Clearance Procedure

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Clearance Procedure 00059196 Authorized Employee
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Terminal Objective

• The purpose of this course is to increase
  Authorized Employees knowledge of the TVA Safety
  Procedure Clearance Procedure to Safely Control
  Hazardous Energy Using Group Tagout, also known
  as the TVA Clearance Procedure.
• Upon completion of this course, you will
  demonstrate your knowledge of TVA Clearance
  Procedure as presented in the course material.
  Successful completion requires a score of gt 80
  on a written examination.

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Enabling Objectives

• Explain the purpose scope of the TVA Clearance
  Procedure.
• Describe the role and responsibilities for each
  of the five functions/activities in the clearance
  process, to include
• Responsible Employee
• Qualified Employee
• Primary Authorized Employee
• Authorized Employee
• Affected Employee

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Enabling Objectives

1. Recognize the color and purpose of the danger tag
   used in the clearance process.
2. Recognize the color and purpose of the hold order
   tag and the hold notice tag used in the clearance
   process.
3. Recognize the color and purpose of the caution
   order tags used in the clearance process.
4. Recognize the color and purpose of the operating
   permit tags used in the clearance process.

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Enabling Objectives

• State the purpose of the Clearance Personal
  Accountability Log or CPAL form.
• Identify the pre-job activities required by
  personnel prior to performing work on equipment
  under clearance.
• Identify the responsibilities of authorized
  employees when sources of energy for testing
  purposes are temporarily applied to equipment
  under clearance.
• Describe the responsibilities of authorized
  employees upon completion of work on equipment
  under clearance.
• Recognize a ground disc and its purpose, and
  describe the responsibilities of authorized
  employees with regard to ground discs.
• Identify basic safety rules to follow when
  working on or in the vicinity of equipment under
  clearance.

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Objective 1

• Explain the purpose scope of the TVA clearance
  procedure.

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Purpose

• Establish standardized requirements for group
  tag-out
• Level of safety equivalent to that obtained by
  the use of a lockout program
• Isolate machines and/or equipment from energy
  source and rendered non-operative, prior to work
  activities

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Purpose

• It is vitally important that each employee remain
  aware of and strictly adhere to the requirements
  of the TVA Clearance Procedure.
• Where hazardous energy cannot be safely
  controlled the work is considered working on
  energized equipment and must be approved by the
  Management Official In Charge (MOIC).
• The Management Official in Charge is the plant,
  facility, production, or site manager. The MOIC
  may elect to designate in writing a manager or
  managers to perform the function of the MOIC
  designee. When in doubt, ask your supervisor.

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Applies to

• Work on machines and equipment under plant
  control
• Personnel who work on generating plant machines
  and equipment including TVA, contractor, and
  staff augmented employees

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Transmission

• Clearances for Transmission Operations controlled
  equipment are obtained from the transmission
  operator in accordance with the current
  Transmission Clearance Procedure.

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Objective 2

• Describe the role and responsibilities for each
  of the five functions/activities in the clearance
  process, to include
• Responsible Employee
• Qualified Employee
• Primary Authorized Employee
• Authorized Employee
• Affected Employee

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Responsible Employee

• Writes and issues clearances in accordance with
  the TVA clearance procedure

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Qualified Employee

• De-energized Tag Equipment
• Implements the clearance by operating
  energy-isolating devices in accordance with the
  clearance instructions to de-energize equipment
  and install clearance tags at each isolation
  point

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Primary Authorized Employee

• Holds a clearance by name on the equipment that
  work will be performed
• Maintains a clearance personal accountability log
  (CPAL) of Authorized Employees
• Physically walk down the clearance boundary using
  the tagging list

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Authorized Employee

• Performs servicing, maintenance, and/or
  modification work in accordance with the
  clearance procedure

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Affected Employee

• Anyone in the area of equipment under a
  clearance, but not involved in the work
  activities covered by a clearance

