Tagout procedures

As an example of the lack of understanding, a potentially serious incident occurred recently that helps to drive this message home. A 90,000-square-foot warehouse had just opened and some electrical modifications were needed. The warehouse manager called the electrical repair company to conq lete the project. 

The electrician, supposedly knowledgeable in his trade, had moved a set of circuit breakers to the Off position. The circuit breaker box was in a separate room in a hallway. When the switches were moved to the Off position, the lights in the hallway as well as the circuit in a room down the hallway were shut off. While the electrician busily worked on the revision, the warehouse supervisor found himself in a dark hallway. He had no knowledge of the repairs being performed. 

He went into the room that held the circuit breaker box and, with the aid of a flashlight, moved the Off switches to the On position. At that point he heard a loud yell and ran down the hall into a room to discover the electrician flat on his back with a wooden step ladder on top of him. 

Because this incident was potentially serious, the warehouse manager felt that he was partly responsible because he had not discussed the need for LOTO with the visitor. A reminder about safety in the warehouse, the key in the door, and the personal security of the electrician was in order. 

This is not an unusual story nor is it a rare happenstance. Each year some 120 workers are killed as a result of not ensuring a zero-energy state on the process they are working with. In addition, some 60,000 injuries take place—many of them involving permanent disability. OSHA states that approximately 39 million workers will be protected by this new rule. The electrician discussed above was only protected by the intent of the standard he chose to follow his old habits and not take that extra moment to lockout. 

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Palletizing/moving Follow safe procedures for drum stacking and drums incor- moving rectly-drum falls. lockout/tagout procedures and breaks or opens. CCPS G-3 CCPS G-22 CCPS G-29 CCPS G-32... 

During the alignment procedure, follow your plant loekout/tagout procedure to prevent accidents. 

Do the lockout/tagout procedures clearly outline the scope, purpose, authorization, rules, and techniques to be utilized for the control of hazardous energy and the means of enforcing compliance [OSHA Reference. 147(c)(4)(ii)]... 

Turn off power to electrical equipment before tests and repairs tlien lock and tag it out so it does not turn on by accident. Follow your company s lockout/tagout procedures. 

No work should be attempted until the boiler has properly cooled down, all safety and shut-off switches are in the off position, and all lockout and tagout procedures have been followed. 

Written procedures to describe how critical equipment maintenance will be performed, quality-controlled, and safety-ensured, such as use of decontamination, hot work, line-breaking, and lockout/tagout procedures. 

Lockout-tagout procedures and records Maintenance and inspection records Repair records Run histories Batch sheets... 

Nomoutine work which is conducted in process areas needs to be controlled by the employer in a consistent manner. Hie hazards identified involving the wmk that is to be accomplished must be communicated to those doing the work, but also to those operating personnel whose work could affect the safety of the process. A work authorization notice or permit must have a procedure that describes the steps the maintenance supervisor, contractor representative, or other person needs to follow to obtain the necessary clearance to get the job started. The work authorization procedures need to reference and coordinate, as applicable, lockout/tagout procedures, line breaking procedures, confined space entry procedures, and hot work authorizations. This procedure also needs to provide clear steps to follow once the job is completed in order to provide closure far those that need to know the job is now completed and equipment can be returned to normal. 

Lockout/tagout procedures (reference EHS Regulatory Compliance Checklist) ... 

The incident investigation report recorded the causal factor as employee failed to follow the established lockout/tagout procedure. Later, it was determined that the distance to the power shut off was 216 feet. In that work situation, where fatigue had become a factor, it was judged that the design of the lockouf/tagout system whereby the power shut off was not immediately accessible encouraged the employee s... 

The SNL ES H Manual Supplement, Lockout/Tagout Procedure for the Contro of Hazardous Energy, (SNL 1998b) prescribes lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures during maintenance, repair, adjustments, and installation of hydraulic, pneumatic, thermal, chemical, mechanical, or electrical equipment or of systems that, if unexpectedly energized, could harm people or property. The supplement contains the following ... 

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), 1998b, Lockout/Tagout Procedure for the Control of Hazardous Energy, GN470037, Issue E, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, January 21. 1998 (SNL internal Web). 

Interface with maintenance and testing Were maintenance responsibilities clearly defined Were lockout and tagout procedures in place and clearly understood by maintenance and operations personnel Was an adequate plan in place to check out or test all the systems during start-up ... 

Work outside the normal routine needs special management control. This requires formal procedures, carefully followed, for such things as confined space entry, hot work, and line breaking and equipment opening. The procedures should cover the activities of operators, plant maintenance workers, contractors, and any others who may become involved. Written documents should spell out responsibilities, approval mechanisms, tagout procedures, and methods for verification of proper completion. 

Failure to adequately control energy accounts for many serious accidents in construction. Lockout/tagout procedures help safeguard employees from the unexpected start-up of machinery or equipment or release of hazardous energy while performing servicing or maintenance tasks. 

However, this one place gives you some good rules to apply to lockout/tagout procedures for electrical equipment. They are ... 

Although the above rules use tagout procedures, OSHA says that lockout is more effective for de-energizing equipment. It should always be the preferred method. 

Instruct employees in the safety significance of your company lockout/tagout procedure. 

The importance of using proper lockout/tagout procedures and what can happen when you don t. 

Servicing and/or maintenance of equipment is an important aspect of keeping your assets protected. It can also be a source of tragedy if not approached properly. This means your company needs proper lockout/tagout procedures. 

Sometimes employees are required to place parts of their bodies into areas on machines or pieces of equipment where work is actually performed. Lockout/tagout procedures can prevent accidental exposures from electrical, mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, chemical, and thermal energy sources. 

The construction rules actually mention mechanical lockout/tagout in only one place, and that is for mechanical concrete and masonry equipment. However, this one place gives you some good rules to apply to lockout/tagout procedures for all of your mechanical equipment. They are ... 

Specific mechanical lockout/tagout procedures for construction can be found at 29 CFR 1926.702. 

Lockout/tagout procedures can prevent accidental expostues to electrical, mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, chemical, and thermal energy sources. 

It is critical that everyone knows and follows the exact same procedures and are performing them the same, otherwise the program is ineffective. Know your company s lockout/tagout procedures for mechanical equipment. 

To prevent this type of accident, do not remove machine guards unless lockout/tagout procedures have been implemented. Do not wear loose clothing when working around revolving spindles, drums, or drive shafts. 

Tagouts If a machine or item of equipment has a hazardous condition, a way to inform people is to place a tag on it that clearly identifies the hazard. That way, someone does not inadvertently use or work on the machine or item without knowing the danger. When working on electrical systems and equipment, workers need to use both lockout and tagout procedures concurrently. In addition, if equipment always has a known hazard, it may need a permanent label identifying the hazard. 

Lockout and Tagout Procedures During setup, maintenance, or cleaning, workers must lock out and tag out a machine before beginning service. This will prevent anyone from activating it inadvertently or while someone else expects it to be de-energized. 

Remove Pressure When Not Needed Avoid unnecessary pressures and reduce pressure for certain activities. During setup, maintenance, cleaning, and other operations, deenergize and depressurize equipment before starting the work. Observe lockout and tagout procedures when servicing pressurized equipment. 

Signs take many forms. They may be large to provide safety information for a large area or they may be in the form of tags for lockout and tagout procedures. They mark hazards at particular locations on machines and equipment and in buildings and provide warnings on products. They need to... 

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