Lockout Tagout

Contents

The Purpose Of Lockout Tagout:

Lockout-tag out

Group lockout

Hazardous energy and its isolation

The Five Security Rules

The Purpose Of Lockout Tagout:

Imagine you had unplugged a fan from energy source by switching it off by nearest switch or circuit breaker directly for cleaning the fan's blade. Your fingers are inside the fan's cover near to its blade and someone enters in to the house and switch it on without Your acknowledgement!! Now you can understand importance of Isolation of energy and Communication to others. 

Here we will discuss about lockout tag out definition and its details that you will understand easily as per occupational safety and health administration guidelines. So welcome to the lock out Tag College. First thing is what is lock out and tag out? 

Consider a slots machine factory and you got breakdown in one of the slot machine. So what is your next action? Simply go to the slot machine and repair that? Do you know this slot machine have many forms of energy like electrical, mechanical and pneumatic energy?  I know that You have a primary insurance or electric insurance from Your company and you are expert in pneumatic engineering or whatever. But what will happen if you get an injured leg or hand? Will this electrical insurance or primary insurance return your original leg or foot? 

Lockout-tag out

Lockout-tagout (LOTO)  is a safety procedure which is used in industry and research settings to ensure that dangerous machines are properly shut off and not started up again prior to the completion of maintenance or servicing work. It requires that hazardous power sources be "isolated and rendered inoperative" before any repair procedure is started. "Lock and tag" works in conjunction with a lock usually locking the device or the power source with the hasp, and placing it in such a position that no hazardous power sources can be turned on. The procedure requires that a tag be affixed to the locked device indicating that it should not be turned on.

Group lockout

When two or more subcontractors are working on different parts of a larger overall system, the locked-out device is first secured with a folding scissors clamp that has many padlock holes capable of holding it closed. Each subcontractor applies their own padlock to the clamp. The locked-out device cannot be activated until all workers have signed off on their portion of the project and removed their padlock from the clamp.

A lock selected by color, shape or size (e.g. red padlock) is used to designate a standard safety device, locking and securing hazardous energy. No two keys or locks should ever be the same. A person's lock and tag must not be removed by anyone other than the individual who installed the lock and tag unless removal is accomplished under the direction of the employer. Employer procedures and training for such removal must have been developed, documented and incorporated into the employer energy control program.

Lockout-tag out has 5 required components to be fully compliant with OSHA law. The 5 components are: 1. Lockout-Tag out Procedures 2. Lockout-Tag out Training (for authorized employees and affected employees), 3. Lockout-Tagout Policy (often referred to as a program), 4. Lockout-Tagout Devices and Locks, 5. Lockout-Tagout Auditing - Every 12 months, every procedure must be reviewed as well as a review of authorized employees.

Hazardous energy and its isolation

Modern machinery can contain many hazards to workers, from things like electrical, mechanical, pneumatic or hydraulic sources. For example a typical industrial machine may contain things like hot fluids, moving presses, blades, propellers, electrical heaters, conveyor belts with pinch points, moving chains, ultraviolet light, etc.

Disconnecting or making safe the equipment involves the removal of all energy sources and is known as isolation. The steps necessary to isolate equipment are often documented in an isolation procedure or a lockout tagout procedure. The isolation procedure generally includes the following tasks:

1.  Identify the energy source(s)

2.  Isolate the energy source(s)

3.  Lock and Tag the energy source(s)

4.  Prove that the equipment isolation is effective

The locking and tagging of the isolation point lets others know not to de-isolate the device.

The Five Security Rules

According to the European standard EN 50110-1, the security procedure before working on electric equipment comprises the following five steps:

1.  disconnect completely;

2.  secure against re-connection;

3.  verify that the installation is dead;

4.  carry out earthing and short-circuiting; and

5.  provide protection against adjacent live parts