How to Increase Safety During Machine Interventions (Case study)

Groupe Lactalis is the world’s largest dairy company. Safety is one of the top priorities in all factories of the group. In its production sites in the Netherlands, called Royal Lactalis Leerdammer B.V., where Leerdammer cheese is produced, Lockout/ Tagout procedures were implemented to improve safety during maintenance activities. Read the inspiring case study and learn how experts from Brady Corporation helped local unit of Groupe Lactalis to reach their objectives.

Royal Lactalis Leerdammer B.V. wanted to increase maintenance safety by reducing machine intervention risks in its production sites in the Netherlands. The company wanted to implement Lockout/Tagout, a proven safety procedure that enables the complete isolation of machines from their entire energy supply while maintenance is ongoing. The procedure can remove all safety risks related to moving machine parts, premature machine energisation, and residual machine energy. Royal Lactalis Leerdammer B.V. wanted to set up their very own Lockout/Tagout programme, and sought guidance from an established expert. Finally they have decided to cooperate with Brady Corporation, one of the most experienced Lockout/Tagout specialist worldwide.

Solution: Procedure consultancy and reliable tools

Brady Corporation offered to train the company safety experts in creating best-in-class machine-specific Lockout/Tagout procedures. A Brady Engineer created an example procedure on-site to enable a perfect lockout for a single machine. Using the procedure as a guide, safety experts expanded the Lockout/Tagout programme to a lot more machines, with Brady in standby to consult. Machines to prepare milk for cheese production, conveyor belts and also electrical cabinets were all in scope of the Lockout/Tagout project to maximise maintenance safety.

Every lockout procedure, managed in Brady’s LINK360 software, included step-bystep instructions to fully isolate a specific machine by blocking all of its energy control points in the off-position. Pictures were added to illustrate where to find each valve, button or fuse that controls the energy supply to a specific machine.

Brady supplied all of the Lockout/Tagout tools needed to block access to the energy control points used in the production sites of Royal Lactalis Leerdammer. Our customer’s maintenance specialists can lock these tools in place with their personal Brady SafeKey padlocks . From a wide range of available locks, our customer selected nylon body padlocks with 38mm, and with 25mm nylon shackles. Compact, and lightweight, the 25mm nylon padlock is ideal to lock out fuses in small electrical cabinets.

Brady delivered the padlocks and keys in red, blue, green, yellow, white, black, orange and purple, so Royal Lactalis Leerdammer can visualise specific padlock purposes. These include neutralising maintenance risks such as electricity, compressed air, process fluids, gas, steam, mechanical energy and machines, as well as highlighting padlocks for individual protection.

Brady also offered BBP12 Label Printers to enable on-site padlock personalisation. With the printers, our customer can easily print names, phone numbers and other data on self-adhesive labels that perfectly fit their SafeKey padlocks.

To complete the solution, Brady created large shadow boards to distribute all Lockout/Tagout tools in the workplace. The boards include a tool shadow for each Lockout/Tagout device in use and provide an easy tool return point, as well as a clear overview of available tools and lockouts in progress. Next to tools, the boards also offer space to attach work specific Lockout/Tagout/Tryout procedures.

Results: Safe machine interventions

With the ability to isolate any machine from its complete energy supply, maintenance specialists at Royal Lactalis Leerdammer can work safely, and efficiently. After a machine intervention, all maintenance specialists remove their personal padlocks and restore the flow of energy so production can resume as planned. Tools are returned to the shadow boards and immediately available for the next safe maintenance intervention. Brady was able to deliver and help implement the entire solution from A to Z.