They say that after handling raw meat, you should wash your hands. In fact, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services advises anyone preparing meals to wash their hands often—before, during, and after preparing food—with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. However, with machinery that handles food, hygiene and safety is not as simple as washing your hands.
It is ideal for surfaces of materials, coatings, and surface treatments in meat and poultry processing equipment to be durable and cleanable. As noted in NSF/ANSI/3-A 14159-1-2024: Hygiene Requirements For The Design Of Meat And Poultry Processing Equipment, if necessary, this equipment should be capable of being sanitized without breaking, cracking, and chipping (among other detriments) and resistant to the penetration of foreign matter. Meat and poultry processing equipment are also expected to resist high pressure and humid operating environments.
What Is NSF/ANSI/3-A 14159-1?
Specifically, the NSF/ANSI/3-A 14159-1-2024 standard sets minimum food protection and sanitation for the materials, design, fabrication, and construction of meat and poultry processing equipment. It applies to equipment intended for use in the slaughter, processing, and packaging of meat and poultry products, and it is meant to be applied by designers and manufacturers, who, in turn, provide guidance to the equipment users.
However, NSF/ANSI/3-A 14159-1-2024 does not contain operator safety requirements, nor does it apply to hand held tools and mechanical belt conveyors. Similarly, requirements for the uncontrolled egress of microbiological agents from the equipment are excluded from the NSF/ANSI/3-A 14159-1-2024 document.
NSF/ANSI/3-A 14159-1-2024 revises the 2019 edition of the same standard. Notably, it updates the boilerplate language for Section 2, “Normative references,” to match other NSF standards. NSF International and 3-A Sanitary Standards, Inc. (3-A SSI) collaborated to develop this American National Standard.
Hazardous energy, whether deriving from electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, or thermal sources in machinery and equipment, is the basis of a longstanding issue in many industries.
Due to the high frequency of casualties resulting from the unexpected release of hazardous energy and related machine start-ups, substantial measures have been taken by employers, unions, trade associations, and government to mitigate accidents, including the development of the ANSI/ASSP Z244.1-2024 standard.
Injuries from Hazardous Energy
Hazards deriving from the unexpected startup or release of stored energy are abundant. If a steam valve is automatically turned on, it can burn workers who repair a downstream connection in the piping. A jammed conveyor system, if suddenly released, can crush a worker. The range of possibilities with hazardous energy release leads to a variation in potential injuries, including electrocution, burns, crushing, cutting, and lacerating, amputating, or fracturing body parts.
The ANSI/ASSP Z244.1-2024 standard establishes guidelines for the control for hazardous energy associated with machinery, equipment, or processes that could do harm to the personnel. Specifically, it does this by establishing lockout, tagout, or alternative methods to control the hazardous energy. It is applicable to many activities, including erecting, installing, constructing, repairing, adjusting, inspecting, unjamming, set up, testing, troubleshooting, cleaning, dismantling, servicing, and maintaining machines, equipment, or processes.
ANSI/ASSE Z244.1 or ANSI/ASSP Z244.1?
Some past users of this standard might be confused but the designation of ASSP in the title.
ANSI/ASSP Z244.1-2024 revises the previous edition of the same American National Standard, which had been last revised in 2016 and reaffirmed in 2020. In addition to reorganization of the document and updates to the annexes, the 2024 edition underwent the following changes of note:
Added new definitions for “equipment,” “feasible,” “isolation (and energy dissipation),” “processes,” “shall,” and “should” and updated several other definitions.
Elevated alternative methods to be co-equal choice with lockout/tagout (LOTO) for the control of hazardous energy.
Added new Section 5, “Hazardous Energy Control Methods.”
Updated Figure 1, “Flowchart for Controlling Hazardous Energy.”
Addressed cybersecurity aspects.
Added new Section 7.11, “Mobile Applications.”
Modified text to become Group Energy Control and Complex Energy Control.
Added new Section 8.9, “Piping Systems.”
Added new Section 9, “Alternative Methods of Hazardous Energy Control.”
Added content on feasible risk reduction.
Added content on fault annunciation.
Added new content on zoned or partitioned machines or equipment.
Developed new content for energy for processes.
Responsibilities for an ANSI/ASSP Z244.1 Lockout System
At the core of the standard’s specifications is the user and the supplier of the machinery, and the interaction between these two groups determines the success of the lockout system. The supplier, who is responsible for designing, building, integrating, and installing machines, equipment, or processes, should incorporate all applicable provisions of this standard into their products, so that the user can assure compliance through the establishment of a protection program.
The third group bearing responsibility during this process is the personnel, who should comply with the hazardous energy control program.
Hazardous Energy Control Program
A hazardous energy control program consists of the following activities: identifying (assigning responsibilities, identifying tasks), operational procedures (documented procedures, for hazardous energy control, provisions for hazardous energy control interruption), implementation (selecting protective materials, communication and training), and program maintenance (monitoring/measuring, auditing of program elements).
Of course, in the control of hazardous energy, the design phase of the machinery plays a key role, since risk assessment conducted during this stage can determine the suitability of the equipment for its intended purpose. Hazardous energy control methods selected by the supplier can include identification of energy that is necessary to perform a given task(s), elimination of hazardous energy sources whenever practicable, control of hazardous energy, or control methods.
For example, ANSI/ASSP Z244.1-2024 discusses energy-isolating devices, which are installed as integral parts of a machine as a means of preventing the transmission or release of energy. The standard specifies that these devices be conveniently located, clearly identified, capable of being locked, and evaluated to determine their suitability for their intended purpose.
Using Lockout or Tagout to Control Hazardous Energy
As for the control process itself, lockout is preferred. Under lockout, hazardous energy is isolated by securing a lockout device (or devices) of suitable construction placed on an energy-isolating device that prevents the inadvertent re-energization of machinery or equipment. Lockout devices should be placed by each authorized participating person.
While lockout is the preferred method, there is no stipulation in the standard indicating that it needs to be utilized for compliance with ANSI/ASSP Z244.1-2024. However, there are two exceptions to this. They are when no risk assessment has been completed or the tasks and/or hazards are unknown.
Otherwise, tagout (the less-preferred method) can be put into use. Under tagout, hazardous energy is isolated by using tags secured to an energy-isolating device that prevents the inadvertent re-energization of machinery or equipment. Every participating authorized person should either place an individual tag at each isolated source or be named in a group tagging method. The tags display the name of person placing the tagout, the contact information for the authorized person, a statement not to operate the equipment, and a statement not to remove the tagout device.
Other aspects of the procedures detailed in ANSI/ASSP Z244.1-2024 serve to establish the methods of the standard as reliable in preventing accidents from hazardous energy.
