Your boss assigned you to rewire a control cabinet that has morphed into a bird’s nest. It took you half a day to complete the lockout/tagout. You spent most of that time working through the logic diagrams to identify supply sources for various final control elements such as motors and valve actuators.
An hour before quitting time, your boss swung by to see how you were doing. Because there was still quite a bit of work left, he said he’d have the job continued by the next shift. He told you to leave your locks on the equipment so second shift wouldn’t waste half their day hanging their own locks. Is this acceptable to you?
What your boss just told you to do violates OSHA regulations. In this context, those instructions seem safe. Nobody will need to operate the system. So why not just let others work from your locks?
The problem is when you start making “sensible” exceptions to safety practices, you open the door to exceptions that prove lethal.
Solution: Install a multi-lock hasp on your existing lockouts, conduct a proper hand-off to second shift, and remove your locks before going home.
