"Before, I was afraid of making mistakes during maintenance. Now, I lock and verify according to the procedures. I feel much more at ease!" " Recently, at the maintenance site of a reaction vessel in a large chemical enterprise, Master Wang, the maintenance team leader, was locking his exclusive lock onto the energy isolation valve while introducing to the reporter. As a representative of high-risk industries, this enterprise has achieved a "zero occurrence" of equipment maintenance safety accidents and a reduction in the rate of non-compliant operations from 32% to 0.8% through three years of in-depth cultivation of lockout tagout (LOTO) management, establishing a four-in-one execution system of "systems + tools + training + intelligence". The relevant experience was promoted as a typical case by the local emergency management department.
System first: Customized processes plug management loopholes
The types of energy sources for different devices vary, and a one-size-fits-all process cannot be applied. Li Gang, the manager of the enterprise's Safety management department, stated that in order to address the issues of ambiguity and poor operability of traditional systems, the enterprise formed a special task force composed of safety experts, equipment technicians, and experienced operators. It took two months to complete the energy source census of 236 sets of key equipment throughout the factory area, and identified six types of risk sources including electricity, hydraulics, and chemical energy. Formulate the "Equipment-specific lockout tagout Operation Manual".
In the manual, each piece of equipment is equipped with a dedicated "Energy isolation list" and a visual flowchart, clearly stipulating that during the maintenance of the reaction vessel, a triple isolation of "power-off and locking + valve blind plate sealing + residual medium drainage" must be implemented. The maintenance of compressors must follow a five-step process of "shutdown - pressure relief - voltage test - locking - hanging a sign", and each step requires the signatures of the operation supervisor, equipment operator and safety supervisor for confirmation. At the same time, the principles of "who locks, who unlocks" and "one person, one lock, dedicated person, dedicated management" should be established. It is strictly prohibited to share locks or have someone else unlock on your behalf. In special circumstances, unlocking applications must be approved by the security director and the entire process must be recorded and filed.
Tool upgrade: Hardware support strengthens the physical defense line
In the tool warehouse of the enterprise, the reporter saw neatly arranged explosion-proof locks, traceable warning signs, portable voltage testers and other professional tools. This is the "Safety five-piece Set" we have provided for our employees, which is customized for different working scenarios. Li Gang introduced that the enterprise has invested over 500,000 yuan to upgrade the LOTO hardware facilities, installing lock-type isolation valves on equipment in high-risk areas to ensure that operations cannot be carried out without unlocking. Provide maintenance personnel with smart locks with unique numbers, and the lock opening and closing records are automatically synchronized to the management platform. The warning signs are made of acid and alkali resistant and tear-resistant materials, clearly marking the operator, job content, risk level and emergency contact information, eliminating the phenomena of "empty signs" and "fake signs".
For multi-person collaborative maintenance scenarios, enterprises have introduced "group lock boxes", requiring all workers to lock their personal locks on the lock boxes. The equipment can only be unlocked and started when all workers have completed their operations and removed the locks. In addition, verification tools such as hydraulic gauges and gas detectors should be configured. It is mandatory to confirm the energy isolation effect through instrument detection before operation, rather than relying solely on visual judgment.