Lock Out, Tag Out

I talked about near misses last week, which got me thinking about an incident that happened to me as a young apprentice. I thought I’d better share it, because if it happened to me it could happen to anyone… And I’m still pretty sore about it. When it’s your life on the line, it’s hard to just forget it.

With maintenance jobs, you’re more than likely going to use “lock out / tag out” or “LOTO”, it’s pretty standard. This is a practice where a worker physically stops whatever they are working on from being energized. Put simply, you use a lock to secure that piece of machinery or equipment in the “OFF” position. The lock has a tag with all the information needed, the who, why and when. The person who attached the lock and tag is the ONLY person authorized to remove it and should have the ONLY key to unlock it. This gives the other workers the piece of mind knowing that while they are working on that particular machinery or equipment it will not start up. So you can imagine my surprise when on the Friday of a long weekend, I went to remove my lock at the end of the day and it was already off! Turns out that some of the crew decided we should shut down a few minutes early for the long weekend and went ahead and removed everyone’s locks. Well I didn’t get the memo and worked till the end of the day. I worked on that equipment for probably 10 minutes after my lock had been removed, doesn’t sound like much but it literally only takes a second. I could have been pulled into this machine and killed, all because someone wanted to stand around and chew the fat for ten minutes… and they were doing it in the control room. So now my lock is off and the room is packed with workers. Think about that! This incident still haunts me, things could have turned out very different. Needless to say, a huge investigation ensued and people lost their jobs, which is a win compared to people losing their lives.

Make sure you always follow safety protocol, nothing is worth losing your job and most importantly human life over. Follow the rules, they are there for a reason.

Avoiding Back Injury

Regardless of what trade you work in, lifting will be included in your duties. Back injuries are one of the top reported injuries on sites, so know the proper way to handle a heavy lift.

First thing is to warm up. You know the warm up your foreman makes you do every morning, this is why. Even though trying to touch your toes is impossible (it’s all the PPE… wink-wink) it’s necessary. The more you warm up your muscles the less chance you have of injury.

You also need to know the proper technique. Ever see a toddler pick something up off the floor? They usually have perfect posture. Somewhere along the way we lose that and start bending at the waist. Always lift with your knees, have a firm grip, keep items close to your body and always use your core (this may even help you reach those toes.. eventually).

Know your limits. If something is too heavy, get help. If you start to get sore, take a break. A back injury can put you out for months, if not longer. So do what you need to avoid it. It’s pretty standard that 50 lbs is the maximum you are allowed to lift unassisted and that doesn’t mean you have to lift it alone if it’s under 50 lbs. I can’t stress this enough…don’t try and be a hero…get help. Except when you’re trying to touch those toes…sorry that one is all you.

Near Misses

Have you ever worked on a site where near misses are usually followed with a quick cover up and an agreement that no one saw anything?…….. I have. Near miss cards usually go empty at the end of the day. This stems from a misconception that admitting you “almost” had an incident will lead to you getting skidded from site. Not true! Near misses are learning experiences. If this close call happened to you, it could happen to anyone and steps need to be taken to stop this hazard in its tracks. Safety officers are not out to get you. They are there to make sure you go home every night safely. So do yourself and your co-workers a favour and share a near miss if you have one. You might just save someone’s life!

Refueling

Whether you’re a welder, crane operator, or a foreman, your company truck or rig will need to be refueled. Most sites have fuel trucks that come around with trained individuals to fill you up. Either way you should know what precautions to take when refueling whether you or someone  else is doing it.

Always make sure you’re at least 7 1/2 meters away from any ignition source. This means  keeping clear of welding sparks, any sort of static electricity, cell phones that are in use, and of course anyone smoking. Always turn the vehicle or machinery off before refueling or even taking the cap off. Make sure to ground equipment before refueling and if it has mounted equipment drop it to ground. Never modify the refueling equipment. Yes this means the old  “jam your wallet in the handle to press the trigger so you can fill up while staying warm in the truck” trick is a NO GO. Sorry, it only takes a few minutes to fill up. You won’t get hyperthermia in this time frame so do it safely. This will also help avoid over fills and spills. Always have a fire extinguisher close by just in case.

