Page 12 - Occupational Health & Safety, June 2019

ELECTRICAL SAFETY
Creating Efficient Lockout/Tagout Training That Adheres to NFPA 70E
When it comes to LOTO training to follow the NFPA 70E standard, three types of employees need to be covered.
BY DARRON WRIGHT
12 Occupational Health & Safety | JUNE 2019
www.ohsonline.com
Electricians, machine operators, and laborers are among the 3 million workers who service and maintain equipment routinely and face the greatest risk of injury from energy sourc-
es. Employees in almost every industrial setting are exposed to such hazards, which is why the National Fire Protection Association 70E standard highlights the need for staging safe work zones with boundaries, barricades, signs, and attendants. A key component to these safe work zones is an effective Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) program.
OSHA was established in 1970. Subsequently, standards 1910 Subpart S and 1926 Subpart K were written to address the design of safety-related work practices for persons who install, maintain, and repair electrical circuits or equipment. Still, OSHA found failing to properly control energy accounted for near- ly 10 percent of serious accidents in many industries. Realizing the two measures weren’t enough, OSHA recommended the creation of NFPA 70E, a require- ment for safe work practices to protect personnel by reducing exposure to major electrical hazards.
NFPA 70E helps companies and employees avoid workplace injuries and fatalities due to shock, elec- trocution, arc flash, and arc blast during maintenance
and construction in industrial plants. While it covers many key principles, addressing lockout/tagout prac- tices is one component that takes the OSHA guide- lines for safety a step further.
Every year, workers are unnecessarily exposed to hazardous energy sources during servicing, mainte- nance, or setting up equipment. Accidental start-up of machinery or unintended release of stored energy often presents catastrophic risks that can cause seri- ous physical injuries or death to workers unaware that someone else has started a machine or energized a circuit. By implementing proper lockout/tagout pro- cedures and training, risks such as employee injuries, damage to equipment, production interruption, and ruined reputations can be avoided.
OSHA defines lockout as “The placement of a lockout device on an energy isolating device, in accordance with an established procedure, ensur- ing that the energy isolating device and the equip- ment being controlled cannot be operated until the lockout device is removed.” Tagout, meanwhile is “The placement of a tagout device on an energy isolating device, in accordance with an established procedure, to indicate that the energy isolating de- vice and the equipment being controlled may not
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