Failure to control hazardous energy accounts for nearly 10 percent of the serious accidents in many industries. Proper lockout/tagout (LOTO) practices and procedures safeguard workers from the release of hazardous energy.
Sometimes work must be performed on equipment, pipelines, and machinery that may contain moving parts, pressurized gases or liquids, electrical energy, or other hazards. Contact with any of these may result in injury or death.
Subp. 1. Electrical power disconnect. Any main electrical power disconnect means which controls a source of power or material flow shall be locked out with a lockout device whenever employees are maintaining, cleaning, adjusting, or servicing machinery or equipment, if the disconnect is not in clear sight of the employee.
Some basic steps are common to all lockout/tagout procedures, though you will need to get more specific for your individual situation. OSHA requires you to have a lockout/tagout process.
Why is Lockout/Tagout Important?
The OSHA standard for The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout), 29 CFR 1910.147, addresses safety procedures used in the workplace to ensure that dangerous machines are properly shut off and not able to be started up again prior to the completion of maintenance or servicing work.