Ignoring "lockout tagout" leads to tragedy!
A severe safety accident caused by the failure to implement lockout tagout (LOTO) procedures has recently occurred in a machinery processing factory in
East China, sounding a loud alarm for production safety in industrial
enterprises. An on-site maintenance worker was accidentally injured by
equipment during the operation, and the investigation results confirmed
that the direct cause of the accident was the complete disregard of LOTO
safety regulations by the operator and the on-duty management
personnel.
According
to the briefing from the local emergency management bureau, the
accident happened during the daily maintenance of a heavy-duty stamping
machine in the factory. At that time, maintenance worker Wang was
assigned to check and repair the fault of the machine’s transmission
system. Considering that the maintenance process was "simple and would
only take 10 minutes", Wang did not shut down the power supply of the
equipment in accordance with the regulations, nor did he hang the LOTO warning tag or install the safety lock. He directly entered the equipment operation area for maintenance.
Unfortunately,
during the maintenance, a workshop operator who was not informed of the
situation thought the machine was in a standby state and pressed the
start button without confirmation. The sudden operation of the stamping
machine led to Wang being caught by the mechanical arm, causing multiple
fractures of his limbs and severe damage to his internal organs. He was
rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, but his life was still
in critical condition up to the time of the press release.
The
follow-up accident investigation team found that the factory had
formulated a relatively complete LOTO management system, which clearly
stipulated that all equipment must be powered off, locked and tagged
before maintenance, and a special person should be assigned to supervise
the on-site situation. However, in actual production and operation, the
management of the factory has long turned a blind eye to the violation
of operating rules by employees for the sake of "saving time and
improving efficiency". Regular safety training has also become a mere
formality, and employees lack a clear understanding of the potential
risks of ignoring LOTO procedures.
“Many
employees have the wrong idea that LOTO is a ‘cumbersome process’ that
delays the progress of the work. They think that they are familiar with
the equipment and can avoid risks by relying on experience. But it is
this kind of fluke mentality that ultimately leads to irreparable
consequences,” said an investigator of the accident handling team. The
investigation also showed that similar violations of LOTO regulations
had occurred many times in the factory before, but no one was held
accountable, which gradually led to the lax safety awareness of the
whole staff.
After
the accident, the local emergency management department ordered the
factory to suspend production for rectification immediately, and
launched a comprehensive investigation into the implementation of safety
management systems in the enterprise. Relevant responsible persons of
the factory have been taken for investigation in accordance with the
law. At the same time, the emergency management department has organized
all industrial enterprises in the jurisdiction to carry out a special
safety inspection focusing on the implementation of LOTO procedures,
requiring enterprises to strengthen employee safety training, improve
on-site supervision mechanisms, and eliminate potential safety hazards
from the source.
This
accident is not an isolated case. Statistics from the national
emergency management department show that in the past three years, more
than 70% of the mechanical injury accidents in the manufacturing
industry are related to the failure to implement LOTO procedures. Safety
experts have emphasized that LOTO is not a trivial "red tape" in
production management, but a solid line of defense to prevent equipment
misoperation and protect the lives of employees. For enterprises,
attaching importance to LOTO is to attach importance to the lives of
employees and the long-term development of the enterprise; for
operators, complying with LOTO procedures is the most basic
self-protection.
Safety
production has no small matter, and negligence in any link may lead to
irreversible tragedy. This accident once again reminds all industrial
enterprises and employees that the implementation of lockout tagout
procedures must not be taken lightly. Only by keeping the safety bottom
line in mind and strictly abiding by the operating rules can we avoid
the recurrence of similar tragedies.
Address: Tangxia Industrial Park, North Baixiang Town, Yueqing, Zhejiang, China
Name: Miya
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