At Programmed, we all have part to play in making sure all of us go home safe to our loved ones every day. Our monthly Spotlight on Safety series is designed to help us keep safety in mind as our top priority and to champion our positive safety culture.
Our focus for May is Isolating Energy Sources.
Isolation of energy sources is one of our Safe Work Essentials and a key safety measure applicable to a lot of the work that we carry out here at Programmed.
Before any works begin, all energy sources that have the potential to cause harm must be identified and safely isolated to prevent energy being released while works are carried out. Energy sources are not just limited to electricity – they also include sources such as fluids, heat, steam, and stored energy.
Serious and even fatal injuries can occur when energy is isolated and plant inadvertently starts up, or stored energy releases, during works such as inspection, repair, maintenance, or cleaning.
Back to Basics - Safe Work Essentials
Our Safe Work Essentials outline a simple, specific set of minimum standards that all Programmed employees must follow when isolating energy sources.
New Isolation of Energy Sources Procedure
To support our Zero Harm efforts and prevention of injuries, a new business-wide Isolation of Energy Sources Procedure has been developed. Implementing and following effective isolation procedures is essential in ensuring we maintain a safe working environment.
The procedure is always available on the intranet under the Isolating Energy Sources topic.
More tools and resources
This new procedure is supported by a range of other related documents, such as SWMS (Safe Work Method Statement), a Risk Review, Isolation Registers, and an Electrical Testing Procedure, all available on our intranet.
If you have any questions regarding the Energy Isolation Procedure or supporting documentation, please reach out to your HSEQ team member.
Did you know - you can help to inform our official HSEQ procedures?
This procedure is one of several that the HSEQ team have been working on over the past few months, with others including a Drug and Alcohol Procedure, Noise Management Procedure and Psychosocial Risk Management & Psychological Safety Procedure.
Once procedure drafts are complete, they are posted in a consultation forum in Teams where people are able to provide feedback on the documents. Consultation is an essential part of procedure development to ensure processes are suitable and meet all requirements across the business.
If you would like to get involved and join the Teams Consultation forum, you can do so by emailing safety@programmed.com.au.