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Review of Key Roles

• Responsible Employee (RE)
• Writes the clearances
• Qualified Employee (QE)
• De-energizes equipment and hangs tags
• Primary Authorized Employee (PAE)
• Walks down the clearance boundary
• Verifies the absence of energy
• Holds the clearance
• Maintains the CPAL
• Authorized Employee
• Signs on the CPAL
• Performs work
• Signs off the CPAL when work is complete

An Electrical Representative PAE will hold the
clearance while he installs or is present for the
installation of the protective grounds.
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Objective 3

• Recognize the color and purpose of the danger tag
  used in the clearance process

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Danger Tag

• Used to identify the boundaries of a clearance
• Installed on energy-isolating devices, used to
  isolate equipment from all sources of energy
• Equipment with danger tags in place must never be
  energized or operated

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Danger Tag

• Regardless of the presence of a danger tag, all
  equipment must be considered energized unless it
  is known to be within the limits of a clearance
  that has been properly issued and the equipment
  grounded if required
• The mere presence of a danger tag does not ensure
  that the equipment is under clearance because the
  clearance may not be fully established

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Individual Responsibilities

• Overall individual responsibilities for all
  workers include the following
• All individuals immediately report any tag found
  not affixed to equipment or properly disposed of
  to a RE or a supervisor in the RE's group.
• The misplaced tag should not be removed from the
  location where it was found.

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Objective 4

• Recognize the color and purpose of the hold order
  tag and the hold notice tag used in the clearance
  process.

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Transmission Tags

• Transmission system clearance hold order tag and
  hold notice tag are used on transmission operator
  issued clearances and have the same purpose as
  the danger tag.
• The Transmission Clearance Procedure establishes
  the criteria for the use of transmission system
  clearance tags.

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Objective 5

• Recognize the color and purpose of the caution
  order tags used in the clearance process

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Caution Order Tags

• Caution order tag identifies the existence of
  unusual circumstances and provides direction
  concerning the circumstances
• The placement of a caution order tag does not
  mean that the equipment is de-energized, or that
  it is safe to work on

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Transmission
For transmission system equipment, the Caution
Order tag, form TVA 6273 is used exclusively
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Objective 6

• Recognize the color and purpose of the operating
  permit tag used in the clearance process

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Operating Permit Tag

• Requirements
• Attached to equipment or controls that are
  located away from main control panels and or
  switch panels when the equipment is to be
  operated only by the person named on the
  operating permit
• An operating permit is issued by name to only one
  person at a time
• Presence of an operating permit tag does not
  signify that the equipment is de-energized, or
  that it is safe to work on

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Objective 7

• State the purpose of the clearance personal
  accountability log or CPAL form

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PAE Maintains CPAL
The PAE maintains a Clearance Personal
Accountability Log (CPAL), for each clearance to
indicate the authorized employees who are working
on the cleared equipment. Note 1 clearance per
CPAL
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PAE Maintains CPAL
Each Authorized Employee who will work on
equipment under a clearance will take a personal
action to sign their name on the CPAL form for
that clearance prior to starting work on the
cleared equipment.
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PAE Maintains CPAL
An Authorized Employee after signing-on the
CPAL and before starting to work may request to
walk down the applicable portion of the
boundaries of the clearance
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PAE Maintains CPAL

• Authorized Employees sign off
• When their work is complete
• As requested to ensure operational readiness of
  equipment
• To facilitate a temporary lift

The PAE cannot release a clearance until all
authorized employees have personally signed off
the CPAL
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Objective 8

• Identify the pre-job activities required by
  personnel prior to performing work on equipment
  under clearance

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Responsibilities

• Authorized Employee will
• Sign on to the CPAL
• Participate in the pre-job briefing by providing
  feedback on improving performance, efficiency,
  and reducing risk associated with work activities

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PAE Responsibility

• Primary Authorized Employee (PAE) is responsible
  for verifying the absence of hazardous energy
  sources prior to work
• PAE may delegate the responsibility for testing
  to an authorized employee
• Caution
• Under no circumstances will employees who are
  not qualified perform tests for the absence of
  energy

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AE Responsibility

• Authorized Employees test for the absence of
  energy prior to performing work on equipment
  under clearance by
• Testing electrical circuitry
• Visually inspecting the position of devices
• Observing bleeds, gauges, indicators, etc., or
  other available means
• If hazardous energy is detected, stop work and
  immediately report it to the PAE

