LOTO is a very serious safety practice for every organization that aims to provide protection to its employees. It is designed to help improve safety in a facility. When implemented correctly, it can help to dramatically reduce the risks associated with maintenance and servicing of the machinery or equipment.
Equipment and machinery identified for LOTO are capable of unexpected start-ups, which may result in the release of hazardous energy. Can you imagine how dangerous it would be to simply leave hazardous machines or equipment out on the industrial work floor with just a verbal warning to employees not to use it? Employees may forget or simply ignore warnings and become severely injured by an unexpected outburst of hazardous energy.
This is why the lock and tag are so crucial to employee’s safety. Remember, when it comes to handling of machines or equipment while servicing, only specifically identified authorised employees such as engineers or electricians with proper maintenance training and technical backgrounds are suitable to approach and provide possible servicing.
Lockout and Tagout go hand in hand, and work the best when used together. One cannot just lockout equipment before performing maintenance and leave it without placing a tag on it. The process of Lockout Tagout is incomplete without a Tag on it. Similarly, placing a loose Tag on a machine which is capable of being locked out, again is incomplete. Because simply placing a Tag on a machine with the warning message, will not serve the purpose completely. Anyone might remove it unknowingly!
Therefore one needs to understand the importance of Lockout and Tagout, and use it religiously. It is not just a matter of compliance, but also an important investment in safety and in preventing downtime.
1. Protects the workers from the risk of hazards and accidents:
Accidents tend to occur when Lockout Tagout is not taken seriously. Lockout Tagout acts as life saving devices, which when used properly, following the given LOTO procedures, protects the employees from the release of hazardous energies during servicing or maintenance of machines or equipment.
2. Protects the equipment, machine and workplace from damage and reduces downtime:
It is very important to make sure that we are living in a safe and accident free workplace and this can only be done if we follow Lockout Tagout procedures carefully. It reduces incidences and increases safety of machines, equipment and workplaces.
3. It shows the concern of the top management towards the safety of its employees:
Employees are the most important asset to any organization, and their safety is the sole responsibility of the employer. i.e. the Top Management. Implementation of proper Lockout Tagout procedure and a successful LOTO system at workplace, depicts the unprecedented commitment of the top management, towards its employees.
4. It builds trust and a sense of confidence in the employees:
When employees work in a risk- free environment, they feel empowered. LOTO enables every employee to reach home safely, work with confidence and a sense of security.
5. Helps in meeting the LOTO Compliance:
Companies that fail to recognize and control the machine hazards, face regulatory fines and serious consequences. Legalities related to Lockout Tagout process vary from country to country, and so do the penalties for any violation. The legal formalities, guidelines and the compliances must be met. Single incident can ruin the name and prestige of the organisation, drastically.
Employees Working in & Around Machinery:
The most direct benefit from LOTO is going to be for the employees who work in and around heavy machinery. Prior to the widespread implementation of this program hundreds of people would be killed each year, and thousands more injured, because of accidents related to unintended energization of machinery while it was being worked on.
Company Owners:
The LOTO program is a requirement by OSHA in many situations. This means that all facilities need to follow it if their situation falls under the scenarios listed by the governmental agency. Any violations of these requirements results in fines and penalties, so following the LOTO processes have significant benefits.
In addition, the company benefits from the improved safety that comes with this process. Increasing safety helps to benefit the company as a whole because it reduces - down time, costs associated with fixing a machine, and much more.
Customers:
Even customers will benefit from the LOTO program, though not as directly. When a facility has a serious accident or other similar event it can cause serious delays in production. In addition, this type of thing can cause damage to machinery, which will end up causing problems for the product being produced. Taking the right steps to prevent accidents, helps to ensure that customers get what they need in the agreed time- frame along with the highest quality possible.
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The loss of a life is immeasurable and the harm it causes to the family of the dead is vast. Accidents do not occur on a prior notice, they just happen! But protection from such accidents and losses can be avoided by taking calculative measures. Proper application of Lockout Tagout includes protection from being crushed, hit by moving parts, electrocuted, cut, or experience other types of injuries.
There are innumerable benefits of the LOTO System, that is why today it has become Number - 1 priority of most of the workplaces.
Machines inevitably break down and need to be serviced. It's not enough to just "shut them off" and make repairs. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), machines need to have power sources removed and be locked out, tagged out (LO/TO) and isolated from the source to prevent serious injury from electrical hazards like arc flash.
Many serious accidents have happened when someone thought a machine was safely shut off. LO/TO is a way to protect yourself and others from an electrical explosion by ensuring that machines remain completely, temporarily off.
A positive attitude about safety empowers everyone in the workplace. Injuries and fatalities can be prevented and losses in production time can be minimized while profitability can be increased.
While manufacturers today are very focused on cutting costs and improving production efficiency, there's no need to sacrifice employee safety. The consequences of not being in compliance with safety regulations are drastic — penalties, fines, damage to image, plant shutdown and fatalities from electrical arc flash. A safe operation minimizes downtime, which offers the least possible interruption in business.
To create change in workplace culture and reduce arc flash, organizations need to have a long-term vision for machine and plant safety.
That's why it is more important now than ever to generate awareness for LO/TO and educate a broad business audience about LO/TO procedures, best safety practices and the wide range of LO/TO products and services available. LO/TO regulations and appropriate personal protection equipment (PPE) protect employees who work around equipment that can create an electrical arc flash.
OSHA put the federal standard, .147 in place in . While the purpose of LO/TO hasn't changed, the complexity of the equipment has increased. With complex PLC-linked interlocks, remote computer controls, light curtains, automatic valves and other machine automation accessories commonplace, both workers and facility managers need to be kept up to speed on current developments to ensure an arc flash doesn't occur.
The Control of Hazardous Energy Source Standard (OSHA 29 CFR .147), which is more commonly known as the LO/TO Standard, is a Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) program. It was created to prevent the unexpected start-up or energizing of equipment during service and maintenance operations which could cause employee injuries from an electrical explosion and prevent the release of stored energy which could cause employee injury.
To comply with OSHA standards, companies must draft a written LO/TO plan which includes the scope and purpose of techniques to be used to control hazardous energy like an electrical arc flash.
The Five Main Causes of LO/TO Injuries, according to the Oklahoma State University EHA, are:
Whether you are a facility manager, a foreman or a machine operator and whether you work in a chemical plant, a pharmaceutical plant, a university, a government agency or in the military, you need to know about LO/TO for electrical explosion prevention. Certainly, the types of machines and energy sources will vary between plant types. Copper mines use large excavating equipment powered by electricity. Offshore platforms use large gas turbines powered by natural gas. Your specific safety considerations are industry, application, and site-specific, but might include the following tasks and applications:
So why would anyone be reluctant to follow LO/TO guidelines even if it means avoiding an arc flash? These common "excuses" all relate to productivity.
Even those workplaces that have established LO/TO processes face challenges that can still create an electrical explosion, including:
Again, consider the benefits of LO/TO:
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Prevent Arc Flash with LO/TO and OSHA Signs
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