energy.

Must be used when:

• An employee is required to remove or bypass machine guards or other
safety devices.

• An employee is required to place any part of his or her body into a

point of operation or into an area on a machine or piece of equipment
where work is performed, or into the danger zone associated with the
machine’s operation

• Servicing and or maintaining of machines or equipment when the source

of energy is electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, chemical, thermal, or
otherwise energised.

• Constructing, installing, setting up, adjusting, inspecting, modifying,

maintaining, including lubrication, cleaning or unjamming of machines
or equipment, and making adjustments or tool changes where employ-
ees could be exposed to the unexpected energization of the equipment
or release of hazardous energy.

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When not needed
• Servicing and or maintenance of equipment performed during normal
production operations if safeguarding provisions are effective in pre-
venting worker exposure to hazards created by the unexpected ener-
gization or startup of machines or equipment, or the release of energy.

• Minor tool changes and adjustments

• Minor servicing activities that take place during normal operations wich
are routine repetitive, and integral to the use of that equipment, as
long as workers are effectively protected by alternative measures wich
provide effective machine safeguarding protection.

• Work on cord and plug connected equipment, if : The equipment is

unplugged from the energy source and the authorised employee has
exclusive control of the plug.

Limitations
• Tag do not provide physical restraint.

• Tags should not be removed without authorization and are never to be

by-passed, ignored or defeated.

• Tags are essentially warning devices affixed to energy isolating devices

and do not provide the physical restraint on those devices that is pro-
vided by a lock.

• Tags must be legible and understandable by all employees.

• Tags and there means of attachment must be made of materials which

will withstand the enviromental conditions encountered in the workspace.

• Tags must be securely attached so that they cannot inadvertently or

accidently be detached during use.

• Locks must be substantial enough to prevent removal without the use of

excessive force or unusual techniques such as with the use of boltcutters
or other metal cutting tools.

• If it is not possible to use lock-out devices, tags are located where the
lock is supposed to be. Care must be taken that the tag out will provide
protection at least as effective as a lock and will assure full personnel
protection.

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 • The tag out can be made as effective as a lock when a circuit element
is removed and isolated, a controlling switch is blocked, an extra dis-
connecting device is opened, or a valve handle is removed to reduce the
potential for inadvertent energization while the tags are attached.

Materials and hardware

Locks, tags, chains, wedges, key blocks, adapter pins, self-locking fasteners,
or other hardware.
In other words:

• Must be durable, so that they can withstand the enviromental condi-

tions to which they are exposed.

• Must be the only devices used for controling the energy.

• Must not be used for other purposes.

• Tagout devices must be standardized within the facility.

In addition, the lockout:

• Must be substantial enough to prevent removal without the use of ex-

cessive force or unusual techniques such as with the use of bolt cutters
or other metal cutting tools.

In addition, the tagout:

• Must be identifiable, in that it indicates the identity of the person

applying the devices.

• Must be constructed and printed so that exposure to weather conditions

or wet and damp locations will not cause the tag to deteriorate or the
message on the tag to become illegible.

• Must not deteriorate when used in corrosive enviroments such as areas

where acid and alkali chemicals are handled and stored.

• Must be standardized in print and format.

• Must be substantial to prevent inadvertent or accidental removal.

• Must have an attachment means of a nonreusable type, attachable by

hand, self locking, and non-releasable (like nylon cable ties).

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 • Must warn against hazardous conditions if the machine or equipment
is energized.

• Must include a caption as: Do Not Start, Do not Stop, Do Not Open,
Do Not Energize, Do Not Operate

Lock-out, Tag-out as a safety procedure

In some cases, the work to be carried out is not subject to a safety procedure
and doesn’t need a permit to work into which a lock-out tag-out procedure
is incorporated, in this case one can decide to protect oneself with a lock out
tag-out procedure.

Sequential Procedure:

1. Preparation for shutdown

2. Machine or equipment shutdown

3. Machine or equipment isolation

4. Lockout or tagout device application

5. Stored energy

6. Verification of isolation

Preparation for Shutdown Before turning off a machine or equipment one

has to have knowledge of:
• Type and magnitude of the energy.

