Whats Required For Energy Isolation?
At home, you wouldn’t dismantle an electrical appliance without unplugging it from the power point. Similarly, workplace machinery should be able to be isolated from all energy sources. This includes electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic and any other source of energy the machine may have (including stored energy like electrical capacitors, mechanical flywheels, pneumatic reservoirs etc) The requirements for isolation will vary in different circumstances but may include the need for: • Lockout/tagout of energy sources • Verification of energy isolation • Trapped energy release • Load-holding capability during isolation • Redundant isolation of energy • Soft-start re-introduction of energy Where a machine has multiple sources of energy, it may require a single energy isolation provision. Pneumatic energy can be problematic because of the time it takes to exhaust air pressure. This needs to be taken into account when isolation is considered.
