Wind tunnels, used for aerodynamic and acoustic testing in the automotive and aerospace industries, use one or more electrically driven fans to push or pull air through a test section. Air will either recirculate through a closed loop or be drawn in from the surroundings from one end of the tunnel and exhausted out the opposite end.

Around the wind tunnel, there are several full body access doors to allow for maintenance. It is critical to ensure no one enters the tunnel while in operation. Incorporating a trapped key interlock system ensures the proper sequence of energy isolation is performed and personnel remain safe.

TYPE VL - VALVE LOCK

The Type VL, Valve Lock, is supplied with a stainless steel 1/4-turn ball valve. Sizes of valve range from 1/4” up to 4”. The Type VL is sold completely assembled with the valve and interlock ready for on site installation. The Type VL interlock components are manufactured entirely from 316 stainless steel, making it ideal for use in wash down, harsh industrial or coastal environments. The Type VL utilizes the heavy duty key design and cylinder mechanism, designed to resist dirt and debris from impeding normal interlock operation. The unique oversized key is robust and cannot be duplicated. The Type VL, combined with other KIRK HD Series interlocks, will create a comprehensive trapped key interlock system for your instrumentation and control processes. The Type VL is assembled with a stainless steel valve with NPT threaded connections. The valve is operated through the use of the stainless steel lever, not the key, minimizing failure.

The ratings of the valve are as follows:

* Stainless Steel: up to 2000 CWP (psig) depending on the valve size

OPTIONS

Key Removable - Key removable in either the open or closed position. Standard application is key removable valve closed. Specify key removable position during ordering.

Key Interchange - specify an alphanumeric code to be stamped on the cylinder face and laser marked on the key (e.g. A1, A2, B1, etc. - up to 5 characters). See Data Sheet Keys (3.4) and Terminology (4.1) for details.

Protective Covers - see Data Sheet Protective Covers (3.1) for details.

See data sheet for more information: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/07bbc0_0c02dcd8ad134a8aaefe7e0c4ddb9da5.pdf

At KIRK, we focus on the safety and wellness of our employees every day.

Our safety initiatives within our shop ensure that assemblers, machinists, and shippers work in the safest conditions to perform their roles. Clear, designated passageways and specific PPE are worn for protection of all employees working or entering the shop.

Our KIRK Wellness Wheel Scorecard Program supports initiatives to promote employees’ overall health. Throughout the year we host events & campaigns that focus on one of five categories within our Wellness Wheel; Physical, Psychological, Economic, Social, and Environmental.

Our events range from trainings, team building, charity initiatives, health screenings at work, and fun events to recognize employees for a job well done. Our Wellness Wheel Scorecard supports that physical health and safety is as important as overall health.

Our belief and focus on safety and health makes KIRK a great place to work every day, with great people!

Keep yourself, your employees, and fellow co-workers Safe + Sound this week and every week!

Salvo™ loading dock safety systems eliminate human error where guarding personnel from hazardous dock area situations is imperative.

Salvo™ mitigates dangerous loading/unloading activities by interlocking the trailer’s air brakes with the dock door, preventing an unscheduled departure. Once loading/unloading is complete and the dock door is closed, Salvo™ provides immediate communication to the driver that it is clear to depart. Salvo™ safety systems ensure that employees return home safely and the potential loss of operations due to dock area accidents is minimized.

1910.178, ensuring that the brakes are set during loading/ unloading. Salvo also conforms with OSHA 29 CFR 1910.23 by providing a barrier from fall protection.

Fast Installation The Salvo Kit makes mounting and wiring a simple task. The quick installation process allows for minimum site disruption and downtime.

Versatility The Salvo system works with all vehicle and dock types including lift gate trailers and open sided platforms. Salvo can also integrate with existing dock safety products such as dock levelers, restraints, traffic lights, etc.

KIRK Introduces New Specifications & EPC Manager

Al Roach promoted to focus on Engineers and Project Design Firm Specifiers

North Canton, Ohio (June 2019) – Since 1932, KIRK, a global leader in trapped key interlock safety systems, has been providing trapped key safety interlocking systems to the energy and industrial markets around the world. KIRK’s over 85 years of proven experience and knowledge working with world class OEMs and end users of trapped key interlocks have paved the way to provide additional service and focus within the area of project specifications.

