REO Cogeneration Plant
Owned and operated by Lansing Board of Water & Light
100 MW, 2 × 1 LM6000PF-powered combined cycle equipped with IST once-through steam generators, located in Lansing, Mich.
Plant manager: Tom Dickinson
Challenge. Because REO Cogen is certified to ISO 55001, certain documents must be controlled. Historically, the plant printed LOTO clearances and placed them on a table beneath the associated numbered group lock box.
The team found this arrangement as cumbersome during outages, making it harder for operations to manage multiple clearances and maintain situational awareness of affected equipment. The method also created a risk of paperwork being misplaced, and the plant reports several incidents of missing clearances.
Solution. In 2023, REO revised and revamped its LOTO program through a joint effort involving Operations, Maintenance, and Safety. A central element of the update is the design and layout of a dedicated LOTO wall located within the control room (Fig 1).
Key features described include:
- Clear, numbered document boxes on the wall, where each clearance packet is hung and protected, rather than stacked on a table.
- Associated numbered lock boxes mounted to the wall so the clearance paperwork and the physical locking hardware stay paired.
- Role-based lock color coding (maintenance, operations, engineering, contractor, etc.), allowing quick visual identification of who is signed on to the LOTO.
Results. The plant reports the LOTO wall improves both administrative control and day-to-day usability:
- Improved visibility of work status. The wall shows how many clearances are active and what equipment is out of service.
- Reduced risk of lost paperwork. Clearances are secured in designated, numbered locations rather than left on a table.
- Faster access for personnel. Individuals signing on and off can locate the correct packet quickly.
- Better situational awareness for operations. Operators can see who is working on equipment by observing lock colors without searching through documents.
Project participants: Josh Zussman, Al Cox, and the REO maintenance team.
