All About Safety Lockout / Tagout Devices

Lockout / Tagout Device

Controlling the release of hazardous energy is the most important thing you can do to protect others from electrical hazards. Prevent injuries to your general industry workers by ensuring the hazardous energy they’re working with is properly controlled and locked out with a safety lockout device.

To stop serious electrocutions and other injuries from occurring, OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147 highlights standards designed to prevent accidents due to accidental start-ups.  The practices and procedures highlighted by OSHA require safety lockout/tagout devices to disable machinery or equipment in order to prevent the hazardous release of an energy source while performing service or maintenance.

What are lockout / tagout devices and do I really need them?

Lockout devices are a lock with either a key or combination type, designed to hold an energy isolating device in the safe position and prevent the energizing of machinery or equipment. Tagouts are prominent warning devices, such as a tag and a means of attachment, which can be secured to an energy isolation source that should not be removed until the work in completed.

Before assigning your workers to perform service or maintenance on machinery or equipment, double check they have the appropriate safety lockout / tagout devices and tags. 

Additionally, ensure only trained or authorized employees are working with hazardous energy.  Per OSHA, it’s the employers’ responsibility to develop, document, and use energy-control procedures that establish a sequence of actions to follow whenever re-energization is required as a part of a service or maintenance activity.

What are OSHA requirements?

  • Label it! Label all lockout/tagout locks to identify the specific employees authorized to apply and remove them
  • Make sure your lockout device is durable. Lockout/tagout devices must not deteriorate or become obscured even when used with corrosive components such as acid, alkali chemicals, or in wet environments.
  • Device needs to be substantial. Employees should be able to remove locks only by using excessive force with special tools such as bolt cutters or other metal-cutting equipment. Lock Out Tags must be non-reusable, self-locking, and non-releasable, with a minimum unlocking strength of 50 lbs. Tags must be attachable by hand, and need to withstand all environments and conditions.
  • Standardization is important. Lockout/tagout procedures color, shape, or size must be standardized according to print and format, and must be legible and understandable by all employees. They must warn employees about the hazards if the machine is energized, and offer employees clear instructions such as: “Do Not Start,” “Do Not Open,” “Do Not Close,” “Do Not Energize,” or “Do Not Operate.”

When a group of workers is working on the same equipment or machinery, ensure they’re using a Group Lockbox to allow up to thirteen workers to be on a group lockout instantaneously. Each employee in the group must have control over the sources of hazardous energy while he or she is involved in the service and maintenance activities covered by the standard. Personal control is attained when each authorized employee affixes personal lockout/tagout devices to the group lockout mechanism instead of relying on the supervisor to provide protection against the hazardous energy.

For more information about the Control of Hazardous Energy Lockout/Tagout standard read: Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) 29 CFR 1910.

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