Part of your supervisor’s job is to plan for your safety. Part of your job is to follow the plan and to follow safety procedures. Nevertheless, your supervisor and the folks who write safety procedures can’t anticipate everything. This leaves you with an important part of the safety puzzle to solve.
Fortunately, safety doesn’t have to be a Rubik’s cube. Before you start working on a job, do a mental rehearsal and dry run. As you mentally walk through the steps of the job, ask what dangers each step might present.
Scope out the system (e.g., robotic welder), not just the particular equipment you’re working on (e.g., stock feeder motor). Be methodical, ensuring you identify each source of energy for a thorough lockout/tagout. Don’t overlook mechanical energy sources, such as springs.
Remember that lockout/tagout doesn’t remove all dangers. It merely isolates energy sources. The location itself can pose hazards, and you need to identify those so you can take steps to mitigate, eliminate, and/or protect against them. There may be chemicals, tripping hazards, fall hazards, and other safety issues to address. Reduce hazards, and then make PPE decisions based on "potential" dangers rather than "most likely" dangers.
Don’t "fast forward" through safety preparation. No one will care that you saved a few minutes if it results in finding your body shorted across a 480V bus.