Al Roach, a 3-year veteran with KIRK as Sales Engineer for the Northeast, has been promoted to fill the position of Specifications and EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) Manager. Al’s experience with KIRK servicing engineers, contractors, and end users, as well as his vast previous experience, will drive Al, and this position, towards success. Al’s previous experience with Alpha Technologies (4 years) and Liebert/Emerson Electric (5 years) on data center construction projects and directly servicing major switchgear manufacturers, has provided a strong foundation to build upon. His knowledge of construction services, project management, and specification process will be key in further developing and nurturing relationships within the specification community.

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About KIRK:

Based in North Canton, Ohio, USA, KIRK believes that everyone has the right to be safe at work! To ensure safety, the risk of hazardous energy and or equipment needs to be controlled. KIRK® trapped key interlock safety systems and safety components provide customers with solutions to control these risks. KIRK manufactures more than 70,000 safety interlocking systems each year for use in a wide range of industries to guarantee a sequential pattern is followed when access is needed to hazardous equipment or areas.

Protect your dock personnel on National Forklift Safety Day and every day with Salvo Loading Dock Safety Systems! Salvo loading dock safety systems prevent drive-aways during loading/unloading by interlocking the trailer's air brakes with the dock door. This ensures that the trailer cannot depart until loading/unloading is completed and the dock door is closed. Salvo keeps your personnel and equipment safe by - eliminating human error.

Hydraulic fracturing for oil and natural gas in the United States has been around since the 1940’s. However, only recently has “fracking”, as it is commonly known, become the new buzzword in the energy industry. With the demand for natural gas continuing to rise and the additional economic benefits this industry has created, improvements to the process, equipment, and safety of those working in this industry are ever evolving.

Electric fracking fleets are beginning to replace traditional diesel fuel fleets due to the higher operation costs of diesel fleets as compared to electric fleets. Also, electric fleets help to minimize emissions, noise pollution, and dust build up common in the diesel fleets.

The introduction of electric fracking fleets have therefore introduced unique safety measures to ensure worker’s safety when connecting or disconnecting power for operations.

KIRK trapped key interlock safety systems ensure a predetermined sequence of operations are followed each time power is isolated to ensure couplers are de-energized before connecting or disconnecting from the main power source.Click here to read the full guide: https://indd.adobe.com/view/6ced1f33-5bb1-4ee3-ab76-d5f230aaf31f

KIRK® trapped key interlocks protect the safety of your employees and equipment by ensuring a predetermined sequence of operations is followed every time, without fail.

Traditionally during the spring outage, Kirk recommends reviewing the safe operations of key interlocks on Electrostatic Precipitators. Using our experience, we have put together a quick safety checklist to help identify potential issues before they escalate.

To learn more about this application click here:

Concrete is the most commonly used man-made material on earth. The uses of concrete range from structural applications to piping, drains,and pavers. Buildings, bridges, roads, and more could not be constructed without this important material.

Working with concrete introduces safety hazards that can place workers in danger and put their lives at risk. Concrete mixing plants must perform regular maintenance on mixers to ensure proper working conditions and efficiencies. Maintenance can involve accessing the mixer’s entry points for cleaning and servicing of paddles. To ensure worker safety, power must be isolated prior to entry of the mixer and at no time during maintenance can power be inadvertently re-energized.

Implementing a trapped key interlock safety system into the safety procedures for power isolation can eliminate human error and drive a pre-determined sequence of operations to ensure worker safety.

Read our Application Guide to learn more:https://indd.adobe.com/view/648cb527-3e57-48e6-b39f-1fefde3f2997

Brian Sebastian, KIRK® Midwest Sales Engineer, will be speaking at the 7 Rivers Safety Conference taking place Wednesday, March 13th at the La Crosse Center Arena North Hall in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His breakout session titled “Alternative Methods for a Safe Lock-Out/Tag-Out Program” will begin at 8:45am.

KIRK believes that everyone has the right to be safe at work! To ensure safety, the risk of hazardous energy and/or equipment needs to be controlled. Our trapped key interlock safety systems and safety components provide our customers with solutions to control these risks.

