TABLE OF CONTENTS This chapter covers the general troubleshooting safety practices used in industrial and petrochemical facilities. Part of the discussion will be background information to help you understand what is required for these areas. We will also look at work-tagging, permitting, and work procedures. Though this may be a review of procedures and practices similar to those of your workplace, the intent of this chapter is to emphasize safe troubleshooting, and it never hurts to review the basics. If anything here contradicts standards or practices at your workplace, follow your company's rules. You may, however, wish to discuss any differences with your supervisors.
First, let us consider two basic questions: What does safety have to do with troubleshooting? And why is troubleshooting different from normal maintenance?
Troubleshooting exposes you to hazards that other maintenance activities do not. Troubleshooting often requires interaction with or work around energized circuits and running machinery. Troubleshooting may require interaction with active control loops and safety systems. It also has many of the same dangers that any activity in an industrial facility has working in hazardous areas, around hazardous materials and hot pipes, on dangerous equipment, at heights, in constricted areas, and with equipment that operates continuously. Paying proper attention to safety when troubleshooting is essential to your own safety, your fellow workers' safety, and the safety of your facility.
There are many different types of hazards in an industrial facility. Some are apparent or identified, but some are invisible. Failure to perform...
