In addition to the safe practices recommended in this section, the Montana Department of Labor can be consulted for questions relating to safety. The Department of Labor and Industry telephone number is (406) 444-2840. The below typical safety hazards should be incorporated into the plant’s safety plan.
Physical Injuries
If a serious physical injury occurs and an ambulance and/or emergency medical care are needed, contact information for locate services are found in Section 12.1, Table 11.2, and located near plant telephones.
Physical injuries can be prevented by:
- Teaching employees the proper techniques of lifting.
- Utilizing good housekeeping and fall protection procedures to help prevent falls.
- Identifying and marking or limiting access around dangerous areas.
- Proper use of hard hats and personal protective equipment.
- Checking electrical equipment for proper grounding and exposed wires.
- Disconnecting and locking out equipment at the circuit breaker on the motor control center before working on the equipment.
- Making sure fire extinguishers and first aid stations are properly marked, located, and maintained.
- Often in plants, areas of piping and valves are typically crowded. The piping in these areas may contain valves and valve stems extending into the walk path or headspace. Trips, falls, and head injuries are common hazards in these areas. Workers should avoid walking on top of pipes.
Mechanical Equipment
The following general considerations should be followed when working on or around mechanical equipment:
- Never work on electrically powered equipment without disconnecting the electrical power.
- Exposed moving parts should be shielded with stationary guards. Protective guards should be maintained in good condition and always replaced after removal for maintenance or repair work.
- Hearing protection should always be worn around noisy equipment.
- Care should be exercised in equipment rooms to keep hands and limbs away from rotating or moving parts of equipment. Some equipment such as pumps or mixer drives may be controlled remotely and may start up without warning. The operating current for the equipment is high and the potential for electrical shock exists.
- The Lockout/Tagout Procedure should be followed when working on mechanical equipment. It is critical that all stored energies are released before working on equipment. This includes electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, mechanical, heat, etc. The following steps provide general guidance for Lockout/Tagout Procedure; however, plant personnel shall have Lockout/Tagout training before working on mechanical equipment.
- Turn equipment off locally at the equipment switch, generally, the Hand-Off-Auto switch.
- Open the main breaker that supplies power to the equipment. Lockout the breaker with a lockout device, a personal padlock, and a tag that specifies time, date and reason for shutdown. Return to the equipment and try to operate while the breaker handle is thrown. A lockout device allows for more than one padlock when equipment is to be left for other staff to work on, a maintenance lock should be installed and the personal lock removed. Maintenance staff must have their own padlocks, too. Only the Plant Superintendent and the maintenance superintendent should have keys to the staff padlocks.
- After releasing all stored and potential energy sources, perform maintenance or repair the equipment. Reinstall all safety devices.
- Place the local switch in the Off position.
- Remove personal lock, tag, and lockout device from the main power switch and close the breaker.
- After all valving and other related equipment are ready to go for normal operation, turn the equipment local control switch to the Hand position and observe for any unusual noises, vibrations, etc. Turn switch to the Off position. Now the equipment is ready to be returned to operation.
- All pumps and power equipment should be operated in the HAND position first before switching to the AUTO mode. This allows personnel to exercise positive control over the equipment in order to observe any problems.
Electrical Equipment
Even 100-volt electricity can be fatal, and lesser voltages can cause injury as well. A healthy respect for the potential electrical injuries will promote increased safety precautions.
Before any work is done on electrical equipment, the equipment must be de-energized. This is done by opening a disconnect switch near the device. For devices without disconnect switches or remote control switches, the circuit breaker at the motor control center, panel board, or other source must be opened and padlocked in the OPEN position. Limit the number of keys to prevent unauthorized removal of padlock. A tag should be securely attached to the padlock stating, PERSONNEL WORKING ON EQUIPMENT – DO NOT REMOVE PADLOCK. The tag should be signed and dated to inform plant personnel who is working on the equipment.
The following general considerations should be followed when working in or around electrical equipment or panels:
- Permit only authorized people to work on and repair electrical equipment.
- Place MAN ON LINE signs and lock the switch when working on electrical equipment which may be activated from another point.
- Work in pairs around electrical equipment.
- Keep all electrical controls accessible and well-marked.
- Be careful not to ground yourself in water or on pipes or drains. Avoid them while working near electrical equipment.
- Place rubber mats on the floor in front of electrical panels. Insure that mat edges are well trimmed to prevent a tripping hazard.
- Ground all electrical tools.
- Never use a metal ladder when working around electrical equipment.
- Keep wires from becoming a tripping hazard.
- Never use any part of your body to test a circuit.
- If unsure about the work involved, wait and ask questions rather than proceeding with uncertainty.
Explosion and Fire Hazards
The following general considerations should be followed when working in or around explosion and fire hazards:
- Install fire extinguishers where any potential fire hazard exists and mark the location of the extinguishers with properly placed signs.
- Inspect and test fire extinguishers yearly.
- Post NO SMOKING signs where any potential fire hazard or explosive gases exist or may potentially exist.
- Store all flammable or combustible liquids in tanks or closed containers.
- Label all portable containers of flammable materials to indicate the contents.
- Mark storage locations for flammable materials to indicate DANGER – FLAMMABLE MATERIALS.
- Clean up leakage or spills of flammable materials immediately and dispose of the cleaning materials promptly.
- In enclosed areas such as manholes or tanks, do not allow smoking or open flame, guard against sparks, and use only explosion proof lighting.
Excessive Noise
Hearing loss is usually the result of cumulative or continued absorption of sound energy by the ear. Continuous exposure to noisy equipment can damage eardrums and cause hearing loss. OSHA’s exposure limits are listed on the next page: