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Have You Really Trained Your Machine Operators (Jul/Aug-24)
Eye Safety & Safety Glasses (Jan/Feb-24)
Protecting Employees When Performing Machine Operations (Nov/Dec-23)
Protecting Students from Machine Hazards (Jul/Aug-23)
Electrical Safety (May/Jun-23)
Machine Guarding (Jan/Feb-23)
Have We Learned Anything About Safety Over the Last Fifty Years? (Nov/Dec-22)
OSHA Annouces 2021 Top 10 Frequently Cited Standards (Sep/Oct-22)
Have You Conducted Your Periodic Lockout & Tagout Audit? (Jan/Feb-22)
Workplace Violence (Jul/Aug-21)
Do You or Your Supervisors Really Care About Worker Safety? (May/Jun-21)
Creating A Safety Culture (Nov/Dec-20)
Before You Purchase New Machinery (Sep/Oct-20)
Do You or Your Supervisors Really Care About Worker Safety? (May/Jun-20)
OSHA Issues Interim Guidance to Help Prevent Worker Exposure to Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Mar/Apr-20)
Have You Recently Conducted Your Required Safety & Health Program Audits? (Nov/Dec-19)
Does OSHA Cite Employers Equally? (May/Jun-19)
Are You Ready For The New Year? (Mar/Apr-19)
Creating a Safety Culture Means Staying Informed (Nov/Dec-18)
Safe Lifting Techniques (Sep/Oct-18)
Are Your Machines Safe to Operate? (Jul/Aug-18)
Do You Know How Old Your Tires Really Are? (Jan/Feb-18)
Risk Assessment & Premise Liability Insurance (Nov/Dec-17)
Forklift Safety – You Can Save A Life Today (Sep/Oct-17)
Protect Your Employees from Heat Stress Related Injuries (Jul/Aug-17)
Lockout-Tagout from a Manager’s Perspective (May/Jun-17)
Do Your Employees Really Know How to Use Personal Protective Equipment? (Mar/Apr-17)
OSHA & Lockout/Tagout (Nov/Dec-16)
OSHA Increases Their Penalties Towards Employers (Jul/Aug-16)
Do You Know What Your Experience Modification Rate Is? (May/Jun-16)
Machine Safety (Sep/Oct-15)
Lockout, Tagout & Tryout – Are You in Compliance? (Jul/Aug-15)
Forklift Safety Practices (May/Jun-15)
Using the Right Power Saw to Cut Plastic Materials (Mar/Apr-15)
OSHA & Machine Safeguarding (Jan/Feb-15)
Ergonomics (Sep/Oct-14)
Respiratory Protection . . . Does Your Program Protect? (May/Jun-14)
First Aid Program (Mar/Apr-14)
Working with Composite Materials Safely and Preventing Dermatitis (Jan/Feb-14)
Preventing Winter Slips, Trips and Falls (Nov/Dec-13)
The Globally Harmonized System for Hazard Communication – Are You Ready For It? (Sep/Oct-13)
Safety & New Employee Orientation (Jul/Aug-13)
Liquefied Petroleum Gas Safety (May/Jun-13)
Posting of OSHA Notices (Jan/Feb-13)
Staying Safe This Winter (Nov/Dec-12)
Personal Protection - Storage, Maintenance and Care (Sep/Oct-12)
Machine Safeguarding (Jul/Aug-12)
Is Your Lockout & Tagout Program Working? (May/Jun-12)
Getting Familiar with OSHA (Mar/Apr-12)
Is Your Piping Systems Properly Marked? (Jan/Feb-12)
Accident Prevention, Does Your Company Have An Effective Program? (Nov/Dec-11)
Defining FR – Flame Resistant Fabrics (Jul/Aug-11)
OSHA's Flammable & Combustible Liquids (May/Jun-11)
Safety & Health Program Check-up (Jan/Feb-11)
OSHA Is My Friend (Nov/Dec-10)
OSHA Standard for Control of Hazardous Energy Sources? (Sep/Oct-10)
