POWER June 2016 - 36

WORKFORCE
4. In focus. A multi-camera setup was used
to capture an employee checking settings on
equipment. Ted Villa of IMIGpro.com is shown
shooting camera B for the STAR series at the
W.S. Lee Steam plant. Courtesy: EPRI
tion tagging or LOTO situations. Each employee
uses the STAR tool. In the video scene,
two workers are given a work order to hang a
tag on an isolation valve. The first worker locates
the valve, confirms the ID number, and
turns the valve. At a later time, and alone, the
second worker confirms the ID number and
verifies that the valve was turned.
Communication Techniques. Two tools
to aid in clear communication are three-way
communication and the phonetic alphabet.
Three-way communication, which is commonly
used for giving and receiving verbal
instructions, involves:
1. The sender stating an instruction to a second
worker.
other scene, two workers walk from one site
to another. The first worker is focused on his
destination and walks past a water puddle under
a piece of equipment. The second worker
sees the water and reports it.
Self-Check. This is a simple human performance
tool for helping workers focus on a
task. It is used in performance of any activity
where mistakes could result in significant
consequences. The tool is symbolized by
the acronym STAR, which stands for Stop,
Think, Act, and Review. The scene shows an
employee who has been assigned a work order
to turn a switch. Before taking the action,
he pauses to review the step. He considers:
What are the hazards in this work area? Am
I at the right component? Do I understand
the procedure? The worker reads aloud the
component ID number and compares it to the
work order. Once he verifies it, he turns the
switch. Then he checks to see that the switch
did its intended action.
Peer Check. A peer check is a verification
by one employee that the actions of another
employee are correct. It takes place before or
during the action to provide a second check
and to minimize the potential for a mistake.
Both workers follow the STAR tool. In the
video scene, a technician needs to open a
valve. He requests that a second technician
do a peer check. The first employee reads the
valve ID number out loud. The second employee
checks the number against the work
order and repeats the number out loud.
Independent Verification. Verification
is an attention management tool that helps
people focus their attention, foreseeing the
correct action steps before beginning a task
or reviewing a task after its completion to ensure
it was done successfully. It's a process
of self-checking by two employees, working
independently, to confirm the condition of a
component.
Independent verification is used for regulatory
or procedural requirements, and it may
be essential in instances of protective or cau34
2.
Second worker repeating the instruction
back in his or her own words to the sender.
3. The sender verbally acknowledging that
the second worker correctly understands
the instruction, typically by responding,
" That's correct. "
The phonetic alphabet assigns code words
to the alphabet; the NATO phonetic alphabet
is the most widely used version in the fossil
power industry. A is alpha, B is bravo, etc.
These tools are used when verbally communicating
all alpha or alpha-numeric designations
and is especially important when a
single letter is the only difference in the identities
of two pieces of equipment. In the video
scene, a supervisor in a control room uses a
walkie-talkie to instruct a technician in the
field to swap over the alpha pump. In a very
noisy plant location, the technician mishears
the pump name as the bravo pump. When
he repeats this, the supervisor corrects him,
thus avoiding a mistaken action. The scene
demonstrates how what might appear to be
a trivial and unnecessary routine is actually
vital.
Pre-Job Brief. A pre-job brief is a meeting
of workers and a supervisor before a job
to discuss the tasks involved, hazards, and
related safety precautions. It ensures everyone
understands the scope of the work, the
procedural steps, his or her responsibilities,
and the hazards and controls. A pre-job
brief is used prior to a task that is not part
of a normal routine or prior to a task that, if
performed incorrectly, would have significant
consequences. In the video, a supervisor
greets five co-workers. He tells them about
a new work order that's been received. After
giving each member of the group a copy of a
checklist, the supervisor reviews the tasks to
be performed and describes the preparation
that's needed.
Clearance and Tagging Process-Execution
(Overview). Clearance and tagging
programs at electric generating stations are
www.powermag.com
designed to protect personnel from injury
and to protect plant equipment from damage.
The clearance and tagging process changes
the baseline configuration of an electric
power plant (the normal operating condition)
to a different configuration (a condition that
supports hands-on work on equipment in a
situation where personnel could otherwise be
exposed to hazards).
A robust and clearly documented clearance
and tagging process, LOTO, is critical
for the protection of workers and equipment
and for the performance of effective operations
and maintenance. This video is an introduction,
explaining the overall function of
LOTO and an overview of the steps needed
to properly establish a LOTO on a piece of
equipment.
Clearance Writer and Approver. This
video provides a description of the clearance
writer and the clearance approver in
the LOTO process. The clearance writer develops
a clearance that safely establishes an
energy-free boundary for workers based on
the defined scope of work to be performed.
The clearance approver verifies that all previous
clearance steps have been performed
correctly and provides a validation that the
boundary established by the clearance writer
safely protects the workers from any energy
sources.
Clearance Hanger and Verifier. This
video provides a description of the clearance
hanger and the clearance verifier in
the LOTO process. The clearance hanger
physically aligns the plant equipment in accordance
with the approved clearance paperwork
and hangs the clearance tags, or tags
and locks, as appropriate. The clearance verifier
provides an independent check that the
plant equipment is in the required position
and correctly tagged, or tagged and locked,
as appropriate.
Clearance Holder and Zero-Energy
Checks. This video provides a description
of the clearance holder and the importance
of zero-energy checks in the LOTO process.
The clearance holder performs a physical
walkdown, verifying effective isolation of
the equipment to be worked. The clearance
holder also confirms all zero-energy checks.
Various zero-energy checks and examples are
described.
Future Videos
EPRI plans to continue expanding the video
library. In 2016, a new video series on " What
Does Good Shift Turnover Look Like? " will
be added to the video library. ■
-Dwayne Coffey (dcoffey@epri.com)
is principal program manager in EPRI's
Operations Management and Technology
Program.
POWER | June 2016
http://www.IMIGpro.com http://www.powermag.com
POWER June 2016

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