how do you guys lock out a excavator that is out of service or being worked on. most of the newer excavators dont have a battery shut off switch to put a lock on.
Pull the ground cable off the battery and put either your lock or the scissors through the terminal. If more than one person is going to work on the machine it's worth putting a set of scissors through it right from the start.
Yes, Nige said the best way if there is no master switch to lock out, we use a cone in the seat also marked as such with the lock out tag tie strapped to the lever or steering wheel.
We have to use lockout/tagout and that's the way we do it to comply with the requirements of the Health & Safety germs.
Good plan Nige. Is there a reason why you would put the lock on the ground terminal as opposed to the + terminal (assuming negative gnd)? The reason I ask is what if someone applied a set of booster cables and the gnd cable and lock and tag had fallen down out of sight. I was thinking the + terminal is the only path to the starter while the gnd could be placed on any bare metal nearby and the machine started. I do like your idea/policy of putting a scissors lockout hasp on the lifted terminal, would work good with conventional battery terminals.
If the Ground wire is pulled off the battery terminal completely, then there is not a full loop there, rubbing that end of the ground on metal will do nothing for you. The advantage of working with the ground side is that if you slip with a wrench you won't get sparks. When I worked for the concrete company and had to lock out to climb up in the drums of the trucks, we pulled the ground and put this on the end of the cable, it very much makes sure that someone doesn't just jump from the end of the cable to the battery: http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/PRINZING-Plug-Lockout-5T831?Pid=search
I don't think you got my point. If some other guy pulls up beside you to jump start the machine from his truck, doesn't see the lock and disconnected ground cable, and he puts his positive jumper cable on the positive post and then puts his negative jumper cable on the machine frame or any grounded bare metal (which is a recommended procedure to prevent sparking at the battery and hydrogen explosions) then the battery in the truck becomes the battery for the machine and the machine could be started. I know this is a probably a rare and unlikely event, but it is possible. I just thought it would be slightly safer to lock out the positive cable, unless there is something I am missing here. Up here in "the great white north" (Canada) it gets cold in the winter and boosting equipment from another vehicle is very common.
On any machine (even if I've disconnected the battery cable) that I really really really don't want some bone head to start it, I put a lock out tag on it with my name and company name. Attach it to door handle, somewhere around ignition switch, on steering wheel, somewhere very conspicuous to the operator. After all, even if you do have some bent wrench that attaches positive booster clamp to + terminal, then connects negative clamp to frame, it still takes someone climbing in the cab to fire it off. Lock it out with a conspicuous tag.
willie you are giving them credit that they can read the tag!!! iv had a couple of cases lately well lets just say " when you make something fool proof nature evolves better fools" its a pain but I usually take both cables loose & tag both cables.
True enough FSERVICE, but I prefer to use the word "idiot" as opposed to fool. Nature seems to have a way of producing better idiots.
You can pull the ignition fuse, main power relay etc. in addition to locking out batt cables if you want added insurance.