Always play it safe when refueling your equipment or vehicle. With the price of fuel these days, be thankful that it’s not coming out of your pocket while on site.

 

Pedestrian Traffic

Unless you are the only person on site, pedestrian traffic needs to be a factor when using any heavy equipment. Sites don’t come equipped with crosswalks and  walk lights, so you have take it upon yourself to make sure no one is injured or worse while you’re behind the wheel.

Always try and redirect traffic if possible. If you can move walkways completely out of the way of all moving equipment, then perfect. However, on most sites this is not possible. In this case make sure you put out some safety cones, flagging or signage to give pedestrians the heads up that you’re there. Use a traffic director, someone that can tell people to hold up till they can communicate with you to stop. If you don’t have a traffic director, both operator and the pedestrian need to visually acknowledge each other. Make sure you have eye contact before making your way into the operators work area. As the operator, if the area you’re in is congested, make sure to watch your speed, and of course everyone should be wearing their high res vests.

No matter if you’re the operator or the pedestrian, follow the safety rules and everyone will go home safe at the end of the day.

Pinch Points

Pinch points can occur in a number of places, mostly from machinery with moving parts like a lathe or band saw. But incorrect rigging or even a desk drawer (insert eyeroll here) can be culprits too. Pinch points are a big factor in the trades and every trade has their own hazards to worry about. Here are a few quick tips to keep all your fingers and other parts out of jeopardy.

Before you even step foot on site, you can do a lot to protect yourself. Wear clothing that fits. Loose clothes can get caught and snagged on moving parts. Pull the drawstring out of you hoodies (some sites don’t allow hoodies at all, for this very reason). Pull your hair back if it’s long and make sure it’s tucked away so it won’t get caught either. Jewelry is a definite no-no.  Just ask Jimmy Fallon about ring avulsion. Always wear the proper PPE. Different gloves may be needed for work on various machines. Now that you’re dressed for success, this is what you can do on site.

If you haven’t been trained on a piece of machinery then don’t touch it… That simple. Get someone who’s trained to help you, or ask to be trained yourself. Never modify or remove guards from anything, they are there for a reason. If a guard has to be removed for maintenance make sure to replace it before use. Always do pre-work inspections. Never leave machinery running unattended and always make sure that machinery is off and completely stopped before doing any maintenance. Lock outs may also be needed. Keep floors surrounding this machinery clean, a slip or trip could be deadly. Keep warning signs clean and legible. Use your daily hazard assessment to identify the pinch points you may encounter during the day.

Pinch points can cause cuts, broken or crushed bones, amputation and even death so take all precautions necessary to keep all your fingers and other parts intact.

Throwback Thursday – Canadian Pacific Railway

When the Canadian Pacific railway was built in 1881, safety was not even a thought. The workers had deplorable working conditions, disease ran rampant and it has been said that two men died for every mile that was built. The CPR at the time was 2920 miles. That’s an estimated 5000 men that died over a 4 year project. This right here is why we have safety today. Sites strive for zero incidents and definitely zero deaths which is very achievable. Take your time, do it safely every time. Make sure your not a statistic down the road.

Fire Watch

Once working as a second year welder I picked up a quick gig at a lumber mill shut down, doing maintenance welds. Obviously welding and a place covered in wood is an incident waiting to happen. We did all the appropriate permits and lockouts etc; but when it came to a fire watch, I got the short stick. The worker that was to be my watch decided that he was going to get double time to sleep in his truck. So he would place the fire hose close by and off he would go. I was still pretty green (a brand new second year) and too scared to voice my concern. So I struck an arc and did my job. Well until I had to stop to go put out some small fires. Yes I’m serious! This really happened. Think about that… It was a lumber mill people! The whole thing could have gone up in flames. There are so many things wrong with what happened that day. No fire watch meant no pre-work inspections, no one to extinguish it, pull the alarm or call for emergency services if it did get out of hand. To top it off, I was left alone. Let me tell you… I found my voice at the end of that day and got a new watch the next day. That’s why there is training for fire watch, so you know what steps to take to mitigate the hazards as much as possible.

