Page 38 - Occupational Health & Safety, December 2017

LOCKOUT/TAGOUT
essary to get the job done, workers must decide in each situation whether the time to apply lockout is justified. Unfortunately, the statistics support they often make the wrong decision, taking dan- gerous shortcuts. My experience is the more practiced a worker is with the skill set of lockout, the faster and more consistently he will apply it. It becomes the normal way to perform a task and is done consistently the right way.
Third is the lack of necessary resources. If lockout procedures are not readily available to reference or hands-on, machine-specific training is not provided, errors are very likely to be made. When all of the needed lockout equipment is not immediately available, chances are workers will think twice about going to get the safety devices and locks required for the task. If there’s insufficient lock- out resources or guidance from company leaders, employees may believe that unsafe behaviors are tolerated, if not encouraged.
The severity and related costs of lockout-related accidents are undeniably high. When these root causes are effectively addressed, protective practices flourish and are used frequently. They become the rehearsed and routine way of performing maintenance, repairs, cleaning, troubleshooting, and set-up activities.
Simply put, it’s a new age. At the time the first ANSI Lockout/ Tagout Standard and the OSHA LOTO regulation came out in the eighties, there was a lack of lockable energy isolation devices and no aftermarket lockout devices to add lockability to equipment of that era. Alternative methods to lockout were poorly understood and usually undocumented. These days, virtually every type of machin-
34 Occupational Health & Safety | DECEMBER 2017 Untitled-4 1
ery, including those from foreign sources, is much more likely to be equipped for lockability or can easily be retrofitted with effective af- termarket lockout devices. Alternative procedures involving partial lockout and additional control methods can be successful at provid- ing a safe way of completing tasks when energy must be present.
Getting companies and their workers engaged in a best-practice approach to using lockout to control hazardous sources of energy is all about planning, implementation, and a culture that believes working safety is more than a sound business decision. It’s a way of life.
Todd Grover is the Global Senior Manager for Applied Safety Solutions at The Master Lock Company. He is responsible for the company’s Pro- fessional Lockout Services safety program, assessment, procedure devel- opment and training offering and provides a solution driven, practical approach to accident prevention, risk management, and meeting com- pliance requirements. He has over 30 years of experience as a practicing safety professional and EHS manager. He holds an Advanced Safety Certification through the National Safety Council and is an OSHA au- thorized instructor for both the General Industry and Construction 10 and 30 hour courses. He is a participating member of the ANSI Z244.1 committee on the Control of Hazardous Energy and the ANSI Z10 committee on Safety Management Systems, as well as a delegate to the U.S. PC283 committee contributing to the upcoming ISO 45001 Global Standard for Occupational Health and Safety. Contact him via email, tgrover@mlock.com, or by phone at (414) 571-5625.
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