Lockout/Tagout Program (Jul/Aug-10)
Safe Handling of Compressed Gas Cylinders (May/Jun-10)
What You Should Know about OSHA and Plastic Working Machinery (Mar/Apr-10)
Fasten Those Forklift Seat Belts (Jan/Feb-10)
My Back Hurts (Nov/Dec-09)
Fall Protection Program (Sep/Oct-09)
Accident Prevention & Investigation (Jul/Aug-09)
OSHA & Machine Safeguarding (May/Jun-09)
Carbon Monoxide Hazards (Mar/Apr-09)
OSHA Electrical Safety and Training (Jan/Feb-09)
Free Forklift ANSI Standards (Nov/Dec-08)
Worksite Fire Emergencies (Sep/Oct-08)
Machine Safety (Jul/Aug-08)
Ladder Safety (May/Jun-08)
Is Your Company on OSHA's Hit List?
OSHA Notifies Workplaces with High Injury and Illness Rates (Mar/Apr-08)
Safety Means . . . Never Having to Say You're Sorry (Jan/Feb-08)
Flammables and Combustible Liquids (Nov/Dec-07)
Designing-In Safety NOT Retrofitting Safety (Sep/Oct-07)
Back Safety and Lifting (Jul/Aug-07)
Machine Guarding (May/Jun-07)
Your Hearing Keep it for a Lifetime (Mar/Apr-07)
Light Up the Holidays the Safe Way (Nov/Dec-06)
Would You Risk Your Employee's Life? (Sep/Oct-06)
How to Control Workers' Compensation Costs (Jul/Aug-06)
Compliance with 70E Electrical Standards (May/Jun-06)
OSHA Is on the Move (Mar/Apr-06)
Workplace Violence (Jan/Feb-06)
The Aging Workforce (Nov/Dec-05)
The Safety Paradox (Sep/Oct-05)
Machine Guarding (Jul/Aug-05)
Effective Risk Management (May/Jun-05)
Safety Is Everyone's Business (Mar/Apr-05)
New Year's Resolution Safety (Jan/Feb-05)
Safe Driving (Nov/Dec-04)
Terror In The Skies Revisited (Sep/Oct-04)
How They Got Hurt (Jul/Aug-04)
In-Plant Air Monitoring & Analysis (May/Jun-04)
Safety on the Job and Complying with the Americans With Disabilities Act (Mar/Apr-04)
Link to Article Archive (Jan/Feb-04)
A Supervisor's Duty (Nov/Dec-03)
Machine Safety – Are Your Machines Safe to Operate? (Sep/Oct-03)
Summer is Here (Jul/Aug-03)
Working Safely On Powered Industrial Trucks (Forklifts) (May/Jun-03)
Does Your Safety and Health Workplace Program Contain All of These Elements? (Mar/Apr-03)
Methylene Chloride (Jan/Feb-03)
Safety Signs & Labels - Does Your Facility Comply? (Nov/Dec-02)
Indoor Air Quality (Sep/Oct-02)
When OSHA Arrives (Jul/Aug-02)
Facts About the Occupation Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) (May/Jun-02)
Workplace Fire Safety (Mar/Apr-02)
OSHA 300 Form (Jan/Feb-02)
Preparing for Disaster (Nov/Dec-01)
How Much is a Life Worth? (Sep/Oct-01)
Material Handling Programs (Jul/Aug-01)
It's Up To You To Protect Your Skin (May/Jun-01)
When You’ve Been Handed the Responsibility for Safety (Mar/Apr-01)
A Fresh Look at Machine Safeguarding (Jan/Feb-01)
Safe Work Habits (Nov/Dec-00)
The Importance of Material Safety Data Sheets (Sep/Oct-00)
Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (Jul/Aug-00)
Lockout/Tagout Program (May/Jun-00)
OSHA Violations, Citations and Penalties for 1998 (Mar/Apr-00)
Erogonomics and Machinery Safeguarding (Jan/Feb-00)
General Machine Principles (Nov/Dec-99)
SAFETY SOLUTIONS
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SAFETY SOLUTIONS: Lockout/Tagout Program

