Lockout/Tagout: Safety Rules for Equipment and Machinery
OSHA’s lockout/tagout standard is designed to prevent accidents when employees are servicing machines and equipment. The regulations require the control of energy-isolating devices by attaching locks (lockout) to prevent machines from being operated, or tags (tagout) that warn people not to start up the machines. Employers must conduct inspections, at least annually, of the energy-control procedures to make sure that they are in full compliance with the regulations.
Employers must also provide lockout/tagout training that gives employees the knowledge and skills to apply, use, and remove the energy controls safely. All lockouts and tagouts must be performed by the employees who are going to service the machines. Employees who will be affected by a lockout or tagout must be notified before and after the controls are applied.
Basic Lockout/Tagout Training
The lockout/tagout regulations have three basic training requirements: Employees must be instructed about the limitations of tagout systems, all affected employees must be retrained periodically—particularly when their responsibilities change, and employers must certify that lockout/tagout training has been accomplished and updated.
Lockout/tagout procedures may be performed by only authorized employees. Training for authorized employees includes such issues as the purpose of the standard and when the standard applies, the type of hazard to be controlled, definitions of pertinent terms, equipment used for lockout/tagout, personal identification procedures, shutdown and de-energizing procedures, proper placement of lockout devices, release of stored energy, release from lockout/tagout, procedures and rules for tagout systems, and communication and reporting of problems.
Training for affected employees may cover the procedures for authorized employees and explain why affected employees must not energize any machine or piece of equipment that is locked out or tagged out.
Energy Control Program for Lockout/Tagout
Before any employee performs any servicing or maintenance on a machine or equipment where the unexpected energizing, startup, or release of stored energy could occur and cause injury, the machine or equipment must be isolated from the energy source and rendered inoperative. If an energy-isolating device cannot be locked out, then a tagout system must be used.
If an energy-isolating device is capable of being locked out, lockout must be utilized unless it can be demonstrated that a tagout system will provide full employee protection. Further, when a tagout device is used on an energy-isolating device that is capable of being locked out, the tagout device must be attached at the same location where the lockout device would have been attached.
When using a tagout device in place of a lockout program, the employer must demonstrate that the protection provided to employees is equivalent to that obtained by using a lockout program.