• The hazards of the energy to be controlled

• Method or means to control the energy

Machine or Equipment Shutdown
• The machine or equipment must be turned off or shut down using the
procedures established, to avoid any additional or increased hazards to
employees as a result of the machine or equipment stoppage
Machine or equipment isolation
• All energy-isolating devices that are needed to control the machine’s
energy source must be located

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 • These devices must then be used to isolate the machine or equipment
from its energy source(s).
Lockout or Tagout Device Application Lockout or tagout devices must
be affixed to each energy-isolating device:
• In a manner that will hold the energy isolating devices in a safe or off
position

• In a manner that will clearly indicate that the operation or movement

of energy isolating devices from the safe or off position is prohibited

• If the tag cannot be affixed directly to the energy isolating device,

the tag must be located as close as safely possible to the device, in
a position that will be immediately obvious to anyone attempting to
operate the device
Stored energy After the energy-isolating device has been locked out or
tagged out, all potential hazardous or residual energy must be:
• Relieved

• Disconnected

• Restrained

• Otherwise rendered safe Verification of Isolation

• Before any work begins on machines or equipment that have been locked
out or tagged out, one has to verify that the machine or equipment has
been properly isolated and de-energized.
Release from Lockout-Tagout
1. Machine equipment inspection: Inspection of the work area to ensure
that nonesential items as there are tools, cleaning material, spare parts
et. have been removed and that all of the machine or equipment com-
ponents are operationaly intact.
2. position of personnel: the work area must be checked to ensure that
all employees have been safely positioned or have cleared the area. All
affected employees must be notified that the lockout or tagout devices
have been removed before the equipment is started.
Lockout or Tagout removal
• Each lockout or tagout device must be removed from the energy-isolating
device by the employee who applied the device.

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Steps to release from lockout tagout by another person:
• Confirm that the person who applied the device is not on board
• Make all efforts to contact this person to inform him that his lockout
tagout device has been removed.
• Ensure that this person knows that the device has been removed before
he resumes work.
Removal of locks and tags

4.9 Electrical Permit Work System

The access procedure to HV switchboards and equipment must be strictly
controlled by using a Electrical-Permit-Work-System(PTW), isolation pro-
cedure involving a safety key system, and Earthing Down.
The format of a permit will vary for different companies and organisations.
Before work is commenced on HV equipment an PTW must be issued. This
permit is usually the last stage of a planned maintenance task organised
and approved by the authorising officer to be carried out by the responsible
person.

4.10 Additional procedures to be implemented

for HV systems
For HV systems, additional procedures and precautions should be taken.
These are as follows:

4.10.1 Sanction-to-test system

Usually testing on an HV system can only be carried out after the circuit
main earth (CME) has been removed. An example of this can be insulation
testing as it involves the system being checked for insulation to earth.
A sanction-to-test should be issued in a similar manner to a permit-to-work.
A sanction-to-test should never be issued on an apparatus on wich a permit-
to-work is still in force, or on wich another sanction-to-test is in force.
Note: Maintenance and repair cannot be carried out under a sanction-to-test.

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4.10.2 Limitation of acces form
When carrying out HV maintenance, it may be dangerous to allow unre-
stricted work be carried out nearby. Workers carrying out maintenance
nearby may not have HV training and may not be familiar with the risks
involved when working on or near HV equipment. Due to these risks the
Limitation of acces form should be used. This form states the type of work
that is allowed to be carried out nearby the HV work, the limitations imposed
(space and time) and the safety precautions taken. The form is to be issued
and signed by the authorised person (AP) and a confirmation of receipt sig-
nature by the person carrying out the work. The form should include a sign
off and a cancellation section.

4.10.3 Earthing Down

Earthing Down is required to ensure that any stored electrical energy in the
inherent capacitance of the epuipment insulation after isolation is safely dis-
charged to earth. The higher values of insulation resistance required on HV
cabling leads to a high value of insulation capacitance (C) this coupled with
the high voltage means the energy stored (W) in HV equipment is far greater
than that in LV systems.

C ×V2
joules
2
Earthing down also ensures that isolated equipment remains at a safe poten-
tial during work procedures.
Earthing down at a HV switchboard is of two types. Circuit Earthing:
an incoming ore outgoing feeder cable is connected by a heavy earth con-
nection from earth to all three conductors after the circuit breaker has been
racked out, this is done at the circuit breaker using a special key. The key
is then locked in the key safe. The circuit breaker cannot be racked in until
the circuit’s earth connection has been removed. Busbar Earthing: when
it is necessary to work on a section of busbars they must be completely
isolated from al possible electrical sources. This will include generator in-
comers, section or bus-tie breakers and transformers on that bus-bar section.
The busbars are connected together and earthed down using portable leads
which give visible confirmation of the earthing arrangement.

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