2 26109 Accuform-Lockout Tagout for Hazardous Energy

Lockout/Tagout forHazardous Energy

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TABLE OF CONTENTSLockout/Tagout for Hazardous Energy...........................................................................................1

Lockout/tagout: Roles of employees.............................................................................................1When are locks and tags required? ................................................................................................2Special situations ..............................................................................................................................3

Best practice: Document your program and procedures .............................................................4

Lockout/Tagout for Hazardous Energy 1

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Accuform Signs is a manufacturer of stock andcustom safety signs, tags,labels and lockout devices.Accuform’s innovativebrand of STOPOUT®

Lockout/Tagout items help protect workers on a daily basis.


“Lockout/Tagout” refers to specific practices and procedures tosafeguard employees from the unexpected energization or

start-up of machinery and equipment, or the release of hazardousenergy during service or maintenance activities. Every year, peopleare killed on the job by activated machinery. Many of those deathscould have been prevented by following lockout/tagout proceduresto turn off machinery that is being serviced or repaired.

Here are some real-life examples:

� An untrained worker was feeding scrap cardboard into ashredder. When the shredder jammed, he tried to fix it withoutturning off the machine. His arm got caught, was pulled intothe shredder, and he bled to death.

� A worker was inside a cement mixer, cleaning it. Anotherworker, who didn’t know anyone was inside the machine,turned it on and the worker inside was killed.

These tragic examples of accidental death could have been preventedby following and understanding OSHA’s lockout/tagout standard at29 CFR 1910.147. These examples also make it clear that everyone hasto be aware of the importance of shutting off power to machinerywhen it’s being fixed, cleaned, or maintained. Even if you don’toperate heavy equipment, you could accidentally get in its way if it’snot properly disconnected.

Lockout/tagout: Roles of employeesDo your employees understand the role of different employees underlockout/tagout? You can explain these roles and responsibilitiesusing the basic information that follows.

OSHA requires employers to have formal lockout/tagout programsand procedures. According to OSHA regulations, the followingemployees must be trained in energy hazards and lockout/tagoutprocedures:

“Authorized employees” are those who service and maintainmachinery and equipment.

Lockout/Tagout forHazardous Energy

“Affected employees” are the ones who operate machinery andequipment but do not service and maintain them. If you do both, youmust be trained as an authorized employee.

Finally, “other employees” also need to be trained. These are workerswho do not service or operate equipment, but who work nearby andneed to know about energy hazards and control procedures for theirprotection.

As an affected employee, you do not actually carry outlockout/tagout procedures, but you do have important safetyresponsibilities related to these procedures. Depending on whetheryou are a machine operator or just someone working nearby, youmust fulfill some or all of the following responsibilities:

� Notify maintenance when equipment needs to be serviced orrepaired;

� Leave all lockout/tagout devices in place while authorizedemployees are servicing or repairing machinery;

� Wait for authorized employees to tell you it is OK before usingequipment;

� Verify that equipment is safe to operate after servicing or repairshave been completed and locks and tags have been removed;

� And finally, follow all safety rules when operating machinery orequipment or when working around machinery or equipment.

When are locks and tags required?Do your employees know when lockout/tagout procedures must beused in their work?

Any machinery or equipment that contains or stores hazardousenergy is subject to lockout/tagout. Examples include:

� Presses;

� Power saws;

� Conveyors;

� Pumps;

� Production equipment; and

� Trash compactors.

Take a moment to think about the machinery and equipment in yourworkplace that is subject to lockout/tagout.


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When should lockout /tagout devices and procedures be used? They must be used:

� Whenever machinery or equipment is being serviced, maintained, or repaired;

� When hazardous energy exists, such as electricity from a service outlet, a generator, or a battery; and

� Whenever unexpected start-up could occur, such as if amachine operator were to start up a machine without realizingit was being serviced by another worker.

Authorized employees must consider all possible sources of haz-ardous energy when they are servicing or repairing equipment. Theycan never afford to take chances with your safety or their own by failing to observe lockout/tagout requirements. The rule they mustfollow is: When in doubt, lock it out!

All lockout and tagout devices must be:

� Durable and capable of withstanding the environment they’re in;

� Standardized by color, size, and shape so that they are moreeasily recognized;

� Substantial enough so that they cannot be accidentallyremoved; and

� Identifiable as safety devices with a legend that uses phrases suchas “Do Not Operate,” “Do Not Start,” or “Do Not Energize.”

