Lockout tagout is a protection system against unintentional exposure to hazardous energy from equipment and machinery.
A lockout device, such as a padlock, secures the energy isolating device while a tagout device (i.e. a tag) warns employees not to use the equipment at the instance they read the tag (Lockout Tagout, 2021).
Without proper LOTO (lockout/tagout) procedures, workers risk severe injuries or even fatalities from unexpected machine startups or the sudden release of stored energy, turning routine maintenance into a deadly hazard.
Some practical on-site situations are illustrated below:
- A worker is servicing a press, another worker comes by and starts the press, and the service worker is caught up in the press, causing an amputation.
- Workers are repairing a connection in piping, and somewhere up that same line another worker opens a valve, sending fluids down the pipe that ultimately spill on and burn the maintenance workers (LOTO Safety, n.d.).
The steps to follow for a good lockout and tagout are given below:
- Preparation: this involves the identification of the main hazard and the means for controlling it.
- Shutdown: this involves the actual powering down and locking of the machine to be serviced. It is also primordial to inform all the employees affected by this equipment.
- Isolation: here, the machine is isolated from any source of energy. This may mean any number of things, such as turning off power at a breaker or shutting a valve.
- Lockout/tagout: authorized employee will attach lockout and/or tagout devices to each energy-isolating device in a way so it says in the “safe” position and cannot be moved to the unsafe position. Tagout refers to applying a tag on the device.
- Stored energy check: Here, any potentially hazardous stored or residual energy must be relieved, disconnected, restrained, or made non-hazardous in some other way.
- Isolation verification: At this point, an authorized employee verifies the machine has been properly isolated and de-energized.
Have you ever experienced an incident due to a misapplication of logout/tagout procedure? Share your experience in comment highlighting the importance of respecting this procedure.
