What Are Lockout Tagout Procedures?

Lockout tagout (LOTO) procedures are critical safety measures designed to protect employees from hazardous energy sources during maintenance or repair work. These protocols often use a specialized energy-isolating device, which workers deploy to prevent the accidental or unexpected startup of machinery.

This energy control procedure is essential for reducing the risk of workplace injuries. By implementing lockout kits and tagout devices, along with LOTO guidance and training, employers can significantly enhance workplace safety and comply with the OSHA standard for controlling hazardous energy.

To help keep your employees safe, we’ll explore everything you need to know about LOTO safety in the workplace to help educate workers and minimize the risk of injuries.

The Difference Between Lockout and Tagout

Before we dive into the details, let’s break down the term “lockout tagout procedure” to understand what each element means.

• Lockout refers to the use of a lockout device, such as a padlock, to physically isolate energy sources. This physical barrier ensures that nobody can operate the machinery until the lock is removed by an authorized employee.

• Tagout complements the lockout device with a visual warning to indicate that the machinery should not be operated. These tags must include information about the authorized employee who applied the tag and the reason for the tagout.

While a tagout device does not provide the barrier of a lockout, it does enhance occupational safety by clearly communicating the status of the equipment.

Why Is a Lockout Tagout Training So Important?

Of course, a lockout tagout procedure does no good if nobody knows about it. That’s why education and awareness are vital to help employees understand how to implement and follow the correct protocols.

LOTO training helps prevent accidents, reduces the risk of injury and ensures compliance with OSHA standards. In addition to identifying and communicating hazardous energy sources, you should cover the use of specific lockout kits and tagout devices, as well as the steps to safely isolate and control energy.

But what kind of equipment does LOTO safety use?

Understanding LOTO Safety Equipment

A lockout tagout procedure works by isolating and securing energy sources (whether electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, etc.) to prevent machinery and equipment from accidentally engaging during maintenance.

Depending on the energy source at hand, workers should also be wearing the correct personal protective equipment. Then, they must follow a specific sequence of steps to safely shut down and lock out equipment.

This process involves using several devices, including:

Energy-Isolating Devices: These are mechanical devices that physically prevent the transmission or release of stored energy. Examples include circuit breakers, disconnect switches and valves. By using an energy-isolating device, workers can ensure the equipment remains in a safe state during maintenance or repair.

Tagout Devices: Employees attach a tagout device, like warning signs or tags, to the energy-isolating device to indicate the equipment shouldn’t be operated. These tags need to be durable, clearly visible and include specific information to enhance safety procedures.

Lockout Kits: Lockout kits, or LOTO boxes, include both a lockout device for the specific piece of equipment, such as a valve lockout, cable lockout or circuit breaker lockout, as well as safety labels for clear hazard communication.

10 Essential Steps of Lockout Tagout Procedures

Now that you understand the different components of LOTO safety, let’s see what this procedure looks like when implemented in the workplace:

1. Prepare Equipment: Start by identifying all hazardous energy sources and securing a proper lockout tag and safety signs. This step ensures you know about (and can control) any potential energy source, reducing the risk of accidental energy release.

2. Notify Employees: Inform everyone about the lockout procedure, using custom safety signs and floor tape to communicate the lockout areas. With clear instructions, safety labels and tagout devices in place, employees will know to stay clear of the equipment.

3. Shutdown Equipment: Follow standard procedures to completely power down the equipment, and check that all switches and valves are in the off position. The machinery should be fully powered down and unable to start up again.

4. De-Energize Equipment: Next, disconnect all energy sources, including electrical, hydraulic, and pneumatic systems, using appropriate lockout devices. Proper de-energization ensures there is no residual energy that could pose a risk to workers.

5. Apply LOTO Device: Secure any energy control points with lockout devices like master locks and tagout devices to provide visual warnings. Lockout kits should be readily available to store and organize these devices.

6. Check Stored Energy: Even after de-energizing the equipment, there’s still a chance you can encounter residual energy, such as pressure in hydraulic lines or stored electricity in capacitors. Release or restrain any of this residual energy to prevent accidental release during maintenance.

7.. Verify Isolation and Energy Levels: After applying the LOTO devices and de-energizing the equipment, test the machinery to confirm that all energy sources have been isolated. This verification step is essential for maintaining a safe work environment and ensuring compliance with OSHA standards for controlling hazardous energy.

8. Service Equipment: Perform the necessary maintenance or repair work while ensuring all lockout tagout devices remain in place and employees use personal protective equipment.

9. Remove LOTO Devices: After maintenance is complete, only authorized employees should remove the lockout devices and tagout devices. They should check all lockout stations and account for all devices.

10. Restore Operations: Finally, re-energize the equipment to restore operations and notify all affected employees that it is safe to resume normal activities.

OSHA Lockout Tagout Guidelines

OSHA lockout tagout guidelines provide essential standards and requirements for controlling hazardous energy in the workplace. These guidelines detail specific procedures for shutting down and isolating energy sources, applying lockout tagout devices, and verifying isolation.

As an employer, preventing and minimizing workplace injuries is paramount. By following the steps outlined above and complying with OSHA standards, you can do your part in ensuring employee safety.

Enhance Your Energy Control Procedure With FFVA Mutual

FFVA Mutual offers comprehensive resources and support to help you develop and implement a robust LOTO safety program. Find out more with our Safety Toolkit, or watch our webinar on lockout tagout procedures.