Sadly, in our company, we have experienced tragic incidents involving both employees and contractors because the correct procedures for isolating moving equipment were not followed. For this reason, it is fundamental to strictly adhere to our Safety Essential #9, because the goal is for everyone to return home safely.

The primary aim of this Safety Essential is to prevent injuries that can occur from contact with live or moving equipment. By following the correct isolation procedures, workers can minimize the risk of incidents.

Procedures must ensure that each item of equipment is isolated from all its sources of energy, such as mechanical, electricity, hydraulics, gravitational effects, pneumatic, among others.

Managers play a vital role in the implementation of the isolation procedures. They are responsible for providing the necessary facilities and resources to effectively isolate all live or moving machinery. This includes ensuring that proper lockout devices and tags are available and that employees are trained in their use. By doing so, Managers help create a culture of safety and accountability within the workplace.

On the other hand, all employees must take personal responsibility for their safety by always isolating, locking off, and tagging out equipment before performing any maintenance or repair work. This means physically disconnecting the machinery from its energy source and securing it with a lock and tag to prevent unintentional reactivation.

Additionally, employees should always try out the equipment to verify that it is indeed de-energised before beginning any work. This whole procedure is what we know as LOTOTO (Lock Out, Tag Out, Try Out).

We invite you to watch this video where the dos and don’ts of these isolation procedures are explained. Click here to WATCH

By working together and following these guidelines, we can make significant improvements, and it will support our Zero4Life goal, so let’s do it!