We often hear complaints about “over-regulation” and the burdens placed on business by governmental rules.  Often the complaints are valid.  However, we don’t think that OSHA rule on controlling hazardous energy and machine guarding fall  into that category.  The consequences of getting that wrong are so high and so disastrous, we all need to be letter perfect on those standards.

Take the example of Pilgrim’s Pride in Canton, Georgia.  Last fall a worker died at the plant trying to remove a piece of cardboard from an unguarded hopper.  Following that accident, OSHA cited the facility for eight safety violations.  Two of the violations were repeats – meaning the facility had already been cited for these problems before, in this case in 2011.   The violations included several aspects of an inadequate lockout-tagout (control of hazardous energy) program and machine guarding.

The control of hazardous energy was the fifth most cited standard in fiscal year 2012 according to the Department of Labor.  This facility was already on notice that it needed to upgrade its program.  So what’s the lesson?

Review your energy control procedures and conduct annual periodic inspections to ensure they are clearly identified, updated and effective.  Train, train and train some more.  Make sure you have the necessary resources at the plant level and a serious commitment throughout the management chain.

Take a lesson from this case – the consequences of mistakes on these safety standards are too serious to take lightly.  If you need help, call us.  Reach out to Kevin Chaplin at 502-587-6482, ext. 208.