Lockout Tagout Regulations Save Lives

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) is a U. S. Government agency tasked with safeguarding and regulating activities in the workplace. As part of the U. S. Labor Department, they are responsible for enforcing safety and health standards in every sector of business and industry. The regulations they have enacted specific to 'Lockout Tagout' are meant to protect personnel working on energized equipment for the purposes of set up, servicing and maintenance.

All machines employ the use of one or more types of energy in order to function. The five most common forms are electrical, chemical, hydraulic, thermal and pneumatic. These energies exist in one of two conditions, active or stored (kinetic or potential). Both active and stored energy pose hazards in the workplace and need to be understood and respected.

Working around energy can be dangerous business and each year many injuries and fatalities are attributed to errors in judgment and/or lack of proper safety precautions. The lock-out/tag-out regulations require that employers institute formal practices to insure workers are protected from hazardous energy sources while they are performing servicing or maintenance procedures on equipment. The concept is simple. The object is to disable the machine being worked on by isolating it from its energy supply.

A formal plan detailing exact procedures is required to be put into action and followed. This is what's called the employer's Energy Control Program. All employees will require training on the program, including learning about the various OSHA standards in this area. They will also need to find out their specific duties regarding the program.

The list of requirements to which an employer must adhere is extensive. Any newly manufactured equipment, for example, must be built with lockout capability. For older equipment not having this lockout capability, a tagout system must be incorporated as an alternative warning method. This may consist of items such as placards conspicuously posted that detail the status and condition of a particular machine.

A lock-out device is designed to physically disable a piece of equipment totally, thus preventing its accidental operation. These can be in the form of switches on an electrical panel or chains and locks on a valve. Pins, key-blocks and wedges are all used in different applications. Only specific locking mechanisms should be used on specific pieces of equipment.

Where physical lockout is not possible, a tagout system will give visual warning as to the danger present. They will typically explain the reason a particular machine is out of service and indicate the person(s) responsible for performing the necessary maintenance. Tags are only used to provide information and are not an appropriate substitute for a locking mechanism, if locking is possible.

Failure to institute and follow an effective Lockout Tagout program can expose workers to serious injury and even death. Many injuries have been prevented by properly following these important guidelines. Most of it is common sense. Similar to the instructions accompanying any electrical appliance in your home, the best advice is to "disconnect from the power before servicing".