H3O Bulletin

April 2011

Lockout/Tagout
Any powered machinery or electrical equipment that can move in a way that would put people in danger is a hazard that can be prevented by following locking or tagging procedures. Failure to lock out or tag power sources on equipment can result in electrocutions, amputations, and other serious-sometimes fatalaccidents. Just this past week there were 4 stories in the news about workers who died doing their job related to not having control of hazardous energy. What are the most common causes of these accidents? The machine or piece of equipment was not completely shut off before a maintenance or repair operation. Not only must the machine be turned off but also the power source that goes to it. The machine was turned on accidentally, either out of carelessness or because the person who turned it on didn't realize that another worker was there and could get hurt. The machine wasn't working correctly but wasnt fixed, turned off, locked or tagged, and someone who didn't know about the problem used it. Moving equipment wasn't blocked. Safety procedures were inadequate or hadn't been properly explained. Remember the dangers and be on your guard around any machinery and moving equipment. Even if you don't operate the machinery, you could get caught in it and injured if it isnt properly disconnected. So what can you do to prevent accidental injury from moving machinery? Ensure you know the hazardous energy associated with your equipment prior to doing any work on it. Ensure you know all the energy that could affect the task (electric, gravity, water, pneumatic, hydraulic, steam, etc) Ensure you control the accidental release of the energy prior to working on the equipment through lockout, tagout or alternative measures identified for your specific equipment. Never reach into moving equipment. In even the blink of an eye you could have a life changing injury. Test the energy after you believe it to be isolated. This is one of the most overlooked steps and probably the most important. Employees think they have isolated the energy at the source, but it isn't for one reason or another. Be aware of your personal safety and the safety of others when working with or around moving equipment and machinery. Always follow

Right Tool for the job

A chunk of broken grinder disk smashed a worker's face shield and hit him in the forehead, causing a fatal head injury. The employee at a metal castings plant had been using an angle grinder to remove slag from metal cast for use as forklift counterweights. He installed a cut-off saw disk on the angle grinder to cut grooves into the slag. He then switched to an air chisel and another grinder to chip and grind away the remaining slag. He repeated this process a number of times during his shift as he cleaned up the newly-cast counterweights. About 10 hours into the shift, the grinder disk broke and a piece flew into his face. A co-worker heard an unusual sound and came to investigate. He found the victim lying on the ground and bleeding heavily. Emergency medics were not able to revive him, and a medical examiner pronounced him dead at the scene. This fatality was caused by incorrect use of the angle grinder. The tool was missing a safeguard. The cut-off saw disk installed on it was 4.13 inches (105 millimeters) larger in diameter than the size recommended by the manufacturer, and the ring size was too large for the shaft of the grinder. Are you using the right tool for the job? Today, check to ensure your tools are in good repair and that the correct accessories are being used with them.

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

April 2011, Ron Mendell Ron will receive $100 for his hard work Wallula Shutdown 2011 H3O would like to thank all of our employees for their hard work and dedication to safety while working on the 2011 Wallula Shutdown. Although many other contractors had some serious incidents and or injuries, H3O was accident free and received kudos from some of the Boise personnel and other contractors for working safe. We had some less serious incidents which included forgetting a respirator and a worker trying to walk into the site on foot.