PURPOSE:  To develop a practical device to warn workers, especially maintenance personnel required to lock and tag out equipment, of their proximity to potentially hazardous areas around moving equipment.

RESEARCH SUMMARY:  Lockout/tagout (LOTO), required by OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1910.147, is a protective procedure workers must perform to remove hazardous energy from machinery prior to performing maintenance tasks. All energy sources for equipment must be de-energized and the switch locked and labeled with a tag warning not to activate the machinery. Lockout/tagout violations consistently rank in the top five of OSHA's most frequently cited standards. The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association lists LOTO as one of the most important safety issues facing the aggregate industry. Belt conveyor injuries (over 400/year) have historically ranked among the most severe in the mining industry according to MSHA. Fatalities resulting from workers being caught in machinery average 150 per year, with about half related to service- or maintenance tasks. Serious nonfatal injuries from being caught in machinery, average 6800/year and are the leading cause of amputations among workers. The HASARD proximity warning device has the potential to warn workers of danger prior to conducting maintenance. It has been developed and tested in the laboratory and is ready for commercial licensing. A second U. S. patent (#6,810,353) on this device was granted in October 2004. Three companies have recently obtained user-development licenses and three other companies have applied for licenses and one CRADA. An Open Industry Briefing on proximity warning systems for underground and surface mining will be held at PRL towards the end of 2005. The project ends in 2005. A set of guidelines on how to implement the HASARD technology on remote-control continuous mining machines will be disseminated to the mining community in 2006. Both fatalities and injuries due to workers becoming caught in moving conveyors and mining machinery are expected to significantly decline wherever this technology is successfully implemented. This type of proximity warning system could be readily modified to protect workers in industries other than mining such as construction and agriculture.