Dynamic LOTO Procedure Control for Shared Electrical Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current lock-out-tag-out (LOTO) procedures for managing hazardous energy sources are time-consuming, prone to human error, and inefficient, particularly when dealing with multiple pieces of equipment or system modifications, leading to unnecessary locks and increased safety risks.
Innovation Solution
A system that dynamically determines LOTO procedures based on electrical node data sets, using a back-end system and personal electronic devices to guide users through the isolation process, reducing the need for manual tracing and minimizing the number of locks required.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If static pre-defined LOTO procedures are manually created for each piece of equipment, then safety procedures can be established, but the process is time-consuming and subject to human error
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical process of tracing electrical connections and creating LOTO procedures with an automated computer-based system. The system automatically traces electrical connections between equipment and energy isolation devices using digital representations, eliminating the need for manual tracing through project design files and reducing both time and human error.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables automatic generation of LOTO procedures without requiring manual intervention for each procedure creation. The computer-based system self-automates the process by analyzing electrical connections and generating appropriate LOTO procedures, reducing reliance on manual tracing and procedure development.
2Reliability
If multiple locks are placed on shared EIDs to complete each LOTO process, then each equipment isolation is ensured, but unnecessary locks increase the complexity and time of the LOTO process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple LOTO processes that share common energy isolation devices into a unified procedure. When the system detects that multiple equipment items share the same EID, it consolidates the isolation requirements, allowing a single lock to protect multiple equipment items rather than requiring separate locks for each piece of equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables a single lock to serve multiple functions by protecting multiple equipment items through a shared energy isolation device. The unified LOTO procedure allows one lock to universally secure several pieces of equipment that depend on the same energy source, reducing the total number of locks needed.
3Measurement precision
If manual tracing of electrical connections is performed in project design files, then the required EIDs can be identified, but the large and challenging drawings increase the difficulty and time of the process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual visual tracing through complex paper or digital drawings with an automated computer-based tracing system. The system uses digital representations of electrical connections to automatically identify required EIDs, eliminating the difficulty of manually following large and challenging project design files while maintaining precise identification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates and uses digital copies or representations of electrical connection data instead of requiring direct interpretation of original project design files. This digital representation simplifies the tracing process by presenting electrical connections in a more manageable and easily analyzable format.
Data Source
AI summary
A hazardous energy control system is presented. The system includes a back-end system and a personal electronic device communicatively connected to the back-end system. The personal electronic device provides a user interface for a user to select a set of equipment from the pieces equipment at the worksite for electrical isolation from hazardous energy sources via lockout/tagout (LOTO). The back-end system is configured to dynamically the back-end system is configured to dynamically determine a LOTO procedure for electrical isolation of the set of equipment from the hazardous energy sources based on the electrical node data set indicating pieces of equipment, energy isolation devices (EIDs), and electrical connections between the pieces of equipment and EIDs on a worksite.