Page 70 - OHS, July/August 2021

TRAINING: LOCKOUT/TAGOUT
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CBY JOANN MRGICH, COLWIN CHAN
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rushed, fractured or amputated limbs, electric shock, explosions and heat/chemical burns—these are just some of the dangers workers face when stored energy is unexpectedly or accidentally released.
Stored energy is found in nearly all sectors of industrial business, and when it’s not properly controlled, it can easily result in serious injury or loss of life. Controlling stored energy such as, electricity, kinetic energy, thermal energy, pressurized liquids and gases is critical to keeping workers safe.
The best way to help your team safely work with stored energy is to ensure you have a strong lockout/tagout (LOTO) training program for controlling hazardous energy.
Business Benefits of Strengthening Your LOTO Program
Preventing injury and loss of life is undeniably the number one reason to strengthen any safety program. However, there are also concrete business benefits, for example, according to the National Safety Council (NSC) Injury Facts report online, work injuries cost employers $171 billion dollars and $105 million days lost in 2019 alone.
Strengthening LOTO training specifically, helps reduce the chance of costly OSHA fines for serious violations (i.e. injury or death) which start at $13,653 per violation. LOTO infractions routinely make the annual list of most common OSHA violations, coming in sixth during the 2020 fiscal year.
Additionally, strengthening your lockout/tagout program will include standardization. Standardizing any process increases efficiency. The time/resources you spend codifying and organizing your LOTO training program will be rewarded with time/resources saved over time with more efficient processes in place.
Step 1: Identify Authorized, Affected
and “Other” Employees
Authorized employees and affected employees require different levels of LOTO training and retraining. The first step to strengthening your program is to identify authorized and affected employees so that you can ensure each team member is receiving the proper training.
Authorized employees. Anyone who locks out or tags out machines/equipment in order to perform service or maintenance must receive LOTO training to become authorized. Employees become authorized after receiving LOTO training for applying, using and removing energy controls.
Affected employees. Anyone who operates or services machines/equipment that require de-energizing for safe maintenance, or works in “an area in which such servicing or maintenance is being performed.” (OSHA 1910.147b)
It is important to note here that affected employees can be re-categorized as authorized employees (and thus require authorized-employee training) if their duties change to include
service/maintenance of machines/equipment that require de- energizing.
“Other” employees. Anyone who does not fall into the authorized or affected category, but whose work may require them to be in an area where lockout/tagout is performed.
Step 2: Review OSHA Requirements for LOTO Training
LOTO training requirements are covered in OSHA standard 1910.147, The Control of Hazardous Energy. This standard is also referred to as the LOTO standard or lockout/tagout standard interchangeably.
Following regulation 1910.147(c)(7)(i)(A), authorized employees must be trained on the following: 1) recognition of applicablehazardousenergysources,2)detailsaboutthetype and magnitude of the hazardous energy sources present in the work area and 3) the methods and means necessary to isolate and control hazardous energy sources.
Affected and “other” employees are covered under 1910.147(c) (7)(i)(B) and 1910.147(c)(7)(i)(C), respectively. Affected employees must be trained to understand the purpose and use of energy control procedures. All other employees working nearby must be instructed about the procedure and the fact that it’s prohibited to restart or reenergize any machine/equipment that is locked out or tagged out.
Step 3: Get Procedures Down on Paper
Written lockout/tagout procedures are a must. OSHA 1910.147(c) (4)(i) specifically mandates those procedures “be developed, documented and utilized.” Clearly documented safety procedures also make it easier for employees to learn and follow protocols. Storing a copy of LOTO procedures in a heavy-duty binder makes them easily accessible to employees as well as inspection officers.
Digital records are great for saving space but can be difficult to access. If you do choose to store procedures digitally, consider displaying barcode labels for digital access in high-traffic employee areas. Using label design software, you can easily create your own QR barcodes that link to information online. Anyone with a smartphone can use a QR code to instantly go to the link.
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66 Occupational Health & Safety | JULY/AUGUST 2021
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