The OSHA 1910.147 standard requires employers establish, train employees and follow proper lockout and tagout procedures whenever employees are working on equipment. This standard is cited within the top ten OSHA penalties.

The purpose of an effective lockout, tagout and tryout program is to protect the employees from serious or fatal injuries that could occur during the unexpected release of energy while servicing machinery or equipment. An effective program shall be used to ensure that the machine or equipment is stopped, isolated from all potential hazardous energy sources and locked out before any person performs any servicing or maintenance, where unexpected energization or startup of the machine or equipment could occur. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) Standard 29 CFR 1910.147 Control of Hazardous Energy Sources (lockout/tagout) require every business to have a written program.

Frequently used terminology:

  • Lockout – A technique used to prevent the release of hazardous energy, or to prevent the hazardous energy from escaping. A padlock is placed on the appropriate energy-isolating device that is in the OFF or closed position.
  • Energy Isolating Device – A mechanical device that physically prevents the transmission or release of energy.
  • Energy Control Procedure – Safety program adopted by the employer that includes energy control procedures plus provisions for inspecting the procedures and training employees for lockout/tagout.
  • Authorized Employee – One who locks out machines or equipment in order to perform the servicing or maintenance on that machine or equipment.
  • Affected Employee – One whose job requires him/her to operate or use a machine or equipment on which servicing or maintenance is being performed under lockout, or whose job requires him/her to work in an area in which such servicing or maintenance is being performed.
To conform to OSHA 1910.147 compliance standards, all employees are required to comply with the restrictions and limitations imposed upon them during the use of lockout, tagout and tryout. Authorized and fully trained employees are required to perform the lockout process. Other employees, upon observing a machine or piece of equipment, which is locked out to perform servicing or maintenance, shall not attempt to start, energize, or use that machine or equipment.

Lockout procedures must include alerting the operator(s) that power is being disconnected; preparation for shutdown, then the equipment must be shut down, lockout devices applied, then there must be an equipment isolation and verification procedure completed. The following is a list of some of the types of energy sources that must be locked out:

  • Air – Compression
  • Gas - Rotating parts
  • Stored electrical - Electrical
  • Gravity - Thermal
  • Hydraulic pressure - Chemical
There are five fatal main causes of lockout/tagout injuries.
  1. Failure to stop equipment.
  2. Failure to disconnect.
  3. from power source
  4. Failure to dissipate (bleed, neutralize) residual energy.
  5. Accidental restarting of equipment.
  6. Failure to clear work areas before restarting.

Here are some general awareness tips for an effective lockout/tagout process:

  • Never attempt lockout/tagout procedures unless you have been trained and certified by your employer under an approved Energy Control Program.
  • Never loan or share your lock, combination or key with anybody else.
  • Ensure that the energy is completely dissipated prior to working on the equipment.
  • Always be sure all lockout/tagout devices are compatible with the environment in which they will be used, i.e., corrosive, humid, etc.
  • Prior to starting work on the machine DO NOT FORGET TO TRYOUT the machine or system to ensure that there is no energy left to hurt you.

When the job has been completed, be sure to follow proper procedures for the removal of the lockout. Ensure equipment is safe to operate; all equipment must be in the neutral position. Safeguard all employees; remove lockout/ tagout devices. Except in emergencies, each device must be removed by the person who put it on.

Accidents caused by faulty lockout/tagout procedures or processes can be avoided. Should you wish to read the OSHA standard, please visit the OSHA website at www.OSHA.gov. Should you need further information or technical support please feel free to contact me.

For more information,

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