The responsibilities of the fire watch include, keeping a lookout for the hazards, potential fires and fires, extinguishing fires, following procedures if a fire occurs (pulling the alarm or calling emergency crew, your permit will outline this), following the permit, doing  pre-work inspections on all fire fighting equipment (makes sure it’s in good working order and tags are up to date), doing a final inspection at day’s end to make sure nothing is burning or could lead to a fire, stay in communication with other workers at all times and never leave your station unless you get an equally trained worker to take over for you.

Being a fire watch doesn’t mean you get a day off of “real” work. There are huge responsibilities that come with the task. Take it seriously, people are counting on you.

New on the Job

No matter how long you’ve been in the trades or how experienced you are, we’ve all been the new guy/girl on site, stuck wearing the green lid and hearing the term “green as grass” on the daily. Being new to site can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to safety . There are a few things we can do as experienced tradespeople to help the newbies make their way…and do so safely.

First off, when they ask questions, answer them, no matter how mindless it seems to you. When I was new, I once asked what a certain type of wrench looked like…I will not divulge what kind I’m talking about because you will think a monkey is writing this. Point being, at the time I had no experience or knowledge, I needed to learn. So help them with what they are inquiring about or struggling with because alternatively they will try to figure it out on their own and could end up getting hurt or hurting somebody else.

If you see a newbie doing something unsafe, please, stop and show them how to do it correctly and explain why an incident could have occurred. This will help them learn. Think how awful you would feel if they got hurt and you could have prevented it. You have a due diligence to speak up if you see something unsafe. Speaking of due diligence, teach them about it. Just because they’re new doesn’t mean they can’t spot an incident in the making. Even though they may be timid about pointing it out, it is their responsibility.

There’s always a level of camaraderie on work sites and a time and place for jokes, at the newbie’s expense, especially if they don’t know what a crescent wrench looks like (okay, okay it was a crescent wrench, how embarrassing). When it comes to safety, there are no jokes. So take the time to help the newcomer along. Don’t forget you’re working with them, so it’s your safety as well!

 

Complacency

Whether you’ve done the same job for the past 20 years or just the past 2 hours, complacency can lead you to a false sense of safety. Being in your comfort zone and having thoughts like “I’ve never had an accident” or “I could do this with my eyes closed” leads to skipped steps, missed hazards and ultimately injury or death. There are few things you can do to lower your risk of growing complacent on the work site.

Tool box talks. These talks aren’t designed to kill a half hour every morning at your employer’s expense. These are designed to keep you aware and remind you of hazards that you see everyday. Make sure you listen and focus. Just because you’ve done the job this way a hundred times, doesn’t mean it’s safe to do so this time. Things change and you need to adapt constantly.

Change the routine. The exact same routine is a key ingredient in complacency. Switch it up! If you can, every now and then, do your afternoon tasks in the morning and do your morning tasks in the afternoon. Even a small change in your routine can help you stay alert.

Observation. Just take 2 minutes out of your day to stop, look around and observe what other workers are doing. This can help you realize what you’re doing! Most sites have observation cards to be filled out daily for this exact reason. If they don’t, take it upon yourself to do so, it’s your safety after all.

Focus. This one’s easier said than done. Take time to do your pre-work inspections, read the safety signs at work, go over instructions. Do what you need to do to stay focused to do the job properly.

Don’t count on things to stay the same, especially with your safety. Make sure you’re alert and focused at all times, because hazards don’t take breaks.