Maintenance assurance
Maintenance safeguards ( Lockout-Tagout, LOTO ) are technical devices that fix the actuators of a technical system , i.e. switches, locking or ball valves, etc., in a certain position. They are used to protect against unauthorized access or unintentional switching on, for example during a maintenance process.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a division of the Department of Labor of the United States ( Department of Labor, DoL ) as well as the Workers Compensation Board of British Columbia , a Canadian health and safety organization describe the need by means of examples:
- An automatic steam valve trips and scalds workers performing a repair.
- A blocked conveyor system suddenly loosens, killing a worker while trying to break the blockage.
- A loosened cable gives a worker an electric shock while he is repairing the device.
- A worker shuts down a plant and tries to re-attach a chain that has broken off. Another worker starts the plant again and kills the first one.
Such examples justify the need for processes and technical facilities that help prevent such incidents or even make them impossible.
execution
Maintenance fuses have the seal or seals be designed to be destroyed during operation or as a reusable, often with one or more locks secure assurance. Usually, seals or seals are used when actuation must be possible in principle for safety reasons. Other safeguards are used if unauthorized access is to be prevented or work may only be carried out when the technical system is shut down, for example when replacing drive belts.
Those aids that guarantee a permanent shutdown of the energy usually consist of a mechanism for blocking (valve shut-off, locking chamber, switching lock, etc.) and a lock for locking. This prevents devices from being switched on again. In addition, conspicuous identification, such as a maintenance tag or sticker, must be attached to these blocking systems. These indicate that machines and devices have been switched off. In this way, other employees are also informed about maintenance or repair work and a restart is prevented. If workers are exposed to dangerous energy sources during maintenance and repair work, a documented procedure for handling dangerous energy sources and for using the maintenance safeguards mentioned is advisable.
Legal situation
In Germany, the technical rules have no legal force except in special cases such as the technical building regulations . However, they work in the form of trade association regulations on economic mechanisms, for example by imposing fines in the event of non-compliance or recourse to the perpetrator after grossly negligent or intentional causation of accidents ( insurance cover ).
In the US, OSHA defines "hazardous energy sources" ( hazardous energies ) and the means to deal with this. OSHA defines these energies as ... electrical , mechanical , hydraulic , pneumatic , chemical , thermal or other sources in machines and equipment , i.e. it covers a similar area as the German technical regulations.
Problems
Maintenance security is particularly problematic due to the following factors:
- Type of hazard: All relevant hazards must be taken into account; The German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health divides :
- Deficiencies in the design and furnishing of the workplace
- Defects in the design, selection, use and condition of work equipment (machines, devices, devices, systems, tools, etc.)
- physical, chemical and biological effects
- Deficiencies in the selection and / or use of personal protective equipment
- Deficiencies in work organization (processes, division of labor, working hours, breaks and responsibility)
- insufficient qualification, ability or inadequate instruction of the worker .
- Number of people involved: If more than one person involved in a maintenance and self-responsibility should be enforced, then each party will have to confirm the backup. This requirement must also be technically feasible.
Expressions
The so-called 5 safety rules are often used in the electrical trade and the electrical industry . They represent a specialized form of maintenance safeguards for electrical systems. However, their use in other machines is just as common, since most machines are operated with electricity.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c WCB: Lockout ( Memento from July 11, 2014 in the Internet Archive ). Workers Compensation Board of British Columbia. 2005, ISSN 1712-4719 .
- ↑ a b c d e Website of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the US Department of Labor, accessed December 15, 2013.
- ↑ LoTo - Lockout Tagout , Blog on Industrial Identification, accessed September 15, 2015.
- ↑ Determination of risk-related occupational safety measures in the company. (Guide and manual for health and safety professionals). Special edition of the series of publications of the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Dortmund / Berlin 1997, ISBN 3-89429-836-7 .