Eliminating Equipment Failures by Eliminating Failing Equipment
December 2008
For a successful project, elimination of contributors
to failing equipment, no matter how tiny, must always be your focus. A perfectly
built and operated crane will tip over if the pad it sits on is more than 1
degree off. If a worker has not shaved and puts on a respirator, just
a little bit of poison will get into his lungs. Should the grain of a simple
piece of timber be oriented the wrong way to the load, you lose two-thirds of
its capacity to hold up a crane.
By TJ Lyons
Turner
Casualty and Surety
Following are some examples of the little things to look at, and areas to explore
when preplanning your work. Do not consider this task a safety concern; for
in the world of Furstian1 philosophy, this effort
is part of a successful operational system.
Making "safety" a safety coordinator's responsibility is a critical failure.
Click here for
Figure 1.
My theory of incident avoidance (Lyonetics) is based on:
- No one is expected to be competent—it must be proven.
- Nothing unseen can be assumed as safe—you need to verify what is promised.
- The last worker on the bench needs to work somewhere.
- People are safe when they work in the confines of a system that does
not rely on their decisions.
- A competent person is typically not.
- Competency is easily recognized—it is proven in attitude, conversations,
and actions.
It is when you put the incompetent in control, allow them to make decisions,
and introduce contributors to failure in their work that probability smiles.
Click here for
Figure 2.
Background
When manufacturers deliver a brand new piece of equipment, everything is
in working order. This is referred to as Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)
condition. This benchmark is equal to scoring 100 on your physical when you're
18.
Life, abuse, stress, and gravity then do their best to tear things apart.
However, the OEM is the minimal condition for any equipment to arrive on your
site and it must stay that way.
The Occupational Safety and Health Standard (OSHA)
OSHA clearly recognizes the need for good working equipment and will use
its motor vehicle standard in addition to others in its inspections.
1926.601 Motor Vehicle
All vehicles in use shall be checked at the beginning of each shift to assure
that the following parts, equipment, and accessories are in safe operating
condition and free of apparent damage that could cause failure while in
use: service brakes, including trailer brake connections; parking system
(hand brake); emergency stopping system (brakes); tires; horn; steering
mechanism; coupling devices; seat belts; operating controls; and safety
devices. All defects shall be corrected before the vehicle is placed in
service. These requirements also apply to equipment such as lights, reflectors,
windshield wipers, defrosters, fire extinguishers, etc., where such equipment
is necessary.
Though a minimum standard of care, this OSHA guidance is where arguments
are won. When the classic question is posed "Where does it say that in the regs?"
here is the opportunity to show them.
The Common Sense Standard (Lyonetics)
If you are deciding if a piece of equipment is good enough for your project,
check whether it is held together by wire, duct tape, vice-grips, tie-wraps,
bungee-cords, rope, steel banding, or hope. If you have the opportunity to walk
with the intended operator, and, for example, spot a broken headlamp, point
it out. If his reply is "Well, we will only be working during the day," you
have approval to use the word knucklehead
in conversation. Your best gauge should be asking yourself whether you would
have your son or daughter work with the piece of gear.
Click here for
Figure 3.
If an Incident Occurs
Remember, if there is an incident, the entire
machine will be scrutinized by people you would rather not see, and the
results will be published for your customers to view.
A great example is provided by the investigative report,
Drilling Rig Operator Injury at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.
Here, the implications of what we are trying to avoid as safety professionals
has been memorialized for all. A true safety person will read this and be just
a bit uneasy with what they might have on their site. It involved the welding
of a tool on a drill rig that struck the operator when it failed … the same
as the one discovered below on another rig 2,000 miles away. The key: some risk
manager knew where to look due to lessons learned—and shared.
Starting Out
As you plan a project, let your contractors know that
you will be inspecting (yes, take some responsibility
here) their equipment before it arrives on your site. Their yard is often the
best spot to accomplish this. Clearly let them know that if any of the equipment
or gear inspected is not right, it will be turned away until it returns to EOM
condition or the vendor approves any modifications. This is a great thing to
put in the contract, but to be fair, call the contractor to ensure they know
what is expected—they will send along the good stuff first.
You will find that if something looks wrong, it is. For the sake of
your career and someone's life, if you need a second opinion, get it. It is
safer to pull the trigger for help than let what Dave Maccollum (one of the
top safety professionals in the United States) calls an "armed hazard" reside
on your job and apply hope.
Quick Tips When Examining Equipment
The following should be examined and noted for all contractor equipment to
come on your site.
Did it arrive clean? This indicates if
it was serviced or just bounces from job to job. Equipment that is routinely
maintained and inspected works well and shows the contractor cares about
prevention. That's the contractor you want.
Is the Owner walking with you? This shows
pride. If you're alone when inspecting someone else's gear, that indicates little
care.
