OSHA Lockout, Tagout And Tryout Are You In Compliance?

OSHA Lockout, Tagout And Tryout: Are You In Compliance?

Podojil & Associates is a leader in the Control of Hazardous Energy field. Each time we are contacted by a potential client to conduct an audit—usually after an accident has occurred or OSHA has cited them—we ask a few questions:

1. Have you conducted your initial and annual Lockout & Tagout training for Authorized Employees and training for Affected Employees?
This answer is usually: “I don’t know.”

2. Have you conducted your periodic audit (which is an OSHA requirement) with each Authorized Employee who will be locking out and tagging out the sources of energy?
Again, the answer is often: “I don’t know.”

3. Have you identified all of your energy sources on your equipment, labeled/placarded them, and ensured they are readily available on the machine?
Most of the time, the answer is: “No.”

What Is Hazardous Energy?

Energy sources—including electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, thermal, or other sources in machines and equipment—can be hazardous to workers. During servicing and maintenance, the unexpected startup or release of stored energy can cause serious injury to employees.

What Are the Harmful Effects of Hazardous Energy?

Workers servicing or maintaining machines or equipment may be seriously injured or killed if hazardous energy is not properly controlled. Injuries resulting from failure to control hazardous energy can be severe or fatal and may include:

■ Electrocution
■ Burns
■ Crushing injuries
■ Cuts and lacerations
■ Amputations
■ Fractures

Examples include:

■ A steam valve automatically turns on when workers are repairing a downstream piping connection
■ A jammed conveyor system suddenly released and crushed a worker attempting to clear the jam
■ Internal wiring shorting and shocking an employee while epairing factory equipment

Craft workers, electricians, machine operators, and laborers are among the 3 million workers who routinely service equipment and face the greatest risk. Workers injured from hazardous energy exposure lose an average of 24 workdays for recovery.

What Can Be Done to Control Hazardous Energy?

Failure to control hazardous energy accounts for nearly 10% of serious accidents in many industries. Proper lockout/tagout (LOTO) practices and procedures safeguard workers from the release of hazardous energy.

The OSHA standard for the Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) — 29 CFR 1910.147 — outlines measures for controlling different types of hazardous energy in general industry.

Employer Responsibilities Under OSHA LOTO

The LOTO standard establishes the employer’s responsibility to protect workers from hazardous energy. Employers must ensure that employees know, understand, and can follow the applicable energy control procedures.

Key requirements include:

■ Proper lockout/tagout practices and procedures to prevent hazardous energy release
■ Training workers on the purpose and function of the energy control program
■ Ensuring workers have the skills required for safe application, usage, and removal of energy control devices
■ Instructing all affected employees on the purpose and use of energy control procedures
■ Prohibiting attempts to restart or reenergize machines that are locked or tagged out
■ Training authorized employees to recognize hazardous energy sources, including the type and magnitude of energy present
■ Teaching the means and methods of isolating and controlling energy
■ Addressing specific procedures and limitations of tagout systems where permitted
■ Retraining employees when necessary to maintain proficiency or introduce new or changed control methods

For more information on this subject, please feel free to contact me through the magazine or visit our website at
johnpodojil@iashep.org