Countless workers have been seriously injured or killed because they did not ensure that all forms of hazardous energy were dissipated and locked and tagged out before conducting maintenance, repairs, servicing or new installations on equipment. This article explains what lockout/tagout is and six things supervisors need to know regarding their duties surrounding hazardous energy control.
Thousands of workers have been seriously injured or killed because they did not ensure that hazardous energy sources associated with machinery were locked out and tagged out before undertaking maintenance, repairs, servicing or new installations- only to have another unsuspecting worker come along and activate that machinery.
There are various forms of hazardous energy in the workplace. These include:
1. Electrical energy,
2. Chemical energy (energy released during chemical reactions),
3. Mechanical energy (or kinetic energy), such as the energy stored in a compressed spring,
4. Hydraulic potential energy (stored in pressurized liquids),
5. Pneumatic potential energy (stored in pressurized air),
6. Gravitational potential energy,
7. thermal energy (such as hot water, steam, or radiation).
The primary causes of injuries and fatalities related to machinery maintenance, repairs, or attempts to clear jammed materials include:
1. Failure to stop equipment operation before beginning such work,
2. Failure to disconnect the machinery from its power source,
3. Failure to release all forms of stored energy,
4. Equipment being accidentally restarted by other workers.
Occupational safety regulations across North America require employers to protect employees performing maintenance or repair work by mandating that authorized personnel physically lock out and tag all sources of hazardous energy before work begins. Tagging involves affixing a label to the system that specifies the reason for the lockout, the time it was applied, and the person who applied it.
The only person authorized to remove the locks and tags is the authorized personnel who originally applied them.
Here are six key points regarding responsibilities under hazardous energy control procedures:
1. If your employees may be at risk of exposure to hazardous energy, you must develop, implement, and enforce an energy control program. In addition to the energy control program, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that specific equipment energy control procedures be established for each piece of equipment or machinery that may require lockout.
2. You must provide training to employees on hazardous energy control procedures. This training should include: explaining the specifics of the workplace hazardous energy control plan to employees; how the plan applies to their specific job duties; and the lockout/tagout safety requirements in your jurisdiction (federal or state OSHA program, or provincial occupational health and safety program). Although some machinery cannot be locked out, given the wide variety of lockout devices available today, there are virtually no situations where locking out is impossible. In situations where locking cannot be implemented, tagging may be used as an alternative to locking, provided that the tagging method provides workers with an equivalent level of protection. Although equipment with corded plugs does not require locking, workers must ensure that they maintain control of the plug at all times during repair or maintenance.
3. Ensure that only lockout/tagout devices authorized for use with specific equipment are used, and that these devices are sturdy and durable.
4. Ensure that each tag identifies the authorized personnel performing the lockout/tagout procedure.
5. Ensure that all personnel are aware that only authorized personnel may remove locks and tags.
6. Review the hazardous energy control program at least once a year and ensure that its content remains up to date. Certain jurisdictions (including those under the jurisdiction of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)) require audits of specific energy control procedures.
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