Testing and tagging Melbourne are important parts of safety procedures in the mining industry. This analysis will detail what testing and tagging are, why it’s so important to employees, and why OSHA likes this system so much. If you have ever been involved in a mine accident or know someone who has been hurt in a mining accident, OSHA may ask to see your tags. Tags are a very important part of OSHA documentation in any investigation.
Testing ensures that procedures are followed in every aspect of the mining process from topsoil removal to reclamation at the end of a mines life cycle. Tagging ensures that employees acknowledge their responsibility for adhering to these safety measures at all times when exposed to potential hazards on site. Tagging also ensures that employees acknowledge the consequences of not following safety procedures.
Testing and tagging are so important because it ensures the safety of employees while they are on site. They indicate which areas present potential hazards to workers and ensure that everyone knows what those hazards are. Outlined below are 10 specific reasons why testing and tagging is an essential part of mining operations.
- Tagging shows employees who is responsible for ensuring that safety procedures are followed at all times. Employees sign off on tags or they must have a reason why, if someone was able to tag into a hazardous area without signing off beforehand. This procedure ensures that there is no confusion as to whether a person has been exposed to a hazard before entering a certain area again.
- Tags also create documentation for OSHA compliance purposes. OSHA may come and investigate any mining accident and all employees involved must be able to present their safety checks or tags as proof that they were adhering to safety procedure before the accident occurred. This ensures consistency in documentation between foremen, supervisors, and operators of equipment during an investigation.
- Tags maintain a record of where employees are working at all times to avoid accidents such as walking into unsafe areas by mistake or working too close to moving machinery without proper protection from underneath the machine (underneath belts that travel hundreds of feet per minute.)
- Tags ensure that employees acknowledge potential hazards and document when these hazards were observed and reported and who observed and reported them. This information may be collected by another employee for analysis in regards to potential hazards.
- Tags protect employees from equipment failures that could occur when a machine’s safety is compromised by machinery not working in conjunction with each other or a lack of fuel supply to an area that isn’t safe to be without a proper fuel source. For example, if a conveyer belt shut down, someone needs to know why it shut down so no one gets caught underneath it when it starts moving again or another person gets too close and hurts themselves. By marking off the area where the conveyer belt was stopped, workers stay away from the area until further notice and they know exactly who to report this information to. This ensures that all employees have a say in what goes on at their job site because everyone can document their safety observations.
- Tags allow employees to state potential hazards that are observed on-site that may not be readily apparent or things the employee thinks should be documented for future reference by management, supervisors, or engineering staff. This tag ensures that managers can review all comments made about potentially hazardous areas and develop a proactive plan of action instead of waiting for something bad to happen first and then taking care of it after the fact.
- Tags document any hazardous work area after problems have been resolved so everyone knows these areas are safe again and there is no concern about entering them without proper protection in place (such as wearing earplugs if an area has loud noise.)
- Tags ensure that equipment remains operational at all times within mining operations. Without tags, someone may start a machine up without first checking to ensure it is operating at its very best possible condition. This can be dangerous because a massive amount of pressure or shock due to improper use could result in severe injury or death to employees.
- Tags document when someone has completed their job responsibilities and goes home for the day (or moves on to another area). If an individual does not tag off by signing at the end of each day, safety personnel do not know if they are still working in hazardous areas that require protective equipment like steel-toed boots or hearing protection against loud noise made by heavy machinery.
- Tags provide documentation of work performed during safety meetings so supervisors and foremen can see exactly where employees were when they were supposed to be at a meeting and who was present or not present during that time. This is necessary in case bad weather prevents individuals from travelling home safely for the day because it ensures all employees are accounted for and safe after hours, especially if there is an emergency such as a hazardous chemical spill somewhere in the area.
It is the responsibility of every individual to ensure that the safety procedures put in place by their employer are followed to create a safe work environment for everyone. The tags alert others if anyone has not taken care of any potential hazards and may result in injuries or fatalities if ignored. Tags also indicate when an area has become hazardous, who needs to be notified about this hazard, what that individual should do to resolve the issue, how long it will take them to reach that destination.
