[fbadia]

Here’s my .02¢…

First, our cells are clearly labeled right by the motor/gearbox.

We do a LOTO, and that gets verified by a second set of eyes. Then the tech walks down the LOTO and verifies that the fan won’t start by having the control room operator do a ‘bump test’. Then when we go up to the cell, we trip the vibration switch and have the control room operator confirm that he got the vibration alarm for that fan; then we tie the blades off.

We also use fall protection when working in the fan cells, but we don’t treat them as confined spaces; We lay plywood on the screens to distribute our weight.

Good luck, stay safe.

[fbadia]

How long have these fans been in service?
How often do you have to re-torque the U-bolts?

We’ve never had this issue, but we do an annual PM to check blade pitch, tracking and bolt torque.

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