Isolerationskoordination

Isolerationskoordination is a safety and operations discipline that deals with planning, coordinating, and implementing energy isolation to enable safe execution of maintenance, repair, and modification work on process plants and utility systems. The goal is to prevent the release of hazardous energy by systematically identifying all energy sources, isolating them, and ensuring that they remain isolated during work and are re-energized only after completion.

The term is used especially in Dutch- and Flemish-speaking industrial contexts, though similar concepts appear worldwide under energy isolation management or lockout/tagout regimes. An isolationskoordination team or individual coordinates with operations, maintenance, safety, and contractors to develop an isolation plan that covers electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, thermal, and stored-energy sources, including interlocks and control circuits.

Core responsibilities include creating an isolation map or register, selecting appropriate isolation points, applying lockout/tagout devices and permit-to-work controls, verifying zero-energy state, communicating the plan to all affected personnel, and documenting the process from isolation through restoration. The approach emphasizes risk assessment, clear roles, and verification before work starts and after completion.

Common practices include risk assessment of each work task, preparation of a formal isolation request, implementation of LOTO, execution of a permit-to-work, and stepwise de-isolation after work. Challenges include coordination across shifts, concurrent projects, and ensuring that de-energization is safe for all parallel processes.

See also: lockout-tagout, permit-to-work, energy management, hazardous energy control.