Working with motors poses special dangers. Don’t let your guard down as the job winds down. Take note of these “late stage” unsafe acts that can produce serious injury.
• Reaching under the motor while it’s dangling by its lifting eye. Clean the mounting area before moving the motor into position. If you spot something while moving the motor into position, have the person operating the lift stop. Use a tool, not your irreplaceable fingers, to remove the undesired material.
• Using a bar to move a motor without ensuring the motor is still controlled by the lifting system (e.g., lift truck boom) and nobody is on the other side.
• Not verifying rotation before making connections. Always use a rotation tester so you know the direction in which that motor will turn (often saves time and eliminates multiple safety hazards).
• Not verifying the connections are correctly made and insulated (using approved methods).
• Bumping a motor after it’s connected to its load, without knowing for sure what that will do and without having operations’ permission to do it.
