target Zero
TARGET ZERO
During the past year or so, the Safety, Maintenance and Training departments have been working cooperatively to revise the Goodyear-Topeka plant Lockout-Tagout (sometimes referred to as LOTO) program. Although this program primarily affects maintenance personnel, it’s not uncommon for production associates to periodically be required to perform LOTO on their assigned equipment. An example of such a situation would be for an NG tire builder to be involved in an equipment cleaning project. Before the builder would be permitted to place him/herself in an area of the NG machine which could activate and cause personal harm, the builder would be required to place their personal lock & tag on the machine to disable the energy source. We’ve recently developed a brief PowerPoint slide show which describes the basic elements of this process. Although this is the most important safety program we have at our factory, the process is quite simple once you understand the basics. The reason this program is so important is because non-compliance can lead to catastrophic results. If a person decides not to lock out a piece of equipment prior to entering the “danger zone”, they’ve just decided to place their head into the lion’s mouth, and it’s obvious what that outcome could be. Now that I’ve gotten your full attention, let’s discuss the LOTO program elements we’ve recently implemented at our facility.
First, our LOTO system contains three color-coded locks. Maintenance personnel are assigned their own personal RED lock. Production personnel are assigned their own personal YELLOW lock. We’ve also purchased ORANGE locks, which are used when multiple lockout locations exist during a specific project. ORANGE locks are also used in the event a “shift change” occurs and the project has not been completed by the personnel who originated the LOTO process during their shift. Orange locks are kept secured within 24 separate red lock boxes, containing a total of 438 locks, which have been strategically staged throughout the factory. These boxes are kept locked to ensure these critical locks are secured and accessible. Keys to these boxes have been issues to various members of management and departmental Area Safety Leaders (ASL’s) for access. Please keep in mind that each of these locks is equipped with only one key, which is why it is of the utmost importance that personnel who’ve placed their personal lock onto a piece of equipment removes their lock prior to being assigned to a new project or leaving the facility at the end of their shift. Although a process has been established which permits the emergency removal of another person’s lock, this must be treated as a very significant event and should occur infrequently, if ever. About a year ago, we experienced so many of these occurrences that we had large signs made and posted at all of our exit gate locations to remind everyone of this requirement. When such events occur in the future, I’ve requested that managers of those who have associates involved in this activity conduct a one-on-one meeting to reinforce this policy. It’s my personal expectation that this non-compliant activity becomes an unacceptable practice plant-wide, and we can look back a year from now and confidently state that the removal of another person’s lock is a practice no longer performed at Goodyear-Topeka. Along with everyone’s personal lock, the Training department has also developed and issued personalized tags, which contain the name and photo of the owner, along with the statement, “Danger. Do Not Operate”. The program requires this personal tag to accompany the personal lock at all times for owner identification purposes. When orange locks are used for multiple lockout locations and group lockout activities, they do not require tags. When this process is used, all persons involved in the group lockout project must each verify the orange locks are in place at each specific lockout location, and the individual keys for each orange lock are then placed within a red LOTO gang box. Each person assigned to the multiple lock project must then affix their personal lock & tag onto the gang box, which contains each of the orange lock keys. By utilizing this process, everyone involved in the project is assured that none of the orange locks may be removed before their personal lock has been removed and they’re safely out of harms way because by affixing their personal lock onto the gang box, they’ve prevented anyone else from having access to the orange lock keys inside. When an orange lock is used during the shift change process, the orange lock must be accompanied by a “shift change tag”, to show that the lock is in place for that purpose, and must be affixed to the gang box or equipment lockout location BEFORE the personal lock(s) are removed to ensure the continuity of the lockout process. Shift change tags, as well as multiple lock hasps, are kept within the yellow Lockout Tagout Station metal boxes, which are also staged throughout the factory. During a shift change LOTO activity, the orange lock key is to be returned to the red lock box from which it came, with a manila tag attached containing the machine number and/or location of the orange shift change lock. This is important to remember because, as I mentioned earlier, each lock contains only one key and we must ensure a system is in place to prevent individual locks and keys from becoming misplaced. An adequate quantity of blank manila tags will be kept inside each red lock box. The final and perhaps most important aspect of this program to discuss are the actual LOTO placards which are posted throughout the factory on individual machines. These placards provide guidance on the types of energy sources contained on each machine, along with a diagram or photo identifying their specific locations on that machine. Due the simplicity of some and complexity of others, the detail provided on these placards will vary. For example, a Banbury placard will be very lengthy and complex due to the large number of energy sources involved as well as the shear size of the machine. Compare that with a standard tire press placard, which contains significantly less information and complexity to interpret because performing LOTO on these machines involve less energy sources. The most important aspect to remember when performing LOTO on any piece of factory machinery is to VERIFY the machine will not start-up after all required energy sources have been disabled and locked out. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, but the simplest method is to press the start / run button to ensure no machine activation occurs prior to entering the danger zone.
I hope that this article has been helpful in providing a better understanding of our new LOTO process. I cannot stress enough the importance of strict adherence to this local safety process. Although the machines we work with each day present a multitude of hazards, active compliance with this process will ensure everyone involved with the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of plant machinery remains safe.
It is extremely important that we double check, and verify our L.O.T.O, but also the individual you are working alongside it is important that we provide visual aid in the form of cones, and caution tape to identify the working area’s, so the safety of the project is not breeched, and the accidental start up of machinery.
Have a safe holiday.
Target Zero Facilitator
LONNIE REDMOND
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