KIRK’s comprehensive product offering of mechanical, electro-mechanical, motion sensing, and integrated technology interlocks can form a complete interlock safety system customized for your unique safety application needs. Our interlock safety system can be incorporated into existing safety processes and LOTO procedures.

KIRK interlock safety systems can be found across all industries and manufacturing facilities including: Automotive, Aviation, Chemical Processing, Farming, Food Processing, Metal Processing, Military, Mining, Pharmaceutical, Ports, Power Distribution, Power Generation, Pulp & Paper, Transportation, and more!

KIRK® Launches NEW HD LOTO Protective Cover.

Protective covers shield the lock cylinder and key from adverse environmental conditions such as moisture, dirt, and sleet. The cover also protects the key from accidental damage. We highly recommend protective covers for outdoor installations.

The HD LOTO Protective Cover is hinged and held closed with spring tension. It is designed to protect the lock cylinder when the key is removed. The protective cover is attached to the lock cylinder with a stainless-steel set screw. It is manufactured out of 316 stainless steel and features a gasket to prevent dust and debris from impeding the proper operation of the interlock.

The HD LOTO Protective Cover allows our customers to easily integrate a TKI safety system into their existing LOTO safety procedures – keeping them safe at work!

Technology continues to drive increased productivity and efficiencies within warehousing and distribution. However, these new technologies and automated equipment introduce new risks to the already existing hazards of loading docks, palletizers, conveyors, and packaging equipment.

KIRK® trapped key interlock systems guard against entry into hazardous areas, guarding machines, and ensuring power isolation where hazardous energy is present. Loading docks can be safe guarded with the Salvo™ Loading Dock safety systems, ensuring a sequential safety process is followed, preventing drive-aways and eliminating human error.

Click the link to learn more about the Salvo™ Loading Dock safety systems. https://www.kirkkey.com/salvo-loading-dock-safety

Last week the KIRK Marketing Team attended the Halma Marcomms Meetup to collaborate with other marketers from US Halma companies. KIRK was given the opportunity to present with UK based PR group McOnie, on a piece in which we collaborated on. The KIRK Team came away with many ideas that we hope to incorporate at KIRK. Thank you to everyone who made this event possible!

KIRK® trapped key interlock safety systems ensure your employees are protected and will return home safely at the end of the day. The pressure for success in a high level production environment, while maintaining clean health and safety records, creates new challenges in the waste and recycling workplace. Read our Waste & Recycling Industry Guide to learn more about how KIRK® safety systems can protect your personnel and equipment at work.

Preventing Risk, Protecting People: Workplace Machinery Responsibility

To eliminate human error and prevent a worker from performing an unauthorized or unsafe operation when machinery is engaged, trapped key interlock safety systems are an advanced method of Lockout/Tagout machine guarding that protect the operator and other employees in the machine area from hazards.

Continue reading this article titled "Preventing Risk, Protecting People: Workplace Machinery Responsibility" featuring our very own VP of Sales, Pierre Andre Balson in the September issue of Fabricating & Metalworking.

Click the link below for the full article:http://www.fabricatingandmetalworking.com/2018/08/preventing-risk-protecting-people-workplace-machinery-responsibility/

The KIRK lobby re-design is complete! Our new re-designed lobby at our headquarters in North Canton, OH welcomes our visitors as they walk through the doors into our facility. The photos and messaging on our walls communicate to our visitors who they will be working with; a team of people that truly care about controlling risk and eliminating human error to keep people safe at work.

The KIRK Product Catalog is here! The catalog features information about KIRK, our markets, products, ordering guides, schemes and the CAD model database. We hope that this will be a comprehensive tool to aid our customers in choosing the right product for the right application, ensuring employees return home safe at the end of the work day.

to check it out!

Congratulations to our Sales Engineer, Brian Sebastian, for being selected to give a presentation at the ASSP Northwest Chapter Meeting in Roseville, Minnesota! Brian will be representing KIRK and sharing our belief that everyone has the right to be safe at work and the benefits of trapped key interlock safety.

Click the link to learn more:https://northwest.assp.org/events/october-chapter-meeting-alternatives-to-lockout-tagout/

KIRK® believes everyone has the right to be safe at work and we understand how important it is to embrace the safety culture at our own facility. Across all job functions and all of our Kirk employees, we are continually thinking about how we can keep you and your employees safe at work!