Lockout/Tagout Steps to Protect Employees

1. Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) is required when performing maintenance on equipment, when a guard is removed/bypassed, and/or when an employee has to put any part of their body in the equipment's point of operation. Without isolating energy there is a large potential for injuries and fatalities.

2. The most common types of hazardous energy we should protect ourselves from are electrical, battery, hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical, chemical, and thermal.

3. The six steps are for LOTO: preparation, shut down, isolation, Lockout/Tagout, check, and isolation verification.

4. One component of preparation is to know the type and magnitude of energy you are trying to isolate. Identify the potential hazards of the energy and how it could affect personnel.

5. Secondly, you must alert all affected personnel in the area that the machine will be shut down.

6. All sources of power have some kind of disconnect. Part of the LOTO procedure will identify how to isolate the equipment from their source(s) of energy. Is it a breaker? A valve? Will you need to use blocks to prevent potential gravitational energy?

7. A physical lock or tag will be placed on the energy-isolating device in the safe position, eliminating movement to the unsafe position.

8. The purpose of the lock is not only to isolate the energy, but to have a final count of employees. If someone's lock has been left on after the work has finished, have a final count of employees before energizing machines.

9. After applying the lock, complete step five by checking that the machine won't energize and that there isn't any stored or residual energy in the equipment.

10. Isolation verification is double checking that all steps have been completed and the machine's LOTO has been completed.

11. Companies must have LOTO policies in place for all machinery and equipment onsite and all personnel should be trained on these policies.

12. What is a LOTO policy you may need to follow today?

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