Monthly Archives: August 2013

Establishing Lockout Tagout Procedures

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Whether a veteran of twenty years or a novice to the field, establishing lockout tagout procedures will always make you cringe, at least a little. And the reason for that is the complexity of the calculations, the complexity of the regulations, and what is at stake if the procedures are not put in place properly. It is for this reason so many companies use online quick guides, outside agencies, or dedicate a department just to establishing and monitoring these procedures.

If you are one of the many who fall into the online guide category, be careful. Many of these guides are meant to act as a supplement to a more rigorous review performed by a qualified third party. In these instances, the guide should be used to vet potential lockout tagout firms or to set talking points during the project. Attempting to establish competent lockout tagout procedures based upon one of these manuals will be extremely risky, as they are incomplete.

Some of the other guides are unintentionally incomplete. The unfortunate thing about lockout tagout is that every facility has a unique need in this regard, so attempting to create a readable guide will never cover every possible need – for this reason, these guides can be dangerous.

And for those who dedicate an entire department to lockout tagout, the costs can become exorbitant. Hiring several lockout tagout specialists and paying them each an annual salary can quickly out pace the costs of utilizing a third party. When deciding to go this route, it is important to run a very serious cost analysis, comparing the costs to hire and maintain a department against the costs of hiring a firm.

If, after reviewing your lockout tagout procedures, you have questions about whether or not you are compliant or if, after running a cost analysis, you realize it is worth hiring a firm to help you with your lockout tagout needs, please contact us. And if you have anything to add about establishing lockout tagout procedures, please leave a comment.

Availability of Medical Services and First Aid

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No matter what your line of business, and no matter how well you safeguard your facility against injuries, they can and do happen. And in those times, it is important to be able to offer your employees access to medical services and first aid. Having medical services and first aid available is also important to OSHA, which regulates this in Standard 1910.151.

In this Standard, OSHA states that, “The employer shall ensure the ready availability of medical personnel for advice and consultation on the matters of plant health.” (1910.151 [a]) For many employers, this requirement will be met by a local hospital, infirmary, or clinic. But in the event your facility is not covered by one of these three facilities, it is mandatory for an employee to “be adequately trained to render first aid.” (1910.151 [b])

The regulation also states that first aid supplies must be available on site. This common sense requirement not only helps to protect employees in the event of an injury or an emergency, it also helps to protect business continuity. For many employees, a basic first aid supply will suffice, and allow them to return to work, rather than leave the facility to find a local infirmary, hospital, or clinic.

If you have any questions about this standard, or would like help in ensuring you are compliant, please contact us so that we can assist you. And if you have anything to add about the importance of readily available medical services and first aid, please leave a comment.

Pipe Marking (ANSI/ASME A13.1)

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No matter how you do it, it is important to mark any exposed pipes in your facility. Some companies create their own system for marking these exposed pipes, while others use established systems created by industry leaders. Either way, it is important to have a clear system in place so that employees and first responders will know what they are dealing with in an emergency situation.

If you decide to create your own system for marking your pipes, it is important to consider three things: what color are the labels, how big are the labels, and how do you show the direction of the fluid’s flow. The color of the lettering and the labels should have some uniformity, so that if the words cannot be read, they can still be understood as flammable, toxic, safe, and so on. The labels need to be size appropriate based upon the size of the pipe. The larger the pipe, the larger the label needs to be. And with that, the larger the label, the larger the lettering should be. Finally, it is crucial that every label denotes the direction of the flow of the pipes. In an emergency situation or an evacuation, this information could save lives.

If you decide instead to use an existing system, the most common is the ANSI/ASME A13.1 pipe labeling system. This system creates a set of rules around label creation and makes it easier on safety teams to maintain accurate labels. It also makes the job of first responders easier, as they will be familiar with your facility’s labels.

If you would like to have your pipe marking system reviewed, or if you would like to upgrade to the ANSI/ASME A13.1 system, please contact us and we can help you. If you have anything to add about properly labeling pipes, please leave a comment.

Lockout Tagout (LOTO) Monitoring

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After establishing lockout tagout procedures, it is important to accurately and effectively monitor them. This can be done by hand in-house, if you have the resources available. This can also be done by a third party organization, if you have the funds available to cover the costs. Or, this can be done in conjunction with a third party organization through software specifically designed to track lockout tagout changes and make the user (in this case, the business owner and safety team) aware of any changes to the lockout tagout OSHA Standards.

