Proper practices and procedures can reduce the number of accidents resulting from an inadvertent release of hazardous energy, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The Tennessee Valley Authority’s Safety Procedure 18.613, Clearance Procedure to Safely Control Hazardous Energy Using Group Tagout, establishes minimum TVA-wide clearance requirements, while Power Operations Standard Programs and Processes 10.015, Coal and Gas Clearance Procedure, governs the clearance process at gas sites. These requirements are to be utilized to ensure equipment is isolated from energy sources and rendered nonoperative before performing work where unexpected energizing, start up, or release of stored energy could occur and cause injury or property damage. Due to the importance of the clearance procedure in preventing injury and/or property damage while equipment is being serviced, we performed an evaluation of Gas Operations clearances to determine if clearances, required training, and audits were performed in compliance with clearance procedures.
We determined clearances, required training, and audits were not always performed in compliance with clearance procedures. Specifically, we identified clearance documentation was not always completed and maintained, some Clearance Personal Accountability Logs were illegible, and some tags were missing or illegible. We also found training had not been completed for some contractors who worked on clearances. Additionally, we determined that audits were not being conducted as required.
