Why Automatic Safety Doesn’t Exist

You can defeat any safety device by using it incorrectly. It’s going to do its job only if you follow the recommended procedures and cautions for using it. Here are some examples.

Respirators

Something like a dust mask doesn’t require a lot of prep because it’s not meant to filter out gases or tiny particles. It doesn’t block gases or tiny particles from entering via the eyes, either. Thus, the relatively sloppy fit provided by this kind of PPE isn’t a problem. The fabric of the standard N95 dust mask blocks up to 95% of particles 300 microns or larger, and what comes in around the edges is insignificant in the typical application. It just needs to be kind of snug, and it will do what it’s intended to do.

Step up to a “gas mask” and the rules change. Now a good seal is important. This type of mask has a rubber type material that seals to your face, with a center filter cartridge or two side-mounted cartridges. And it really must seal, due to the small size of what you are asking it to protect you from.

You might wear such a mask if you are on the facility’s fire response team, you work in reactor containment during a service outage, this level of PPE is required to work with a specific chemical, or there’s some other reason you need protection from gases and/or particles below 300 microns.

There are two main factors that must be addressed for an airtight fit:

• The shape of the mask. A good fit is normally accomplished by using the correct size mask and then using the adjusting straps (or similar) to custom fit it to your face.
• The adhesion of the mask. The mask needs to stick to your skin. Razor stubble provides points of aspersion that essentially lift the mask away from your skin. Toxins come in through the spaces created by stubble. Keep a shaving kit at work if you have been respirator qualified for this type of respirator.

The facility might not permit dual edge blades (the kind used with traditional safety razors), so you may have to use the vastly more expensive cartridges. You won’t have to use them very much; this is just a touch-up shave. So that you don’t cut your skin and allow another entry point, wet your whiskers with water and give the water a minute or so to soften them. Then shave with the grain. If you rub your face with the grain and it feels smooth, this is good enough. If you then rub your face against the grain and feel stubble, you can ignore this.

Aerial lifts

What can be safer than a guardrailed platform that you can operate from the platform itself? It’s so much safer than a ladder, right? That depends.

As a thought experiment only (don’t actually do this), stand on the bottom rail of the guard rails. Do you see where your center of gravity is? Yes, it’s above that top rail. Congratulations — you have just defeated a major safety feature.

The most common type of aerial lift is the scissor lift. Not only can you raise and lower the platform, but you can also drive the thing in forward/reverse and steer it left/right. This sounds like a time saver. With a ladder, you have to climb down, move the ladder, and climb back up. With a scissor lift, you don’t have to climb down, move the lift, and climb back up. But you do have to lower the platform, pull in the outriggers, move the lift, set the outriggers, and raise the platform. You can’t skip those steps without putting yourself and probably others in danger.

With the aerial lifts, you must be concerned with many other factors that the lift itself cannot automatically account for. Those include overhead clearances, proximity to combustibles, fall protection gear correctly worn and correctly attached while in the lift, and the organization of parts and tools on the platform.

Lockout locks

A lock doesn’t remove energy from a circuit. It merely holds a disconnecting device in the chosen position. Some questions you must ask:

• Is this the correct disconnecting device for this circuit? How do I verify that?
• Do I have permission to lock this out? For how long and under what conditions?
• Are there other energy sources that also must be removed? How do I identify all electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic energy sources? Are there other energy sources, such as kinetic or steam?
• What about process chemicals, work in progress parts, cutting tools, stamping rams, etc.?
• What is the procedure for dynamic testing? Which energy source(s) must I identify for this purpose and temporarily change them from de-energized to energized?

Fall protection

A safety harness is not automatic protection. Here are some ways to defeat a harness used for fall protection:

• Use an old one. The material from which these harnesses are made has a limited shelf life. Discard any harness that is more than 10 years old, even if it’s never been used. If a harness has been subjected to fall forces many times, consider replacing it after two or three years.
• Wear it low on your hips. This is how you get flipped over and have your face driven into the wall or side of the aerial lift. Wear the harness high on your hips so your center of gravity is low relative to the top of the harness
• If there are two loops for tying in or clipping in, use only one of them. Each loop is plenty strong enough to stop your fall, the problem is the geometry here. Tie into only the lower loop, and you get thrown backwards due to the rotational force created. This can break your back, cause the back of your head to slam into some “immovable object”, or both. Know how to use the particular harness you’re using.
• Save time by not cinching the leg straps. This can lead to falling out of the harness. Make sure those straps are fairly snug.
• Save time by not inspecting the lanyard. The lanyard is designed to absorb much of the energy of your fall. Visually check it for abrasions and damaged fibers. Manually test the gate to ensure it locks properly. And make sure it faces the right way when connected to your harness.
• Connect the lanyard upside down to a protection anchor. This puts the weak part of the lanyard carabiner in line with the force. It also can allow the gate to open during a fall. Always push the hook down onto the protection point, don’t come up from underneath.
• Connect the lanyard to a fall protection anchor that is below waist level. This really adds to the force of the fall because of the extra distance you travel before the lanyard catches you. It can also add a significant “swing” at the end. You’ll notice aerial lifts don’t come with fall protection points mounted on or welded to the floor.

Safety devices are never intended to automatically protect you from hazards. There are tools designed to assist you in eliminating or mitigating those hazards. Safety devices are highly reliable if used correctly, but can be defeated through ignorance, carelessness, and/or inattention.

Take the time to learn the procedures for each safety device you use. Even if you’ve done that and even if you’ve taken a class or had OJT, mentally review the rules before each use. If someone is impatiently waiting while you do this, they will just have to wait. Time invested here can save your life.

Pay attention to how you’re using your safety devices, and pay attention to how your coworkers are using theirs. Agree that you will double check each other, so that nobody needlessly gets hurt on the job.

Perhaps the only thing that should be automatic on your job is your employer’s paycheck deposit into your checking or savings account. Anything involving safety requires your full attention.