If you decide to monitor your lockout tagout procedures in-house, you must ensure that you have a qualified individual with a background in lockout tagout monitoring available. Lockout tagout is one of the more difficult areas of safety management to fully understand and monitor, and if the person in charge of monitoring your procedures is not fully prepared for the task, the results can be disastrous.

If you decide to monitor your lockout tagout procedures with a third party organization, and leave them in charge of everything, you need to consider two things. Number one: do you have the funds readily available to you, and does it make financial sense to pay someone else to perform this task. And number two: do you trust the company monitoring your procedures. If the answer is “no” to either question, then you need to reevaluate your decision.

Finally, if you decide to utilize monitoring software for your lockout tagout procedures, you need to ensure the software was developed by a reputable company that stands behind their product. We at PF Safety, for instance, stand 100% behind our Factory Solutions Software, help you to set it up, and help you with ongoing support as you need it.

With these options in mind, it is time for you to make a decision. If you have any questions about which option might best benefit you, or for more information on Factory Solutions Software, please contact us. If you have anything to add about lockout tagout monitoring, please leave a comment.

Third Party Safety Audit Benefits

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If you own a business, then one of your key concerns which you probably never really think about is workplace safety and OSHA compliance. Most business owners have a team in place to worry about these things, allowing the owners to worry about bigger picture issues. But one bad oversight on the part of a safety team could lead to a company going out of business.

So in order to help them sleep at night, many business owners hire a professional firm to perform a third party safety audit. The auditors assigned for this task will complete a full, wall-to-wall inspection of the facility, much in the same way as OSHA does. These auditors are trained to review every aspect of a facility to find any and all potential hazards and violations.  It can often be a great benefit to have a second set of eyes review your safety procedures and to examine all aspects of your facility.

After the facility is reviewed, most auditors will discuss the issues they found with you and your audit team. This discussion should include what issues were found, what the current procedures are, and what the guidelines are for the procedures which should be instituted. This allows a company to improve and remain fully compliant with OSHA and other regulatory bodies.

If you have any questions about how a third party safety audit might benefit you, or if you would like to schedule an audit, please contact us. And if you have anything to add about third party safety audits, please leave a comment.

How Preventative Maintenance Protects Employees

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Preventative maintenance is often viewed as an annoying chore which does nothing to help the company. Some companies cherry pick which tasks they will and will not follow, while others completely ignore the manufacturer’s recommendations. But what ignoring some or all of these tasks does, is allows for certain parts to wear prematurely.

These prematurely warn parts can lead to any one of a number of potential issues down the road. From a bottom line standpoint, they can lead to equipment breaking down earlier than expected. This can mean costly repairs or even replacements. In the event of repairs, improperly maintained equipment may not be covered under warranty.

Inconsistent preventative maintenance can also have an impact on employee safety. Many of the parts, especially the wearable parts, in machinery are for the attached safety features. By allowing safety devices to prematurely wear, they may no longer work properly. This will not, like in the case of a required operating part, cause the system to stop working. And in many cases, there will not even be a system generated warning. Instead, the only way to find out is when the device is needed, which is often too late.

For these reasons, it is important to actively monitor the preventative maintenance being performed on your company’s machines. To do this, all that is required is a quick perusal of the operating manuals and other documents which came with all of your machinery, and charts for each machine which will allow you to mark off when all required maintenance is completed.

If you have any questions about the preventative maintenance procedures at your workplace, or to schedule an appointment for us to review your plans, please contact us. If you have anything to add about the importance of preventative maintenance, please leave a comment.

Factory Solutions Software for Lockout Tagout

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Twitt

Lockout/tagout procedures are difficult to create, more difficult to maintain, and an absolute nightmare when regulations change. Lockout tagout issues are consistently on the list of the most commonly cited OSHA violations (placing fifth last year on the list), as well as the most expensive OSHA violations (consistently ranking in the top 5). In an effort to combat this, many business owners hire outside firms to manage their lockout tagout procedures, costing them thousands of dollars annually.

But in recent years, a new push has been made by business owners and safety consulting firms alike toward online lockout/tagout management. Online management is cheaper, more efficient, and allows for greater corporate inclusion. And the process of establishing online lockout/tagout procedures has never been easier.

