Notify affected employees that lockout or tagout devices have been removed and that energy is going to be reapplied
Removing lockout/tagout devices
- Only the authorized electrical worker or supervisor or employee who inititally applied the lockout or tagout device to the circuit, may remove that lockout tagout device
- Exception - When the specified electrical worker or supervisor or employee is not available to remove the lockout tagout device, it can be removed under the direction of the employer
- Specific procedures and training must be developed, documented, and placed in your energy control plan
At a very minimum condition, the lockout tagout OSHA procedures must include:
- A strict verification that the authorized electrical worker or supervisor or employee who applied the device is not at the facility
- Every and all reasonable effort has been made to contact him/her to inform them that their lockout or tagout device has been legally removed
- Ensure that they are aware of this upon returning to work If the authorized electrical worker or supervisor or employee is not available, who is authorized to remove the lockout or tagout device?
Group Lockout or Tagout
When servicing and/or electrical maintenance is performed by an electrical group (crew, craft, department, etc.), it is dictated that they must utilize a procedure which affords the employees a defined level of personal electrical protection which is equivalent to that provided by a personal protective lockout or tagout device.
Group lockout or tagout devices must be used in accordance with specific procedure and must include the following requirements, at a minimum:
- Primary responsibility is vested in an authorized employee for a set number of employees working under the protection of a group lockout or tagout device (e.g. an operations lock)
- Provision for the authorized employee to monitor the exposure status of individual workers with regard to the lockout or tagout of the machine or equipment
- When more than one group is involved, assignment of overall jobassociated lockout or tagout control responsibility to an authorized employee designated to coordinate all affected groups and ensure
continuity of protection
- Each authorized employee must affix a personal lockout or tagout device to the group lockout device (group lockbox or comparable mechanism) when he/she begins work, and must remove the device
when he/she stops working on the machine or equipment being serviced or maintained
Lockout/Tagout Training
Training must ensure that the purpose and function of your energy control plan are
understood and that employees gain the needed knowledge and skills to safely
apply, use, and remove hazardous energy controls
Minimum training must include:
- Authorized employees must be able to recognize:
- hazardous energy sources
- types and magnitudes of energy in the workplace
- methods and means necessary to isolate and control the energy Affected employees must be instructed on the:
- purpose and use of your energy control procedures Other employees must be instructed about:
- the energy control procedure in general
- prohibitions relating to attempts to restart/reenergize equipment
Lockout Tagout
That is the rationale behind lockout tagout. All sources of electricity that have the potential to be unintentionally activated, started or released must be identified and monitored. This is accomplished by installing locks (lockout) or tags (tagout) on electrical circuits to keep electricity from being accidentally activated when it shouldn’t be. OSHA lockout tagout standards mandate: “The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout Tagout). “This standard covers the servicing and maintenance of machines and equipment in which the unexpected energization or start up of the machines or equipment, or release of stored energy could cause injury to employees”.
In general, this Lockout Tagout standard requires that all electrical energy sources for equipment be turned off, isolated (disconnected), and physically locked out. Bleeding, relieving, or blocking other stored and residual energy must also be done to achieve zero energy state. The last important function before equipment service can begin is to verify all energy has been deenergized and/or isolated. - Read More Here: Lockout Tagout Safety
OSHA states that all employers must have an Energy Control Program, and that "the employer shall establish a program consisting of energy control procedures, employee training, and periodic inspections to ensure that before any employee performs any servicing or maintenance on a machine or equipment where the unexpected energizing, start up or release of stored energy could occur and cause injury, the machine or equipment shall be isolated from the energy source, and rendered inoperative." - Read More Here: Lockout Tagout OSHA
Energy Control Plan
A company's hazardous energy control plan must specifically outline the scope, purpose, authorization, rules, and techniques to be utilized for the control of hazardous energy.
The plan must also include a company's methods to enforce compliance.
At a minimum, the following steps must be taken:
- A specific statement of the intended use of your procedures
- Specific procedures to shut down, isolate, block and secure machines or equipment
- Specific procedures to place, remove and transfer lockout tagout devices
- Assigning responsibility for lockout tagout devices
- Requirements and procedures to test machines and machinery to determine and verify effective lockout tagout devices, and other energy control measures.
For more information, see:
Lockout Tagout
Lockout Tagout Procedures
Lockout Tagout Training
- Read More Here: Arc Flash and Electrical Safety
- Read More Here: Electrical Safety Training
- Read More Here: Electricity
