Latest / Safe As Podcast / E26: Risk Controls: Alternative Controls / Direct Controls (AC/DC) (Quickisode)

Transcript

E26: Risk Controls: Alternative Controls / Direct Controls (AC/DC) (Quickisode) · Safe As Podcast

• 0:07
  Welcome to Safe As Quick as O3. Today we're covering the ACDC
• 0:13
  concept from the Construction Safety Research Alliance, part
• 0:17
  of broader work on high energy control frameworks.
• 0:21
  The key principle is a focus on high energy hazards, which can
• 0:26
  lead to serious injuries and fatalities or Sifts.
• 0:30
  ACDC is alternative controls and direct controls.
• 0:34
  For direct controls or DC's, these are essential for
• 0:39
  eliminating or mitigating high energy hazards and specifically
• 0:43
  targeting and mitigating the energy source itself or the
• 0:46
  exchange of the energy. Key requirements for a direct
• 0:50
  control include being specifically targeted to the
• 0:52
  high energy source, effectively mitigating exposure when
• 0:56
  properly installed, verified, and used, and remaining
• 1:00
  effective even when someone makes a mistake.
• 1:03
  Again, direct controls are designed to mitigate or disrupt
• 1:06
  exchanges of hazardous energy with the target.
• 1:09
  Alternative controls were ACS When a direct control isn't
• 1:13
  feasible, at least 2 alternative controls were required, drawn
• 1:17
  from at least two or more of three specific categories, which
• 1:19
  I'll cover shortly. ACS are a system of
• 1:22
  complementary controls primarily designed to reduce the
• 1:26
  likelihood of human error and variability, rather than solely
• 1:29
  reducing energy levels. In oil and gas terms, we might
• 1:33
  consider direct control as a full barrier and consider the
• 1:38
  alternative controls as a type of safeguard.
• 1:41
  Safeguards are controls that don't meet the definition of a
• 1:43
  full barrier, but are still important for maintaining
• 1:46
  barrier effectiveness or for some other safety goals.
• 1:50
  The three categories for alternative controls are
• 1:53
  physical obstacles. This is an obstruction block in
• 1:56
  the path to the high energy hazard like barriers, cones or
• 1:59
  bunting. Dedicated monitoring.
• 2:01
  So this is continuous attention to the high energy hazard.
• 2:04
  So monitoring alarms and spotters and visual reminders.
• 2:08
  A visible warning of the high energy hazard's presence.
• 2:11
  So signage and painted lines. For alternative controls to be
• 2:15
  effective, they must be in place during the work and specifically
• 2:19
  target the high energy hazard intentionally.
• 2:22
  They often require supporting processes such as job safety
• 2:25
  analysis and pre job briefs or permits.
• 2:28
  Furthermore, all workers creating or exposed to the high
• 2:32
  energy hazard must have verified specialty training, a form of
• 2:37
  safe work planning and a pre job brief directly related to the
• 2:41
  high energy hazard. And those safeguarding controls,
• 2:46
  notably experience, general rules and situational awareness
• 2:50
  of the person at risk are not considered alternative controls.
• 2:54
  They don't meet the definition. Now specific rules apply to
• 2:58
  elements like spotters, which by this framework requires sole
• 3:03
  duty of continuous monitoring and communication.
• 3:06
  So the spotters only role has to be spotting.
• 3:08
  They can't be doing other things flaggers.
• 3:11
  So it needs to be dedicated attention, communication.
• 3:16
  It needs to be clear, unambiguous, uninterrupted and
• 3:18
  specific. And signage, it's a communicate
• 3:22
  unusual or hidden hazards and ensuring there's a really
• 3:26
  thorough understanding of the hazardous conditions.
• 3:30
  That means generic signage that's not communicating unusual
• 3:33
  or hidden hazards or novel information don't meet the
• 3:36
  definition of an alternative control.
• 3:39
  So this framework, this hierarchy of controls places
• 3:41
  direct controls, which is again directly addressing energy and
• 3:45
  alternative controls, addressing human error, variability and
• 3:49
  some other things places them within a broader framework that
• 3:52
  includes energy elimination, energy reduction and energy
• 3:56
  isolation. Let me know your experience of
• 3:58
  applying ACDC or the broader high energy frameworks like
• 4:03
  Hecker. That's it on this quicker side
• 4:05
  of safe as. Thanks everyone.