With our Factory Solutions Software, for instance, you select a procedure from a preset library of procedures, then customize it to your facility based upon your layout, number of machines, and work force. The software is available anywhere the internet is available, and is fully scalable, allowing multiple users. When you update your procedures, you will work directly with our graphic illustrators who will create and annotate the graphical representation of the lockout/tagout procedure. Should you need help in updating the system when you make changes, our dedicated staff would be available to discuss your company’s needs and how to properly document them in the software.

If you have any questions about creating or monitoring lockout tagout procedures, Factory Solutions Software, or about lockout tagout in general, please contact us. If you have anything to add about the benefits of lockout tagout software, please leave a comment.

OSHA Compliant Safety Signs

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Safety signs and tags must, at minimum, meet basic OSHA standards. OSHA sign and tag regulations can be found in Standard 1910.145. This standard covers the basic requirements for all signs. But just because a sign meets the requirements set forth in this standard does not mean it is fully compliant.

The reason for this is that many standards set additional requirements for signage relating to the hazards associated with that particular standard. Because of all the different standards which cover the practices at any workplace, it can be difficult to ensure that all of the signs are compliant. If, for instance, your facility has arc flash dangers, any signs associated with those dangers need to fit very specific guidelines as per the OSHA arc flash standards.

When we audit facilities, we pay careful attention to the safety signs around the facility. Signage is a common issue, whether it is missing, misplaced, or improper signage, and is also one of the easiest issues to avoid. By paying attention to the signs you have around your facility, you can easily reduce the potential loss during an OSHA audit.

Correct signage also ensures a safer workplace for your employees. So many guidelines and standards have been created regarding safety signs because they are an important warning or reminder to employees, and can help prevent needless injuries.

If you have any questions about the signs in your facility or the signs available through our online store, please contact us. If you have anything to add about the importance of OSHA compliant signs, please leave a comment.

Hazardous Waste Operations (HAZWOPER)

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If your company handles hazardous waste in any capacity, it is important to ensure that your facility is compliant with OSHA Standard 1910.120. Standard 1910.120 covers HAZWOPER (hazardous waste operations and emergency response). This important standard helps protect employees who handle or work near hazardous materials.

This standard specifically covers the storage, handling, transportation, disposal, and cleanup of all hazardous materials. A HAZWOPER plan must be in place in applicable facilities, and should, at a minimum, include policies for reporting hazardous materials to management, local authorities, and local law enforcement, policies for the storage of hazardous materials, and the processes in place surrounding the transportation of these materials. The plan should also include policies relating to who has access to areas with hazardous materials, the locations of the hazardous materials, the frequency with which these individuals have access to the hazardous materials, the medical screenings performed for these individuals, and the frequency of the screenings performed.

An effective HAZWOPER plan should cover every step of the lifecycle of hazardous material while it is in your company’s control. If you cannot track hazardous material from the time it enters your control to the moment you get rid of it, then there is something wrong. If you need help in finalizing a plan, we recommend having an audit of the plan completed.

If you have any questions about HAZWOPER guidelines, or if you would like to have your HAZWOPER plan audited, please contact us. If you have anything to add about HAZWOPER, please leave a comment.

Establishing an Emergency Action Plan

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Emergency action plans should be incorporated into any work facility, be it a small retail space, a large warehouse, or an office in a skyscraper. This is not only because OSHA requires it, but because these plans are directly responsible for saving lives in the event of a serious emergency. If an emergency incident should occur, a well developed plan to evacuate, ensure employee safety, coordinate with local first responders, and account for employee whereabouts is of the utmost importance.

To help guide employers, OSHA created Standard 1910.38, which guides emergency action plans. This standard requires an emergency action plan be created, and available in writing for any company with more than 10 employees. In addition, an emergency action plan must include procedures for reporting a fire, procedures for an evacuation, procedures for any employees who remain after the evacuation for critical plant operations, procedures to account for employees after the evacuation, procedures for employees performing rescue or medical duties, and the name of every employee who may be contacted by employees who need more information about the emergency action plan.

Further, there are specific requirements for an employee alarm system, employee training, and dissemination of the emergency action plan. In addition, emergency action plans can ensure business continuity. Companies with a well designed emergency action plan are more likely to return to normal business operation, faster.

If you have any questions about how to establish a compliant emergency action plan which takes business continuity into account, please contact us. Should you have anything to add about the importance of an emergency action plan, please leave a comment.