Was it towed or trailered? Many site vehicles
are not highway registered. But water trucks (always in rough shape) and other
equipment that is not worthy of a license is often thrown on a trailer and brought
to the job. Compressors, light-sets, generators, and welders are mounted
on travel wheels and should be towed to your project.
Is it resting on a jack or dunnage? If
the jack has been ripped off and not replaced, that indicates a low standard
of care you do not want.
Click here for
Figure 4.
Following are some examples of rejected gear submitted or collected over
a short career. These are similar to what you may discover as you try
to eliminate disaster "probability" from your site. The areas to examine are
logical in order: structural, controls, guards, and attachments.
Structural
When assessing the structural integrity of equipment, ask "How is this thing
supposed to be held together?"
Click here for
Figure 5.
- Is the equipment firmly attached to the frame? This unit requires both
wires and chains to hold it together. One look at this rig characterizes
the quality of the contractor.
- Are all the moving parts protected by a guard?
- If motorized, where does the exhaust stack reside? Does it require a
muffler? If someone leans the wrong way, will they get burned?
- Kick the tires, and yes, make sure each and every lug nut is there.
- Is the unit leaking oil or any fluids?
- If there is a cover over anything? Can it be secured?
- If there is a cover, open it and see how it is held open. If it is a
guard, swing the cover to its farthest point and see if there is a wire
there to hold it open. If so, assume this protection is left open during
the operation of the equipment, making the operator a risk taker on your
project.
Controls
Here, you're looking to ascertain whether the equipment is running correctly
and that it can be shut off quickly if necessary.
Click here for
Figure 6.
Panels are supposed to be filled with controls—hence control panels. If buttons,
gauges, etc., are missing or not working properly, send it back.
Figure 6 shows a panel on which the horn button is gone and the ignition
has been removed, yet the equipment was just delivered onsite. Should this be
in operation and an incident occurs, there are few good answers to why equipment
in this state arrived in this condition and why it was allowed to be working
on your project.
In one case, a compressor was inspected, and although the reserve tank was
actually empty, it read 60 psi. Since the pressure gauge was not working (scary
enough), when the operator was asked how he could tell how much pressure was
in the tank, he replied, "Well, the hose gets really hard so we let some of
the pressure off…."
If there is a dial on the control panel, and the unit is off, with the exception
of the fuel tank level, most dials should be at zero. If not, have the operator
release any pressure in the system and ensure the gauges actually work. Then
have him start the unit and see if all the gauges, buttons, throttles cables,
and alarms function properly. Ask the operator to try the emergency shutoff
if there is one. Now is the right time to check.
Guards
When assessing equipment guards, ask yourself: "If it's dark and I'm tired,
and I lean back for a rest, will that action change my life?"
Click here for
Figure 7.
If a device comes with a guard, look for hazards. Guards must be fixed and
intact. The one shown in
Figure 7 was found in a skid-steer and is located between the thighs of
the operator.
If there is anything moving that you can reach and stick a finger in below 7 feet or
where someone would be expected to reach near it, it must be covered. Not only
are there plenty of Uncles called "Lefty" from missing guards, but sons
and daughters lose their scalps from these hazards. The rule should be simple:
no guard—no work.
Attachments
For any equipment attachments, you need to ask, "What hangs from this equipment,
and do I trust my son to run it"
Click here for
Figure 8.
Though the powering equipment might be in great shape, always look at what
might be attached.
Figure 8 shows equipment found near a shopping mall that is the worst of
all worlds. The following outlines the problems with this equipment.
- Angle iron has been added to clear boring soil (also arms, knees, and
fingers) out of the way as the auger spins. This was once welded. When that
weld failed, someone drilled a hole directly into the auger and used, yes,
one of the sheared safety bolts to secure it. This is now secured by gravity.
- At some point(s) this unit had sheared off and was welded together. See
the former holes where the shear bolts were. Shear bolts "shear" when something
harder than that bolt (gas line) is encountered underground.
- The shear bolt shown (shiny) is too small for the unit based on the
hole next to it. This little bolt is now expected to hold this big thing
together.
- In the past, someone clever replaced the safety shear bolt with a hardened
bolt, likely because the safety bolt was doing its job. As you can see from
the elongated hole, that was one hard bolt and the auger
instead of the safety bolt, sheared
as a result—another weld added.
- A small clip has been welded to the auger shaft hoping for pair of gloves
(and the enclosed hand) to grab as the helper tries to direct the spinning
auger to its target.
- Last is an oil leak. When a transmission runs dry of lubricant, it destroys
itself and the workers nearby.
The Bottom Line
You must scrutinize every piece of equipment intended for your project. If
just one little bolt is missing, reject the entire piece. Set the standard high,
let the contractors know nothing less is acceptable, and you will sleep a bit
easier.
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