Electrical Lockout Procedures

[Music] check his box must be a few was gone on it yeah I imagine get a voltmeter well we'll have to hot that that all right that all right there it is let's go lock out the main bar why shut the whole line down I can pop SS out there in a minute [Music] [Applause] electrical and mechanical equipment has brought many benefits to the mining industry but it has also brought hazards maintenanc men and electricians often perform highrisk assignments that other workers do not have to do sometimes they must expose themselves to live electrical circuits moving Machinery or other hazardous situations that require extra precautionary or safety measures on their [Music] part Terry that latch bar is worn and you're going to have to weld on it so you better move the uh bucket away from the bank before you start okay Jim I'll get started The Accidental starting of equipment by energizing an electrical power circuit is one of the Hazardous situations that has caused many fatal and non-fatal injuries in the mining industry [Music] the accident just shown would not have happened if the repair man had locked out the main circuit breaker after cutting the power off as an extra safety precaution the switch should have been tagged with a danger sign to inform others that the circuit is being repaired and that they must keep hands off until both the sign and lock are removed another incident that points out the importance of proper lockout procedures occurred recently at a rod Mill a worker shut the unit down so that he could carry out some routine cleaning or maintenance work inside the mill one of his duties was to scale Down the Walls inside the rotating cylinder a job he had performed many times [Music] before a short time later the plant operator entered and seeing the mill not running started it back up [Music] again proper lockout procedures would have prevented this fatal accident after the main power disconnect had been thrown the main fuses should have been removed from the circuit an insulated fuse puller is used for this task once the power has been cut off the circuit must be securely locked out to eliminate any possibility of its being accidentally re-energized the lock should then be tagged by the person who locked it out and signed the date and other pertinent information may also be written on on the tag because of potential hazards in repairing electric powered equipment mining companies should have a strict policy requiring equipment to be completely deenergized before repair work is begun unexpected starting of equipment can cause accidents many plants now have starter switches that automatically sound a warning signal before the equipment starts to operate this time delay safety interlock gives people time to get clear of moving Machinery de energizing Motors drive units and other electrical circuits to make them safe for repair work usually means more than throwing just one switch in order to be completely safe all power sources to the equipment being worked on must be deenergized pushing the stop button on a machine will normally bring it to a halt but parts of the circuit particularly integral switching components motor control elements electrical interlocks and wiring may still be energized this electrician followed the safe practice of testing the equipment needing repair a with a voltmeter to see if any part of the electrical circuit was still energized after finding that the magnetic starter was still energized even though the start stop switch had cut off the current to the motor he shut off the power at the main circuit breaker and then locked it out and tagged it the danger or warning tag not only lets everyone know that the circuit is being worked on but when it is signed or initialed it identifies the person doing the [Music] repairs after the main circuit breaker was switched off and locked out the electrician again tested the motor circuit he found no voltage or current present in the circuit and now knew that it would be safe to continue work on the equipment in large mining operations a regular continuing maintenance and repair program is vital this often requires the employment of several maintenance Personnel maintenance Personnel should not only possess the necessary job skills but should also be well trained in job safety proper safety training is important when maintenance personnel must work around electrical circuits or electrically powered machinery and equipment it is especially important important that they know and practice proper electrical lockout procedures quite often in today's complex Mining and Milling operations more than one maintenance or repair job may have to be done in the same section or on the same equipment and electrical circuit at the same time for this reason scissors clip extensions allowing more than one lock at a time to be put on a box are used maintenance workers should know and follow the specific lockout procedures and safety precautions that must be taken in various situations that may arise for example if you must work on equipment even where someone else has already locked out the control before you you must still place your own padlock on it this is the only positive way to make sure the equipment stays deenergized and that you will be fully protected another safe lockout procedure to follow is never permit anyone else to remove your lock for you there are times when the work you were doing cannot be completed on your shift in this case do not leave your lock on the switch and pass your key on to the man who will relieve you instead at the end of the shift notify your Foreman or other authorized person who will then make certain that the switch remains locked out until the work is finished and the equipment safe to operate going to finish the job before the end of the shift John no not the shift I better put the company lock on you can take yours off after the foreman has attached his lock you may remove yours now it is the next workman's responsibility to attach his own lock before starting to work well this is a typical uh setup of the mill we'd like to go through on just a briefing besides stressing General health and safety practices your company's safety program should also include thorough training in proper lockout procedures for all employees who work with the min's electrical installations or operate electrical equipment we push the stop button here the safety program should be based on the mines electrical system and applied specifically to mining operations electrical lockout procedures are an important part of a min's maintenance program a program requiring complete cooperation of Miners and management supervisors must see that you have the necessary Keys locks and tags and you must see that they are used whenever necessary remember unnecessary hazards created by unexpected movements of electrical equipment and energizing of electrical circuits can be prevented it's up to you to learn and to practice proper electrical lockout procedures [Music]