Special situationsYou will inevitably encounter special situations that may make yourlockout/tagout program more difficult to administer.

Shift changes are one such situation. If servicing lasts more than oneshift, lockout/tagout protection CANNOT be interrupted. Originalauthorized employees will remove their lock and the incomingemployees will place theirs on the isolating device. If the firstemployee leaves before the replacement’s arrival, a supervisor mayplace the lock on to ensure safety. Additionally, the incoming author-ized employee must verify that all energy sources are locked outbefore beginning work.

There are some other exceptions in the lockout/tagout process as well.For example, work can occur on a cord and plug of the equipment if itis unplugged, the plug remains within arms’ reach during servicing,and the authorized employee has exclusive control of the plug.

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The other exception is if guards aren’t removed or bypassed and areeffective in preventing worker exposure to hazards created by theunexpected energization or start-up of machines or equipment or therelease of energy.

Additionally, many companies have equipment-specific lockout/tagout processes. Equipment- specific lockout/tagout forms must becompleted by the supervisor and/or the authorized employee. Allequipment-specific procedures must be easily accessible or posteddirectly on the equipment. Procedures must be updated when newequipment is installed, new energy sources are added to a facility orindividual equipment, the magnitude of an energy source changes,or when designated isolation points change.

Remember: When in doubt, lock it out!

Best practice: Document your programand procedures

As an employer, you are required to establish written procedures forlocking out the piece of machinery or equipment that will be workedon and to provide training for all employees who might be injured ifthose procedures are not properly followed.

Necessary proceduresThere are many types of energy sources—including electrical,mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, and thermal. The locking out of a potential release of energy from any one of thesesources requires an appropriate device such as a lock and key or acombination lock. Tags may be substituted only when a lockoutdevice is not available; a tag may also be attached to a lock as anadditional reminder that the lockout is in effect.

Your required written procedure must include specific steps for:

� Shutting down, isolating, blocking, and securing machines orequipment to control hazardous energy;

� The placement, removal, and transfer of lockout or tagoutdevices, and the responsibility for them; and

� Testing the machine or equipment to determine and verify theeffectiveness of any control measures used.

The program also establishes required characteristics of the lockoutdevices; for example, they must:

� Be the only type used for energy control and must not be usedfor any other purpose;


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� Be capable of withstanding the environment to which they areexposed for the maximum expected period of exposure;

� Be substantial enough to prevent removal without the use ofexcessive force or unusual technique; and

� Indicate the identity of the employee applying the device.

Train employeesEmployers must provide training to ensure that their employeesunderstand the purpose and function of the energy control programand acquire the knowledge and skills required for the safe applica-tion, usage, and removal of the energy controls. Your training mustinclude the following:

� Authorized employees (those who do the locking out inorder to perform servicing or maintenance on the machine orequipment) must receive training in the recognition of applica-ble hazardous energy sources, the type and magnitude of theenergy available in the workplace, and the methods and meansnecessary for energy isolation and control.

� Affected employees (those whose jobs require them to operateor use a machine or equipment under lockout) must be instructedin the purpose and use of the energy control procedure.

� All other employees (those whose work operations are ormay be in an area where energy control procedures may beused) must be instructed about the procedure and about theprohibition relating to attempts to restart or reenergizemachines or equipment that are locked or tagged out.

Retraining must be provided for all authorized and affected employeeswhenever:

� There is a change in their job assignments, in machines, equip-ment, or processes that present a new hazard, or in the energycontrol procedures.

� A periodic inspection reveals, or you have reason to believe,that there are deviations from or inadequacies in theemployee’s knowledge or use of the energy control procedures.

The retraining must reestablish employee proficiency and introducenew or revised control methods and procedures, as necessary.

You are also required to certify that employee training has beenaccomplished and is being kept up to date. The certification mustcontain each employee’s name and dates of training.

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© 2013 Accuform Signs. All rights reserved.

Lockout/Tagout, or the control of hazardous energy, is consistently listed in OSHA’s top 10 most cited standards. In response to these standards, Accuform has developed a new line of solutions for your workplace — STOPOUT®. These new products are innovative, smart and reliable. Most of all, they have the ability to help save lives. Learn more about STOPOUT® at Accuform.com/STOPOUT.

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2 26109 Accuform-Lockout Tagout for Hazardous Energy