Is there a charge for "attempted negligent homicide" or something? You did something so catastrophically stupid that was all but guaranteed to kill someone except you got lucky, but you still should end up getting censured so you don't roll the dice on someone's life again
Reminds me of an story I heard once. Guy working on a job locks and tags out a circuit so he can work on it. Guy goes up on a ladder to do the work.
Coworker comes along and sees circuit left locked; he decides he needs to activate the circuit. Coworker uses bolt cutters to remove the lock and flips on the circuit.
Guy on ladder gets literally knocked off the ladder, falls 10-20 feet onto grass. Guy is rushed to the ER.
Boss investigates, gives coworker two options: either he can quit immediately, or he can keep working and personally explain himself to guy in a month when he gets out of the hospital.
Where I live, for that kind of incident the employer would be obligated (as in, $50k worth of fines and likely criminal charges if you don't) to report it to an independent investigator to determine who was at fault; the person cut the lock would be liable for a fine, and the employer would have to prove that they adequately trained the employee before allowing them to work in a high risk area, or the health and safety officer and company directors could be found criminally liable
I worked briefly at a store where the Store Director was clearly still traumatized about an employee death years prior. Didn't press for details, but it was preventable and they were hyper-vigilant about safety precautions.
The world would be better without Captain Bolt Cutter and their kind spreading misery with their weaponized stupidity.
I remember reading something similar, with someone responding that they were always two people for these tasks. One doing the job and one guarding the circuit, making sure this does not happen.
Yeah I came here to say that this is a fucking terrifying "LOTO" (and I'm using the term very loosely here) procedure that most likely will eventually kill someone
Sometimes this isn't possible if the machine needs to stay up to temp, like with plastic injection molders. In those cases, the operation can usually be stopped by a padlock placed somewhere on the controls. There's usually training about it for everyone involved to make sure they know what's up.
Ok, I'll give them that, but there are still so many things that can be done to stop someone from activating the machine other than a note, like a button lockout device.
There is always a way to disable a machine. The button has power. At the very least, the power to that button should be locked out. If it has to happen at the breaker, so be it.
If a tool or machine can simply be unplugged, and the worker performing the service remains in control of the plug, then lockout procedures aren’t necessary.
I actually knew a guy who died this way at a Caterpillar factory near Peoria, IL. Machine wasn't properly tagged out/locked out.
RIP Troy Bryner
Update:
Per OSHA Report:
Investigation Nr: 200272276
Event: 04/17/2011
Employee Is Killed When Struck By Closing Lid
At approximately 11:00 a.m. on April 17, 2011, Employee #1 performing maintenance on a Dunker quench hardening machine that included the repair of a hydraulic leak. He was working in an area that measured approximately 2 feet wide by 3 foot long by 4 feet deep. Employee #1 locked out the machine's control panel and made the necessary repairs. After completing the repair work, Employee #1 instructed a coworker to remove the locks in order to verify that there were no leaks. While in the machine, Employee #1 attempted to lower the machines hydraulic cylinder by depressing the "lower press elevator" button. Instead, he depressed the "lower press lid" button. This caused the machines lid to close on Employee #1's head, killing him. The accident investigation reported that the coworker was working to secure the "lower press lid" cover by chaining it open; however, was not able to secure it in time due to the untimely depression of its activation button.
So, not exactly a failure to lock/out, but certainly an example of how important it is to take those types of procedures seriously. Always, good to know what actually happened.
Just one padlock is enough, but you can use up to 6.
You need all the locks removed before it'll open, so you don't need to count on someone to carefully count everyone back in. You just make sure that each person uses their own lock
I think it's so you can create "and" conditions for unlocking. IE: If you've got two locks, each with their own key, both person 1 AND person 2 need to unlock it. So you can have multiple people and/or multiple crews working on the machine across different aspects. Maybe one crew is doing electric, the other some kind of plumbing, and they're working at different times. When one crew finishes their work, they can release their lockout without making it unsafe for the other crew.
Had the same thought. The American date format must be the least intuitive, but as a nerd that likes to order files and folders YYYY/MM/DD is just a win.
The real question is whether this was put up on April 2 or is a really old sign from Feb 4. ISO 8601 saves lives people, but probably not as many as proper lock out/tag out procedures.
As long as that sign is there, don't fucking touch it. Go figure out who put it there and ream there ass for writing it instead of locking out the machine.
The airlock pressurizer is keeping them alive. DO NOT PRESS THE AIRLOCK BUTTON UNLESS THEIR SPACESUITS ARE SEALED AND TETHERED. You don't want the maintenance crew shot into outer space!