Page 44 - Occupational Health & Safety, November/December 2019

LOCKOUT/TAGOUT
Maximizing Employee Safety with Lockout
A lockout/tagout system is essential to any safety program.
BY BILL BELONGEA Many hazards can exist across a facil- ity or plant of any size—whether it be electrical, chemical, pneumatic, ther- mal, gravitational or other energy that can harm personnel. Exposure to hazardous energy is preventable when putting effective safety proce- dures and training in place that safeguard employees and comply with OSHA’s 1910.147 lockout/tagout
(LOTO) standard.
OSHA’s 1910.147 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, can occur. While the number of LOTO violations has decreased over the last year, it remains one of OSHA’s top-ten most frequently cited violations year-over-year, with 2,606 violations being reported for fiscal year 20181 vs. 2,923 violations reported in fiscal year 2017.2
Implementing a best practice LOTO program is an ongoing process that requires routine training and a continuous commitment to safeguarding person- nel from the unexpected release of hazardous energy. One commonly used method when isolating energy for maintenance is tagout. On its own, tagout involves the placement of “Danger: Do Not Operate” tags at the energy isolation points to indicate that the equip- ment is undergoing servicing or maintenance and cannot be operated until the tag is removed.
While tagout is a valid method under OSHA regu- lations for the utility industry, facilities can better safe- guard employees by implementing “lockout,” which is the placement of a safety lock and a lockout device on the energy isolation points of a piece of equipment to render it inoperable. Lockout uses a safety padlock to hold an energy isolation device in a de-energized state and prevents the re-energization of the machine or equipment until removed.
Facilities already utilizing a tagout program can enhance employee safety by implementing hazardous energy control that involves both lockout and tagout.
Common Challenges of Implementing an Effective Lockout Program
An effective lockout program is a crucial step in en- suring employee safety, as employees can be seriously or fatally injured if machinery unexpectedly energiz- es, starts up or releases stored energy. However, only a small percentage of companies have effective lockout programs in place.
An effective lockout program is defined as “meet- ing or exceeding compliance requirements with lock- out being practiced routinely each time it is indicated
by the hazards of the tasks being performed.” It has also been observed that many employers have no lockout program at all—even though companies who imple- ment a lockout program are more likely to eliminate the potential for incidents involving hazardous energy isolation compared to those who utilize only a tagout program. While lockout/tagout elements are critical to safety program, businesses face many challenges in implementing them. These include:
Lack of knowledge/experience. The early stages of lockout program development and implementa- tion can be challenging due to inexperience or lack of familiarity with 1910.147. Hiring safety leaders expe- rienced in the 1910.147 standard, or working with a third-party safety consulting company, can help facili- ties develop an effective and compliant lockout pro- gram, write procedures for de-energizing and locking out machinery, and train employees in the execution of safety lockout.
Perceived efficiency barriers. Some companies view lockout as an activity that affects productivity. However, productivity concerns can be overcome by implementing comprehensive and visual lockout pro- cedures at the point of application, effective training of both authorized and affected personnel, and ex- ecuting thought out equipment deployment strategies that maximize access to lockout equipment by autho- rized personnel.
Case in Point: How Southern Company Implemented a Best Practice Lockout Program to Improve Worker Safety
As noted, compliance with OSHA 1910.147 is a nec- essary component of any safety program, and any company can proactively make the jump to a compre- hensive LOTO program that will result in long-term benefits. In fact, one of the leading utility companies in the U.S. improved overall worker safety and opera- tions by switching from a tagout to a LOTO program.
Southern Company, a nationally recognized pro- vider of energy, fiber optics and wireless communica- tions solutions recognized as one of Fortune’s annual “World’s Most Admired Companies” for electric and gas utilities, recently switched from a tagout-based safety program to a LOTO program.
After reaching out to colleagues in the utility indus- try and understanding their safety programs, a South- ern Company safety leader concluded it could improve overall safety by implementing a LOTO program that involves the use of lockout devices that prevent the start-up of machinery while maintenance activities are occurring.
40 Occupational Health & Safety | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019
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