Use of Tagout by support groups

[retired nuke]

OK, here is a safety question, an Ops question, a maintenance question and an RP question...all in one.

When support groups (RP, QA, etc) are working with maintenance / craft on a system, and the system is tagged out (isolated, depressurized, danger tagged, etc) - are the support folks at your site (or in your experience) required to be signed onto the tagout order like maintenance? or is the fact that maintenance is signed onto the tags sufficient?
Please be specific if different conditions require different answers. I realize that covering several valve jobs in an area, and basically getting dose rates and smears may not warrant protection on tags, but surveying inside MSIVs, Pressurizer, S/G, confined spaces, etc may be considered different. Same for QA doing a VT at a hold point vs doing a PT inside piping....

Thanks in advance for any replies. 

[Nuclear NASCAR]

When QC is working on a job that has workers protection associated with it they do have to sign onto that protection just as we do.  I don't believe that RP has been required to because they are usually doing a survey upon breach of a system and then moving on to the next job. 

I'll ask around when I see some of the RP techs and find out about whether there are any conditions where they do have to sign onto protection.

[alphadude]

Total safety would mandate anyone working in the system zone (risk area)  be aware and signed in. (being signed in doesn't mean you have to hold the isolation) Signing in places the burden of safety on the owner of the isolation to ensure that no one is in harms way if the isolation is pulled or fails. How can you do this if you don't know who is working where? (remember surveys and inspections are work too) 

Prior to pulling the isolation, the owner is required to hunt down all that are signed in under his clearance. If its not done this way, workers are at risk if the isolation is pulled and they are not aware.


Anybody touching, looking at, in the zone of operation should be aware that a system is either isolated or ready to rock and roll. A good example would be a 100ft line that runs thru several buildings. would you want someone to crank it up for a hot functional and you are there taking a swipe and standing in the sway zone


The survey butterfly (hp floating thru) sounds like years past. Bopping in and out of a high risk area don't sound like good practice.

STAR it

[SloGlo]

are the support folks at your site (or in your experience) required to be signed onto the tagout order like maintenance? or is the fact that maintenance is signed onto the tags sufficient?

i've seen it done both weighs.  the common danominator between them is dat frunt line management is to be notified of changing conditions (lifting da clearance, venting a sisstem, testing, ett cettarra) 'n day are to insure da work force is aware of da change.