Workplace safety remains the bedrock upon which all industrial skillsets are built and for good reason. Modern industries require workers with a wide variety of skills, from basics like electrical, hydraulics, and pneumatics, to more advanced skills involving operating, maintaining, troubleshooting, and repairing advanced automation technologies.
No matter how highly skilled a worker might be, however, nothing will matter if the fundamental basics of safety aren’t mastered. When it comes to safety, one of the most important skills that workers must learn is how to work safely with electricity.
According to a FacilitiesNet article by Ashley Beebe, “[w]hen working with electrical distribution systems and components, frontline maintenance technicians and engineers often face the potential for serious injury or death from electrocution or arc flashes, but knowledge of safety tips, procedures, codes and regulations can help technicians and engineers lessen the risk and potential for serious injury or death.”
That’s why, “[a]ccording to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), employees must not work near an electric current, any equipment, or a part they may come in contact with while on the job, unless it has been de-energized. If an electric current has not been de-energized, employees must be protected by isolation, insulation, warning signs or other methods.”
According to OSHA, “[e]nergy sources…in machines and equipment can be hazardous to workers. During the servicing and maintenance of machines and equipment, the unexpected startup or release of stored energy can result in serious injury or death to workers.”
That’s why the control of hazardous energy, often known by its more popular moniker “lock-out/tag-out or LOTO,” is such an essential part of basic safety training. Teaching workers hands-on LOTO skills will help them to understand how to properly control hazardous energy and maintain a safe work environment.
For companies looking to improve their safety training, partnering with established companies to provide industrial-quality training systems that will stand the test of time will help ensure the continued safety of the workforce.
For example, DAC Worldwide offers a safety training system specifically designed to give employees the hands-on experience they need to master electrical lock-out/tag-out skills. DAC Worldwide’s Electrical Lock-Out/Tag-Out Training System (810-000) features an affordable, portable tabletop trainer with hands-on activities related to the process of identifying and locking out sources of dangerous electrical energy in an industrial setting.
All lock-out/tag-out skills are performed at reduced voltage (24VDC) for the enhanced safety of users. Moreover, test points allow users to verify components are deenergized after lock-out/tag-out. Indicator lights also provide visual confirmation that circuits are deenergized.
Users will gain hands-on experience with real-world industrial components, such as a clamp-on circuit breaker lock-out 480/600V; clamp-on circuit breaker lock-out 120/277V; wall switch lock-out; knife-type disconnect switch; IEC rotary safety switch; 3-in-1 plug lock-out; and a universal multipole breaker lock-out. A toolbox with locking and tagging devices is also included. Be sure to check out DAC Worldwide’s Electrical Lock-Out/Tag-Out Training System online and contact a DAC Worldwide representative to learn how you can improve your training today!
