Many people have been seriously injured - or worse - while performing routine maintenance on machinery that should have been perfectly safe. Isolating your machines using the correct lockout procedures minimises the risk of unexpected start-ups while maintenance work is in progress, protecting the lives and wellbeing of those doing the work.

Here at Label Source, we sell a range of maintenance tags to help you identify machinery and equipment that, for safety purposes, should not be used. With clear instructions like 'Do not use' and 'Do not start - men working on machine', our maintenance tags are ideal for locking out heavy machinery during services and repairs (although we also stock labels that warn of high voltages, poisons, harmful gases, and other hazards).

In case you're not convinced of how important maintenance tags can be, here's just one example of what can happen when machines aren't properly 'tagged out' while maintenance work takes place. In November 2005, two men in Lanarkshire, Scotland were cleaning the inside of an animal feed mixer when the machine started up unexpectedly and killed them both. The HSE investigated this incident and found that it could have been "easily prevented" if the machine had been properly isolated:

"The process of isolation means establishing a break in the power supply, normally by using a lockable switch, and then securing the switch in the 'off' position using a padlock to prevent it being switched back on until the work is finished." - John Madden, HSE Inspector, speaking in 2008

Once you have completed the lockout process described above, it's important to use a maintenance tag to label the locked machinery and inform other workers that the machine is not to be used (most maintenance tags leave space to explain why the machine is locked out).

The incident you just read about resulted - full story here - in a total fine of £63,750 for the two companies involved, but far more importantly, it led to two deaths that could easily have been prevented. Click here to browse our maintenance tag range, and don't let the same thing happen on your watch!

Having the correct signs and labels on machinery is crucial to creating a safe work environment, especially when working around dangerous machinery. Health and safety signs, remind employees/ visitors of what action or precautions they need to follow to remain safe in the work place and what particular hazards may be involved with working in, or visiting a hazardous area. 

Having health and safety signs around the work place is proven to keep your workforce safe, and when there are no signs or safety precautions employed by the company this is when fatal accidents can, and often do occur. 

At a pellet making factory in Nottinghamshire, George Major was cleaning materials that were causing a blockage from an industrial blender when the machine unexpectedly started up. 

Investigation into the incident found that the safety guard had been removed from the blender and the machine had not been isolated and locked off from the electricity supply, it was also found that there was no clear line of sight the from the controls station into the machine itself. And that there was no system of work or instructions for isolation or instructions to lock off isolators, when the machine was not in use. 

Unfortunately, George Major’s accident was fatal but could have been avoided quite easily with the correct training and signs in place. 

Here at label source we have a range of Safety Lockout labels, Tags and Signs specifically targeting the prevention of a fatal accident like at the Nottinghamshires Pellet factor. Our range of safety lockout signs ensures the safe maintenance, servicing or overhaul of working machinery, plant and equipment. 

For more information about our Lockout products you can get in contact with us by telephoning 0800 3761 693 or emailing us on info@labelsource.co.uk 

You may remember that, two weeks ago, we shared a series of upsetting stories about people who had been injured/mutilated by the machines they worked with. Well, if you want to avoid incidents like that on your premises, our lockout tags are the solution you need.

These highly-visible yellow tags can be attached to machinery and equipment to warn staff that the item in question is being serviced and may not be used until the tag has been removed by authorised personnel. This ensures that:

• Service personnel won't get trapped in moving parts when a machine starts unexpectedly
   
• The risk of electrocution and electric shock is kept to a minimum
   
• No equipment is damaged through improper use

Each of our lockout tags has a hole for easy attachment, and many of the tags give room for a signature and date, allowing authorised personnel to identify themselves when using the tags. Click here to see our full range of safety lockout products