Issue PER in NPG
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Test for Electrical Energy

• Test electrical conductors using an electrical
  test instrument
• Test the electrical test instrument on a known
  energized source to check proper operation before
  and after testing the electrical equipment
  (Live-Dead-Live)

480 V
0.0 V
480 V
Before Live
Test for energy Dead
After Live
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Objective 9

• Identify the responsibilities of authorized
  employees when sources of energy for testing
  purposes are temporarily applied to equipment
  under clearance

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Testing

• At times, sources of energy for testing purposes
  need to be applied to equipment involved in a
  clearance
• Authorized Employee Responsibilities during
  testing
• Comply with all clearance instructions and safety
  procedures during the application of energy as
  directed by PAE
• Remain in the clear during application of energy

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Objective 10

• Describe the responsibilities of authorized
  employees upon completion of work on equipment
  under clearance

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Responsibilities

• Upon completion of the work Authorized Employees
• Notify PAE work is complete
• Remove tools, instruments, and special equipment
• Clean up jobsite
• Sign off CPAL

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CPAL Sign Off

• PAE verifies that equipment is ready to return to
  operational status. This includes
• Inspecting the job site
• All employees are in the clear and signed off
  CPAL
• Tools and equipment are removed
• Jobsite is clean

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Objective 11

• Recognize a ground disc and its purpose, and
  describe the responsibilities of authorized
  employees with regard to ground discs

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Identification

• When working on electrical equipment, sometimes
  protective grounds are installed for worker
  safety
• Grounding discs are used to administratively
  control when and where electrical safety grounds
  are installed and removed
• They are used in conjunction with a clearance and
  assigned to that particular clearance number

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Install Remove Ground ID Discs

• Process
• Electrical representative PAE is responsible to
  install or be present and observe the
  installation and removal of any ground
  identification discs
• The numbered disc is attached to the ground
  side clamp of each ground before the ground is
  installed
• For breaker grounding devices, such as a
  grounding buggy, the disc is placed in a
  visible location on the front of the device

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Ground ID Discs

• Authorized Employee Responsibility
• Ground discs and the grounds that they are
  attached to are not to be disturbed except in
  accordance with the clearance procedure by an
  electrically approved PAE
• If you find a ground disc in the plant that has
  been obviously lost or misplaced, you should
  return it to the control room or your supervisor
  immediately

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Objective 12

• Identify basic safety rules to follow when
  working on or in the vicinity of equipment under
  clearance

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Basic Safety Rules

• Always test for the absence of energy prior to
  performing work
• Do not operate equipment that is tagged
• Regardless of the presence of a danger tag, all
  equipment must be considered energized unless it
  is known to be within the limits of a clearance
  that has been issued and not released

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Basic Safety Rules

• Work must not be performed on an energy isolating
  device used to establish a clearance

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Basic Safety Rules

• Clearance tags are not to be used for any other
  purpose except that which is allowed by the
  clearance procedure

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Basic Safety Rules

• No work may be performed on equipment under
  clearance unless authorized employees are signed
  onto the CPAL form
• Authorized employees must sign off the CPAL form
  when their work under clearance is complete

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Basic Safety Rules

• Remember, violation of the clearance procedure
  can result in injury to yourself and others, and
  may result in disciplinary action up to and
  including termination of your TVA employment

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Summary
Carefully following the TVA clearance procedure
is absolutely essential to safely perform work on
power plant equipment. The clearance procedure
is one of the most important safety procedures in
the TVA Safety Manual. All employees must
strictly follow the requirements of the clearance
procedure to ensure the safety of those working
on or in the vicinity of equipment involved in a
clearance. Remember, your safety and the safety
of others depends on you.
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Take Test

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• Youre almost finished. To receive credit for
  completing this course, please click on the Take
  Test button in the student interface to your
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  short online course evaluation.
• If you have any questions or concerns regarding
  the content of this course, please email
  SafetyEnvTrain_at_tva.gov.