When developing lock out tag out procedures the main priorities are to keep employees safe and maintain your organizations compliance with OSHA regulations. You must know what’s is required to make the equipment safe so that it can be safely maintained or repaired.
OSHA has a set of guidelines that must be included within each lock out tag out procedure. The list is as follows:
- What is the intended use for the procedure?
- What are the steps to shut down and isolate any hazardous energy?
- What are the steps for placing and removing lock out devices?
- Who is responsible for placing and removing lock out devices?
- How will you verify that the lockout has been completed properly?
If you consider the following with regards to the use of the procedure, it can be the basis for developing procedures.
Who can use the Procedure?
When should the procedure be used?
What are the implications of not using the procedure?
The shutdown of a machine for lock out tag out should include the following:
- Notify employees of a lockout
- Shutdown the machine as normal
- Isolate all energy sources and apply the appropriate locks
- Dissipate any residual energy
- Check that all hazardous energy has been dissipated
To restart the machine the Lock Out Tag Out procedure should be executed in Reverse, fir checking that the area is clear and that all employees are out of the area.
By following these basic steps and ensuring that there is a unique procedure for each machine detailing the energy sources and locations will form the basis for a lock out tag out solution. Procedures should include images of the machine with the lockout tag locations, the energy sources and clear simple instructions to the technician who is performing the lock out tag out procedure will greatly reduce the time taken to perform lockout tagout thus increasing efficiency of the equipment and maintaining employee safety.
Each procedure should be placed at the machine to prevent injuries to the employees, possible damage to the machine and to prevent the possibility of fines from authorities having jurisdiction, such as OSHA.
For more information please visit www.osha.org
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