Case Warning: The Tragic Cost of Missing Isolation

The significance of energy isolation has become increasingly evident from the lessons learned from numerous accidents. In September 2020, during an overhaul at a refinery in Singapore, due to the failure of the energy isolation system, workers installed blind plates without ensuring the complete isolation of the pipelines, resulting in the sudden leakage of hydrogen sulfide gas and dangerous liquids, causing 1 death and 2 injuries. The supervisor who issued the work permit was sentenced for negligent crime. The accident investigation revealed that the work permit did not verify the isolation status of all pipelines, and some energy sources were not effectively controlled, ultimately leading to a tragic outcome. 

Similar cases in China are equally shocking. At a chemical enterprise during the maintenance of a reaction vessel, only the inlet valve was closed without installing blind plates, causing the residual chemical materials to accidentally react and release toxic gases, resulting in 3 workers being poisoned; at a mechanical processing factory during the maintenance of a punch press, the potential spring potential energy was not released, and the equipment suddenly reset, causing the operator to be seriously injured. "These accidents all share a common root: inadequate energy isolation measures, and insufficient anticipation of the stored energy risks." Safety law enforcement officers from the Ministry of Emergency Management stated that 90% of equipment maintenance accidents are directly related to the non-compliance of energy isolation, which is precisely the core reason for strengthening the implementation of the system in various regions. 
The painful lessons have forced enterprises to pay attention. Ran Lang, the person in charge of the Ma Textile Co., Ltd. in Cangxi County, admitted: "Previously, we thought that turning off the power supply was enough, but now we understand that isolation, verification, and tagging are all indispensable, which is like putting a safety lock on the enterprise and its employees." 
Implementation Effect: From "You Have to Isolate" to "I Want to Isolate"

"Please show the energy isolation work ticket and verification records." In a chemical industrial park, safety inspectors are checking the installation of isolation devices, the use of locks, and the standardization of signs, against the list. To ensure the implementation of standards, many places have established a "training + supervision + assessment" tripartite promotion mechanism to transform energy isolation from "regulatory requirements" into "action consciousness". 
At the training level, various regions conduct special training "inside enterprises, inside workshops, and inside positions", using methods such as case analysis, simulation operations, and on-site demonstrations to enhance the practical operation ability of employees. Cangxi County organized 70 enterprise leaders to conduct on-site drills for 5 types of lock usage scenarios, mastering key links such as identifying dangerous energy, applying locks, and filling in signs; Tongzhou District customized mechanical safety control training courses for the printing industry, focusing on explaining the standardized process of energy isolation. As of now, more than 1,000 energy isolation special training sessions have been held across multiple regions, covering tens of thousands of enterprises. 

In the supervision and assessment aspect, law enforcement departments adopt methods such as "four nots and two direct visits", and cross-checks, to increase the inspection intensity of energy isolation implementation. For enterprises that fail to implement isolation as required or have insufficient verification, they issue rectification notices and conduct re-inspections within a deadline; for those who refuse to rectify or fail to do so, they impose strict penalties in accordance with the law. Cangxi County has included the implementation of the system in the enterprise's safety production assessment, promoting front-line employees to develop regular and standardized work habits; some regions have also linked the compliance of energy isolation with enterprise credit ratings, awards, and promotions, forming a rigid constraint. 

Data Testifies to Results: Since Cangxi County implemented energy isolation standardization, the number of equipment maintenance accidents has decreased by 67%; Tongzhou District has significantly reduced the number of hidden dangers caused by energy out of control in the printing industry, and its safety management level has improved significantly. More and more enterprises have realized that energy isolation is not an "extra burden", but a "life-saving measure". A safety officer from a chemical enterprise said: "After strictly implementing the energy isolation process, we have not had any maintenance safety accidents for two consecutive years, which is the most practical safety benefit." Next, all regions will continue to deepen the promotion of the energy isolation system, focusing on ensuring that small and medium-sized enterprises and remote enterprises meet the standard requirements. At the same time, enterprises will be encouraged to innovate isolation technologies and promote information-based means such as smart locks and remote verification, making energy isolation more precise and efficient. As the standards continue to improve and implementation becomes more strengthened, energy isolation will become a "solid barrier" protecting the lives and safety of employees, and will lay a solid foundation for safe production in the process of high-quality development.