Reinforcing its commitment to workplace safety and accident prevention, the Safety Engineering Department (SED) of SAIL-Bhilai Steel Plant organised a Large Group Interaction (LGI) on Energy Isolation Practices on 26 March 2026 at the HRD Centre. The session was attended by as many as 80 safety officials, including Departmental Safety Officers (DSOs) and Electrical Heads from various units of the plant.

Shri. Debdatta Satpathy, CGM (Safety & Fire Services), presided over the LGI Session. Addressing the gathering, he appreciated the presence of DSOs and Electrical Heads from across the plant and underscored that inadequate energy isolation continues to be one of the leading causes of major industrial accidents. He stressed the need for strict and consistent adherence to Lockout-Tagout (LOTO) procedures across all departments, without exception.

The technical session was conducted by Shri. P. Satpathy, GM (SMS-3), provided a comprehensive overview of energy isolation practices, encouraging active participation and discussion among attendees. Shri. Ajay Talloo, AGM (Safety Engineering Department) compered the Large Group Interaction Session.

The session detailed the complete procedure of energy isolation, beginning from preparation and shutdown, followed by physical isolation of all energy sources. It emphasised the application of personal padlocks and tags at every isolation point, ensuring that each worker applies their own lock. The importance of dissipating stored energy and verifying a zero-energy state through physical checks, never by assumption, was strongly highlighted before commencing any maintenance activity. The restoration process was also explained as a structured sequence, wherein locks are to be removed only by the individuals who had applied them.

The interaction further examined common causes of LOTO failures, including assumptions made without proper verification, usage of shared locks, unidentified energy sources, procedural shortcuts under time pressure, inadequate training, and gaps in shift handover communication. Particular attention was given to electrical isolation, considering the complex, multi-feed and high-voltage nature of steel plant systems, where proper earthing and instrument-based verification are critical and non-negotiable.

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