Workers performing service or maintenance on machinery and equipment are exposed to injuries from the unexpected energization, startup of the machinery or equipment, or release of stored energy in the equipment.

The Lockout/Tagout standard requires the adoption and implementation of practices and procedures to shut down equipment, isolate it from its energy source(s), and prevent the release of potentially hazardous energy while maintenance and servicing activities are being performed. It contains minimum performance requirements, and definitive criteria for establishing an effective program for the control of hazardous energy. However, employers have the flexibility to develop lockout/tagout programs that are suitable for their respective facilities.

When using Lockout tags, in addition to normal training required for all employees, employees must be trained in the following limitations of tags:

• Lockout Tags are essentially warning devices and do not provide the physical restraint of a lock.
• Lockout Tags must be legible and understandable by all employees.
• When a tag is attached to an isolating means, it is not to be removed except by the person who applied it, and it is never to be bypassed, or ignored.
• Tags and their attachments must be made of materials that will withstand the environmental conditions encountered in the workplace.
• Tags may evoke a false sense of security. They are only one part of an overall energy control program.
• Tags must be securely attached to the energy-isolating devices so that they cannot be detached accidentally during use.

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A 26 year old, male recycling packer died after being crushed in a paper recycling bin by a recycling ram (crushing device) that exerts 118 tons of force.

The company had no effective lockout/tagout procedures...

Precautionary Tip: Establish lockout/tagout procedures to insure that all required caution and danger signs are posted?

More Info: Lockout/Tagout Incident

 The control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout)

OSHA has determined that lockout is a more reliable means of de-energizing equipment than tagout. Lockout should always be the preferred method used by employees. Except for limited situations, the use of lockout devices provide a more secure and effective means of preventing the unexpected release of hazardous energy or start-up of machines and equipment.

Before service or maintenance is performed on machinery or equipment, 29 CFR 1910.147 generally requires that machinery or equipment be turned off and disconnected from the energy source. The energy-isolating device must be either locked or tagged out.

1910.147		The control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout)
App A		Typical minimal lockout
1910.261		Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills
1910.262		Textiles
910.263		Bakery equipment. Paragraph (c) addresses general requirements for machine guarding.
1910.269		Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution
App D		Methods of Inspecting and Testing Wood Piles
1910.306		Specific purpose equipment and installations
1910.333		Selection and use of work practices
1915.163		Ship's piping system
1917.48		Conveyors
1918.64		Powered conveyors
1926.417		Lockout and tagging of circuits
1926.555		Conveyors
1926.702		Requirements for equipment and tools

Do Not Operate This Tag and Lock Equipment Lock Out Danger - Do Not Operate

1. To establish a safe and positive means of shutting down machinery, equipment and systems.
2. To prohibit unauthorized personnel or remote control systems from starting machinery or equipment while it is being serviced.
3. To provide a secondary control system (tagout) when it is impossible to positively lockout the machinery or equipment.
4. To establish responsibility for implementing and controlling lockout/tagout procedures.
5. To ensure that only approved locks, standardized tags and fastening devices provided by the company will be utilized in the lockout/tagout procedures.

If an employee's duties include performing work covered by the lockout / Tagout program, they must be trained as an authorized employee.

Employees who perform the following types of work must be trained:

• Servicing or maintenance of machines or equipment where the unexpected start-up, activation or release of stored energy could cause injury.
• Operations where an employee is required to remove or bypass a guard or other safety device.
• Operations where an employee is required to place any part of his or her body into an area of the machine where work is actually performed upon the material being processed, or where a similar danger zone exists during the machine operating cycle.
• Work on equipment where an energy source itself poses a hazard to the employee (e.g., electrical systems) that must be controlled for the work to be performed safely.
• Entry into confined spaces, such as vats or tanks, where the supply lines for chemicals, gases or other materials into the space must be blocked and locked out to prevent the introduction of these materials into the space while employees are performing work

This module covers the following sections:

• Scope and Application
• Normal Production Operations
• 29 CFR 1910.147 Provisions.

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