August – Lockout/Tagout Safety
Ensure Correct Procedure
No lockout system will be effective if it is undertaken in a hit-or-miss fashion. You must be absolutely sure that workers are absolutely sure about lockout/tagout procedures, whether they’re performing the lockout, whether they’re affected by it, or whether they’re just working in the area.
Simple Precautions
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Never under any circumstance work on equipment that has not been de-energized and locked out.
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Make sure that multiple lockout procedures are always followed when more than one person is servicing equipment.
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Never leave the key in a lock; it’s protecting someone’s life.
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Each worker must perform the shutoff & lockout him or herself.
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The main disconnect must always be locked out.
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Before anyone does any repairs, they must take a few moments to test the controls to make sure they are definitely inoperative.
IMPORTANT
Common Mistakes
This job will only take a few minutes. I don’t need to use a lock. A worker pulls the switch and correctly locks it out. Then other workers begin to make repairs. The first worker finishes first, removes his lock leaving the other workers unprotected. A worker performing a lockout is afraid she’s going to lose the key, so she leaves it in the lock. An employee locked out the control circuit and thought that was good enough.