All machinery uses some form of energy in order to perform work. This energy can be electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, gravity, etc. In order to keep employees safe while performing maintenance on these pieces of equipment, you must shut off ALL energy sources for that machine. The best way to do this is using Lockout/Tagout. In order to lockout a piece of equipment, all energy to the machine is shut off at the source and a physical lock is used to prevent someone else from re-energizing the machine while maintenance is being conducted. Common lockout locations include the following (but are not limited to):
- Electrical Disconnects
- MCC Panels
- Circuit Breakers
- Air or Chemical Valves
- Pneumatic Regulators
Once the machine is fully locked out, it is crucial to ensure that any residual or stored energy in the machine is released prior to performing maintenance work.
Each maintenance employee should be given access to their own locks and keys so the locks cannot be bypassed. Tags are often applied with lockout devices to identify who has locked out a piece of equipment.
What is an Energy Control Program?
OSHA’s lockout standard 29 CFR 1910.147(c)(1) states that all facilities shall establish an Energy Control Program that includes energy control procedures, employee training, and periodic inspections to ensure that employees are properly informed of proper lockout/tagout policies. OSHA requires that machine-specific lockout procedures be developed, documented and utilized for the control of potentially hazardous energy. Lockout procedures are vital to helping your employees stay safe and compliant. The key to effective procedures is concise content that clearly tells your workforce just what they need to do. OSHA also states that periodic reviews should be conducted to ensure that your lockout/tagout procedures are accurate and that your authorized maintenance employees have been adequately trained in using the procedures.
How Can CTI Help?
Whether you have existing lockout/tagout procedures in place, or you are starting from scratch, CTI’s high-level engineers have the knowledge and experience to help you properly develop and implement specifically designed lockout/tagout procedures for the equipment at your facility. A CTI engineer, along with your experienced personnel, will perform a physical review of your current equipment to create machine-specific lockout/tagout procedures. These procedures will be designed to be user-friendly in order to ensure the equipment to be serviced or maintained can be easily locked out by authorized employees. CTI can also help you prepare a full Energy Control Program that includes employee lockout/tagout training and periodic inspections.
Click below to explore a number of the safety and health consulting services that CTI can tailor to your personal industry and business dynamic.
Services:
Confined Space Entry Procedures
Industrial Hygiene/Indoor Air Quality
Job Hazard Analysis (JHA)
Lab Safety
Lockout/Tagout and Energy Control Procedures
Machine Guarding Risk Assessment And Evaluation
Noise Exposure Monitoring
OSHA Compliance Audits & Mock OSHA Inspections
OSHA Required Safety Training
Robot Risk Assessment & Safety
Safety Policies, Procedures, and Programs
