Safety, safety, safety. Often mentioned, but is safety planned?
Safety must be planned, not a reaction. Too often, the safety tailgate is the first-time safety is considered, too late to plan. With good intentions, everybody discusses safety and completes all the required forms. When only discussed immediately before executing the work, short cuts might be accepted because safety was not planned, and the work must proceed.
Safety planning begins when planning begins, or safety fails. An example: A crane will lift a motor for annual maintenance. The same crew has executed this job for five years. At the tailgate, the Safety Specialist inspects the rigging. All appear in excellent condition, but the Safety Specialist removes one 18-foot sling from service due to the manufacturer end date. The sling is two months beyond approved use. The job start is now delayed, at an unforeseen cost.
Options?
1. Maybe the plant is close enough to an industrial supplies vendor where an appropriate sling can be purchased. This is at least a one-hour delay to purchase the sling creating delays in all jobs for the day and at least one hour of overtime for each plant employee on the job and various penalty costs from the vendors.
2. Although there is only one 18-foot sling, there is a 30-foot sling available. The excess length is clumsy and causes interference, but it can be managed with an extra tag line, which means extra personnel to hold a tag line instead of performing the work they were scheduled for, which adds cost due to overtime to complete their scheduled work. Retrieving the sling and the additional work assigned to the employee holding the tag line cost two hours of overtime for half the plant employees and all vendors on the job invoice various penalties.
3. What if no other slings are available and there is no industrial supply nearby? The correct answer is postponing the job. The correct answer will increase cost; rental of all the equipment for one or more extra days, extended production loss, unbudgeted overtime, postponing all subsequent work. Will the job be postponed or will somebody decide the expired sling must be used and maybe add a really, really, REALLY strong looking rope?
We all know this is not the first time such a decision would be made. Safety is at least in jeopardy and often this decision will cause injury.
This is avoidable. When the work order is approved SAFETY planning begins alongside all other planning. All safety gear is inspected during work order planning. The expiring sling is discovered. A replacement is added to the regular safety purchases. The sling arrives five weeks before the execution date. No delays and no cost overruns.
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Larry James
Lockout Larry
1. Personnel 2. Environment 3. Equipment 4. Revenue
Reno NV
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