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SAFETY MOMENT, MARCH 25

Verify before you touch

See today's safety momentHow to give a safety moment

Safety moment, March 25

Verify before you touch

Machines can start up without warning, and stored energy can be released even after the power is off. Lockout tagout keeps a machine from moving or releasing energy while someone is working on it. It only works when everyone follows the same steps, every time.

SAFETY MOMENT

March 25

The hazard

Machines can start up without warning, and stored energy can be released even after the power is off. Lockout tagout keeps a machine from moving or releasing energy while someone is working on it. It only works when everyone follows the same steps, every time.

The action

Before work starts, the authorized employee must verify that the machine is isolated and de-energized. A common check is to clear everyone from the area, try the normal start controls, then return them to off. Do not take anyone's word that it is dead. (29 CFR 1910.147(d)(6))

ASK THE CREW

Where are our lockout procedures kept, and when did you last read the one for your machine?

Takeaway: Before you reach in, lock it out, try it, and keep your key until the job is done.

From the talk: Lockout/tagout (LOTO). Read it in full, free, with the questions and the sign-in sheet.

HOW TO USE IT

How to give a safety moment

  1. Gather the crew where they work, before the shift or the meeting starts. Read the hazard out loud.
  2. Ask the question and let two or three people answer. What they say about their own work counts for more than what you read.
  3. Name the action and point to one place on today's job where it applies, so everyone knows what to do differently.
  4. Write the date and the names on a sign-in sheet.

A safety moment is short and does not replace the full talk. When you want to go through a topic with the crew, pick a free toolbox talk.

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