Communicating safely
April 1st 2007 Trapped key interlocking systems from Castell are being used to ensure that maintenance work at the BT Goonhilly International Communication Centre carries no risk to personnel. Located near the Cornish coast, the site comprises more than 60 operational and developmental antennae, and each is fitted with Castell products, either during construction, or as a retrofit, to protect personnel from both mechanical and radio frequency hazards. Whenever a technician wants to carry out work on an antenna or associated system, and upon completion of a permit-towork, the operational control area duty engineer switches the antenna to standby, releasing an authority key for that system. The antenna system's nominated person then uses this authority key to isolate the drives. This action in turn releases specific keys for the area to be worked on, and the permit requires that the technician signs for the desired key. Should access be required for an area which would pose an RF hazard, the relevant key is not released until the transmitters are powered down and the RF key inserted and trapped in an exchange box. More articles from Castell Safety International Ltd: | 
