Page 75 - OHS, July/August 2021

the general public from falling into an unguarded and unprotected area.
One more example of this lockout/ tagout system would be around swimming pools. Whether they are commercial or private, they should be fenced and have adequate signage to warn away curious wanderers. In areas where swimming pools are very popular, it is not uncommon for the local news to highlight unnecessary drownings of individuals when these people find their way into an unguarded pool.
Within the world of electricity, the term lockout/tagout is synonymous with making sure there is no stored or residual energy in the circuit. Remember that electricity flows like water in a pipe. It is controlled by the confines of the conductor and its insulation. Should someone become part of that circuit and that person is connected to ground, then the electricity has an opportunity to escape the circuit and go to ground. Which, by the way, is its only real purpose. Perhaps, someday we will be able to communicate with electricity (science fiction, of course) and when we ask what the electrons’ and protons’ purpose in life is, they will undoubtedly say “to go to ground.”4
So, when someone makes contact with a circuit and are grounded, guess where the electricity will go? That is correct, to the ground through the person. By de-energizing the circuit and locking it out, the potential of a worker coming in contact with live electricity is minimal. A standard process would be to de-energize the circuit, lock it out/tag it out, dissipate any stored or residual energy and then verify isolation with live-dead-live testing with a voltmeter.
Most electricians know that a voltmeter is a quantity measuring device that measures the amounts of volts, amps, and ohms within a circuit. When a system is unplugged or de-energized, there should be zero of all of those. Do not make the mistake of checking live-dead-live with a voltage detector. That is a quality measuring device. Is there energy in the item being tested, yes or no. The professionals in the electrical world call these devices “tic tracers” or “widow makers.”
One other item to keep in mind with lockout/tagout is lock placement and removal. A person is only allowed to remove his/her lockout/tagout device, not
anyone else’s. Doing so places the other person in harm’s way. In most companies interfering with someone else’s lock is grounds for immediate termination.
In conclusion, to prevent the unexpect- ed release of stored energy in the direction of the employee, a lockout/tagout device mustbeplacedonsystemswherethestored energy is found. We all need to be reminded of the very serious and lethal ramifications should we not follow this simple rule.
Jeffery Buckau is a professor of occupational
safety and health at Columbia Southern University.
REFERENCES
1. https://abcn.ws/2Zk6Gyg
2. www.lubbockonline.com/local- news/2016-09-02/police-man-dies-industrial- accident-involving-concrete-mixer
3. www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/ standardnumber/1926/1926.651
4. https://sciencing.com/electricity-go- ground-5494279.html
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JULY/AUGUST 2021 | Occupational Health & Safety 71
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