Every employee wants a safe, secure place of work. But the idea of 'job security' does not just mean a secure position, but also that the workplace itself is literally safe and secure, protected from hazards and free of injury and health risks. Legal regulations on occupational health and safety are placing increasingly higher demands on companies involved in industrial production. In this growing market segment, ABUS is now offering an extensive range of 'lockout' (maintenance protection) and 'tagout' (labelling) products to meet the increasing demand for safety precautions in companies.
One moment of inattention or negligence is all it takes. Every year in Germany, several hundred people die in accidents at work, and over one million employees are injured, some of them severely. Especially in industrial environments, where employees work with chemicals, high temperatures, heavy machinery or high-voltage lines, the risk of accident is particularly high. That's why preventative occupational safety measures above all, in addition to clear guidelines for actions in the event of an emergency, are important. Even simple measures and the right safety products can prevent accidents and protect employees effectively.
'Lockout' and 'tagout' – an extensive range from ABUS
ABUS offers a comprehensive range of products for occupational health and safety, which are known as 'lockout' and 'tagout' products in our industry. 'Lockout' refers to the physical locking of technical equipment, for example, or stopcocks – maintenance protection. 'Tagout' refers to labelling with informational or warning signs. Every proper lockout has a corresponding label (tagout). A tagout can also be applied in cases where a physical lockout is not possible. The extensive ABUS range covers locks for large systems, valves, ball cocks, handwheels, compressed air connections or special padlocks and offers the right solution for virtually any application area. A variety of colours, label fields and even customised engraving options meet all requirements for warning while simultaneously making it visibly known, which workers and/or services the padlock in question has been assigned to.
Overview of solutions
Compressed air connection lock – Compressed air connections must be disconnected and locked in order to prevent the flow of compressed air to machinery and therefore the startup of the machinery during maintenance work. The compressed air connection lock has three connections with different diameters so that it can be used universally on all compressed air connections established on the market. In addition, each connection has two locks for the padlock, so that locks with different shackle widths can be used.
Gas cylinder lock – Gas cylinders and connections must also be secured during maintenance work. The gas cylinder lock is made of high-quality polypropylene, which makes it especially suitable as it effectively shuts off gas cylinders and prevents gases from escaping. A self-adhesive warning label additionally provides information on the lockout of the cylinder.
Handwheel lock – The ABUS handwheel lock is ideal for locking certain straightway valves so they cannot be inadvertently turned during maintenance work. Available in different sizes, it can be used on various types of handwheels. The predetermined breaking point on the top can also be used to create an additional opening so that the locks can be used on handwheels with spindles.
Main switch lock – Up to six padlocks can be used on the ABUS main switch lock. If, for example, maintenance work must be carried out on a machine by different people, each worker can lock the machine with their own lock. Once maintenance is completely finished, the last person can unlock their padlock and the main switch released for use.
Cable lock – The standard cable lock is used during maintenance work when the right lock for the power source in question is not immediately available. It can be used for various power sources. The Safelex™ universal cable lock is a great solution when maintenance work is urgently required and there is no time to put the appropriate lock for handwheels, switchgears etc. in place. It can be used universally, which is especially practical when long distances between two locking points must be bridged.
Ball valve lock – The ball valve lock is ideal for locking almost any conventional ball valve, even one with more than two outgoing pipes. If the flat lever is at a 90° angle, it can be secured with the lock. The lock is then fixed with a padlock, locking the ball valve effectively. It is therefore impossible to inadvertently open the valve during maintenance work.
Safety switch lock – Safety switches can be individually and effectively locked using the non-conductive safety switch lock. The lock can be used universally on all conventional single-pole safety switches and is even suitable for flat switches thanks to the additional adapter. Turning the screw clamps the lock on to the individual safety switch and locks it. During maintenance work this lock ensures that safety switches and therefore the machines themselves cannot be inadvertently switched on.
Connector lock – Connectors must be unplugged in order to interrupt the power supply and carry out maintenance on machinery. To prevent these connectors from being plugged in again accidentally, they can be enclosed in this lock. The connector lock is available in two sizes. A warning label additionally provides information on the lockout of the connector.
Safety Redbox™ maintenance protection depository – When maintenance on large systems, is necessary, numerous locking points need to be locked out and usually different services are used. If everyone involved had to lock each and every locking point, this complex task would become unnecessarily time-consuming and laborious. With the Safety Redbox maintenance protection depository, the foreman just has to lock out the locking points and then place the respective keys in the depository. All other employees then use their personalised padlock to lock just the Safety Redbox, and all keys are kept safe until maintenance work is complete.
